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University of California, Irvine

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Coordinates: 33°38′43.26″N, 117°50′33.51″W

University of California, Irvine
Image:Ucirvine-seal.png

Motto: Fiat Lux (Latin)
(Let There Be Light)
Established 1965
Type: Public, Land, Space Granted Research University
Endowment: US $189.4 million (2006 June 30)[1]
Chancellor: Dr. Michael V. Drake, M.D.
Provost: Michael R. Gottfredson, Ph.D.
Faculty: 1,453
Undergraduates: 20,843 (2006)[2]
Postgraduates: 4,387 (2006)[2]
Location: Flag of the United States Irvine, California, United States
Campus: Suburban, 1,489 acres (6 km²)
Newspaper: New University
Colors: Blue and Gold           
Nickname: Anteaters
Mascot: Peter the Anteater
Athletics: NCAA Division I
Affiliations: University of California
American Association of Universities
Big West Conference
Website: www.uci.edu
Image:Ucirvine logo.gif

The University of California, Irvine is a public coeducational research university situated in Irvine, California. Founded in 1965, it is the second-youngest University of California campus and is widely recognized as UCI or UC Irvine.

UC Irvine's name is originated from the Irvine Company, which donated 1,000 acres (4 km²) (for a single dollar) and sold another 500 acres (2 km²) to the University of California. In 1971, the University of California and the Irvine Company planned a city around the campus, which was incorporated as the city of Irvine.

UC Irvine's location is in the heart of Orange County, California, serving the fifth most-populous county in the United States. Additionally, UCI also maintains the UC Irvine Health Sciences system (with its flagship UCI Medical Center in Orange), the University of California, Irvine, Arboretum, and a portion of the University of California Natural Reserve System.

The 2008 U.S. News & World Report: America's Best Colleges ranked UC Irvine the 44th best university in the United States, 13th best public university in the United States, and 5th best (shared with Santa Barbara) of all the UC schools - (after Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Davis [3]). UC Irvine is also the youngest university that appears on the listing of "Top National Universities" in the United States, and is a Public Ivy institution of higher education.[4]

Contents

History

Early years

The University of California at Irvine, was one of three new campuses established in the 1960s under the California Master Plan for Higher Education with the San Diego and Santa Cruz.[5] During the 1950s, the University of California saw the need for the new campuses to handle both the large number of college-bound World War II veterans (largely due to the G. I. Bill) and the expected increase in enrollment from the post-war baby boom. One of the new campuses was to be in the Los Angeles area; the location selected was Irvine Ranch, an area of agricultural land bisecting Orange County from north to south. This site was chosen to accommodate the county's growing population, complement the growth of nearby UCLA and UC Riverside, and allow for the construction of a master planned community in the surrounding area.[6]

Image:UCISign.jpg
One of two identical UCI signs that face the main campus' Bison Avenue entrance.

Unlike other University of California campuses, UCI was not named for the city it was built in; at the time of the university's founding (1965), the current city of Irvine (established in 1975) did not exist. The name "Irvine" is a reference to James Irvine, a landowner who administered the 94,000 acre (380 km²) Irvine Ranch. In 1960 The Irvine Company sold one thousand acres (4 km²) of the Irvine Ranch to the University of California for one dollar, since a company policy prohibited the donation of property to a public entity.[7] The University purchased an additional 510 acres (2.1 km²) in 1964 for housing and commercial developments. Much of the land that was not purchased by UCI (which is now occupied by the cities of Irvine, Tustin, Newport Beach, and Newport Coast) is now held under The Irvine Company. During this time, the University also hired William Pereira and Associates as the Master Planner of the Irvine Ranch area. Pereira intended for the UC Irvine campus to complement the neighboring community, and the two grew in tandem. Soon after UC Irvine opened in 1965, the City of Irvine became incorporated and established in 1971 and 1975, respectively.[8]

UC Irvine's first Chancellor, Daniel G. Aldrich, developed the campus' first academic plan around a College of Arts, Letters, and Science, a Graduate School of Administration, and a School of Engineering. The College of Arts, Letters, and Science was composed of twenty majors in five "Divisions": Biological Sciences, Fine Arts, Humanities, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences (which transformed into the present-day "Schools").[9] Aldrich was also responsible for implementing the wide variety of flora and fauna on the campus that fit the local Mediterranean climate zone, feeling that it served an "aesthetic, environmental, and educational [purpose]."[10]

On June 20, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated UC Irvine before a crowd of 15,000 people, and on October 4, 1965 the campus began operations with 1,589 students, 241 staff members, 119 faculty, and 43 teaching assistants.[11][12] However, many of UCI's buildings were still under construction and landscaping was still in progress, with the campus only at 75% completion.[13] By June 25, 1966, UCI held its first Commencement with fourteen students, which conferred ten Bachelors of Arts, three Masters of Arts, and one Doctor of Philosophy degree.[14] In 1965 the formerly osteopathic California College of Medicine, the oldest continuously operating medical college in the southwestern US was joined to UCI. Over the protests of faculty, the University bowed to pressure from Governor Brown and bought the Orange County Medical Center from the government ending ambitions for an on campus teaching hospital. Intermittent attempts over the years to bring a full medical center to the school itself have been frustrated by many factors.

