On March 19, 2025, the University of California (UC) announced a systemwide hiring freeze in response to federal policy changes under the Trump administration and potential state budget cuts.
UC President Michael V. Drake stated that this hiring freeze would "help the University manage costs and conserve funds" during a "time of great uncertainty." He instructed all UC campuses to...
On Feb. 14, 2025, the United States (U.S.) Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter ordering K-12 schools and universities to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, including financial aid, dormitory floor communities and graduation ceremonies by the end of Feb. 2025, or risk not “receiving federal funding.”
The letter, signed by Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for...
Just a few weeks into his administration, President Donald J. Trump issued an order to cap indirect funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants at 15 percent, resulting in a cut of billions of dollars in research funding for universities and research institutions.
In response, California and 21 other states sued the federal government, arguing that this action would...
In his first week, President Trump signed dozens of executive orders addressing immigration, including cutting off federal funding for sanctuary cities, ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, shutting down an app used by asylum seekers to apply for entry into the United States and sending 1,500 additional troops to the southern border.
California has been outspoken about leading...
On Jan. 10, 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his budget proposal for 2025-2026, kicking off negotiations between the governor and the state legislature over California’s fiscal priorities. Calling this year’s budget “a non-event,” Gov. Newsom’s proposal anticipates a total budget of $322 billion — the second largest state spending plan ever — with a “modest” surplus of $363 million...
On Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME Local 3299) joined other UC campuses and health care centers to protest UC’s “bad faith bargaining” and “unfair labor practices.”
With nearly 40,000 UC workers protesting systemwide, including about 100 workers at UCR, President Michael Avant of...
If President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks, including high-profile figures such as Marco Rubio and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are any signal, a drastic and concerning change in the country’s policy direction is coming. No area, including higher education, will likely be spared.
Based on the former president’s track record and campaign promises, Trump has indicated he would reduce financial aid,...
Every four years, California voters are asked to become experts on complex issues from homelessness to climate change, education to crime and the economy. This is a daunting —- and often overwhelming —- request for many student voters who are in the middle of the quarter and cannot devote hours to researching and understanding all the legal jargon on...
Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox announced on Thursday, Sept. 19, that he plans to retire in the summer of 2025 after leading the University of California, Riverside (UCR) for 12 years — the second-longest serving chancellor in the university’s history.
In a message to the campus community, Chancellor Wilcox said that he will “miss the daily interactions on campus” but believes...
With student protests sweeping across universities nationwide, the 2023-2024 academic year has been characterized by youth activism as students advocate for important social justice issues. From the 1960s Vietnam War protests to the 1980s Anti-Apartheid Movement, college campuses have historically been spaces where youth-led civil disobedience occurs. However, there has been an undeniable growth in the scope and intensity...