Present day

Image:Downtown Irvine overhead.jpg
A view of suburban Irvine. The white tower in the foreground is part of University Center, and everything to its left and right is part of UCI.

UC Irvine itself has grown with its surroundings, with the university earning national acclaim in academia that reflects its status as a nationally-ranked public research university. This fast-paced growth has made UC Irvine the educational and cultural center of Orange County, as well as making a popular translation of the abbreviation "UCI" as "Under Construction Indefinitely".[15] The University is also a central component of Southern California's Tech Coast and the OCTANe technology initiative, fueling corporate and technological development that reflects its history as a planned campus. As the second-largest employer in Orange County (the largest employer being The Walt Disney Company), UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.7 billion. Its extramural funding, which has shown exponential annual growth, was a record $263 million in 2005.[16]

In 2006, UC Irvine operated 68 undergraduate degree programs, 53 minors, 45 master's degree programs, and 43 doctorate programs (including one M.D., two Ed. D. programs).[17][18] At UC Irvine's 2005 Commencement ceremonies, the university conferred 6,759 degrees to what was at the time its largest graduating class.[19]

Future growth

As part of its long-term efforts to "attain flagship status,"[20] UC Irvine has implemented construction projects (estimated to cost $1.3 billion over the next decade) that will accelerate the campus build-out and employ the remainder of the university's land grant.[21][22][23][24] The exponential increase in construction activity is a part of the Strategy for Academic Development at UCI through 2015, a master plan that outlines the vision of making UCI a first-choice university for college applicants nationwide.[25]

The anteater as mascot

The UCI mascot is the anteater. This 430-pound statue is a gift of the class of 1987.
The UCI mascot is the anteater. This 430-pound statue is a gift of the class of 1987.

The anteater was chosen in 1965 when students were allowed to submit mascot candidates, which would be voted on in a campus election. An undergraduate named Schuyler Hadley Basset III is credited with choosing the anteater and designing a cartoon representation, having been disappointed with other mascots such as a roadrunner, unicorn, and golden bison.[26]

The anteater was inspired by "Peter the Anteater" from the Johnny Hart comic strip, "B.C.. Before the voting took place on campus, it is said that the men’s water polo team highly encouraged the students to vote for the anteater as the school mascot. The men’s water polo team promoted the anteater at one of their game, which is said to have increased student’s interest in voting for the anteater.[citation needed] Since it was "original and slightly irrelevant," it became the mascot of UC Irvine after winning 56% of the vote, beating a close second with the choice of "none of the above". The anteaters are not to be confused with the aardvark, an African animal that also eats ants. The anteater has grown to become a beloved mascot, and is the inspiration for many of UCI'sathletic and campus spirit traditions.

School chants and cheers feature the word "zot" which was the noise Johnny Hart's "Peter the Anteater" made while eating ants. A hand signal of the anteater is done by touching the tips of the two middle fingers with the thumb, and sliding the thumb back, making the pinky and index finger the ears and the fingers in the middle the snout of the anteater.

In August 2007, a small stuffed Peter accompanied astronaut Tracy Caldwell on the Space Shuttle Endeavour mission STS-118.[27]

Governance

Image:MichaelVDrake.jpg
Michael V. Drake, M.D. is UCI's fifth Chancellor and formerly served as the UC Vice President for Health Affairs for five years.

Like other University of California campuses, UC Irvine is governed by a Chancellor who has significant authority over campus academic and planning affairs. The Chancellor, in turn, is nominated by and answers to the Regents of the University of California and the UC President. Listed below are all of UC Irvine's Chancellors since its founding:

Chancellors of UC Irvine Years as Chancellor
Daniel G. Aldrich 1962–1984
Jack W. Peltason 1984–1992
Laurel L. Wilkening 1993–1998
Ralph J. Cicerone 1998–2005
Michael V. Drake 2005–present

After the Chancellor, the second most senior official is the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.[28] He serves as the university's chief academic and operating officer. Every school on campus reports to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost through a Dean, and all other academic and administrative units report to his office through a Vice Chancellor or chief administrator. A partial list of these units includes Campus Recreation, Intercollegiate Athletics, Planning and Budget, Student Affairs, UC Irvine Libraries, UC Irvine Medical Center, and University Advancement. The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost also governs the faculty senate.

Academics

Image:Social sciences.jpg
The School of Social Sciences from Aldrich Park.

UC Irvine's academic units are referred to as Schools. There are eight undergraduate Schools, two graduate Schools, one Department, and one field of Interdisciplinary Studies. The most recent academic unit, the College of Health Sciences, was established in 2004.[29] On November 16, 2006, the UC Regents approved the establishment of the School of Law, with an expected opening in fall 2009.[30] The remaining academic units offer accelerated or community education in the form of Summer Session and UC Irvine Extension. Additionally, UCI's Campuswide Honors Program is implementing an independent study program, which will allow students to develop their own curriculum across Schools and graduate with their own self-created major.

Frederick Reines Hall in the School of Physical Sciences, named after one of three UCI faculty members to receive the Nobel prize.
Frederick Reines Hall in the School of Physical Sciences, named after one of three UCI faculty members to receive the Nobel prize.

Current academic units at UC Irvine:

Image:Engineeringtower.jpg
The Engineering Tower, located in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, is the tallest building on campus.

Proposed academic units at UC Irvine:

  • School of Design

Research organizations

To complement its mission as a research university, UCI hosts a diverse array of nationally and internationally-recognized research organizations.[31] These organizations are either chaired by or composed of UCI faculty, frequently draw upon undergraduates and graduates for research assistance, and produce a multitude of innovations, patents, and scholarly works. Some are housed in a school or department office; others are housed in their own multimillion-dollar facilities. These are a few of the more prolific research organizations at UCI:

  • Beckman Laser Institute
  • California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (also known as Calit2) [1]
  • Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies
  • Center for Unconventional Security Affairs
  • Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • National Fuel Cell Research Center
  • Reeve-Irvine Research Center
  • Center for the Study of Democracy
  • Center for Health Policy Research

Rankings and distinctions

U.S. University Rankings

USNWR National University[32] 44th
USNWR Medical School (research) [36] 41st
USNWR Medical School (primary care) [37] 50th
USNWR Engineering School[38] 37th
ARWU World[40] 45th
ARWU National[41] 36th
ARWU Natural Science & Math[42] 32nd
ARWU Engineering & CS[43] 41st
ARWU Life Sciences[44] 51st
ARWU Clinical Medicine[45] 76th
ARWU Social Sciences[46] 51st
THES World[48] 140th
CMUP[50] 48th
Washington Monthly[51] 49th

Many UCI's graduate programs received top-50 rankings from U.S. News & World Report, earning distinction in literary criticism and theory (2), criminology (4), behavioral neuroscience (5), creative writing (6), health care management (9), organic chemistry (9), information systems (11), drama and theater (12), third-world literature (12), cognitive psychology (13), English (16), psychology – neurobiology and behavior (16), chemistry (18), experimental psychology (19), gender and literature (19), executive M.B.A. (20), cell biology/developmental biology (21), 19th- and 20th century literature (22), psychology – cognitive science (22), sociology (27), aerospace engineering (29), computer science (29), physics (29), mechanical engineering (30), civil engineering (31), biological sciences (32), history (32), environmental engineering (34), fine arts (34), political science (35), business (38), biomedical engineering (40), engineering (41), medicine (41), materials science engineering (45), mathematics (47), psychology and social behavior (47), economics (48), and electrical engineering (49).[52]

UCI's Master of Fine Arts degree program in creative writing has graduated such authors as Richard Ford, Michael Chabon, and Alice Sebold. The graduate program in philosophy was ranked 17th in the English-speaking world by the Philosophical Gourmet Report, while Chemical and Engineering News ranks UCI fifth (tied with, among others, Harvard University) in conferring doctoral degrees in chemistry. The Wall Street Journal ranks UCI's Paul Merage School of Business fourth in the nation for information technology.[53]

Three faculty members have been named National Medal of Science recipients.[54] Additionally, three researchers from UCI's faculty received the Nobel Prize during their tenure at UCI: Frank Sherwood Rowland (Chemistry, 1995), Frederick Reines (Physics, 1995) (deceased), and Irwin Rose (Chemistry, 2004). Dr. Rowland's Nobel-winning research was conducted exclusively at UC Irvine, along with fellow prize-winner Mario J. Molina. Irwin Rose received the Nobel Prize for his work on biological proteins. F. Sherwood Rowland is known for helping to discover CFCs and their harmful effects on the ozone layer, while Frederick Reines received the Nobel Prize for his work in discovering the neutrino. UCI is the first public university to have two Nobel laureates (Rowland and Reines) who received their prizes in the same year (1995).

UCI's faculty are also members of the following U.S. learned societies[54]:

Admissions

UC Irvine is categorized by U.S. News and The Princeton Review as "most selective" for college admissions ratings within the United States. [55] It is the fifth-most selective University of California campus on the ratio of applicants versus admitted students (behind UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara).[56]

The choice to offer admission is based on the University of California's comprehensive review program. It considers a candidate's personal situation, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and academic potential in addition to the traditional high school academic record, personal statement, and entrance examination scores.[57] While residency is not a factor in admission, it is a factor in tuition expenses, with out-of-state residents spending more annually than California residents. State law prohibits UC Irvine from practicing affirmative action in its admissions process.

Of the 39,940 high school students that applied to UC Irvine for fall 2007 admission, 22,146 (or 55.4%) were offered admission. 96.4% of those students identified with "Eligibility in the Local Context," a statistical indicator that identifies the top 4% of all California high school graduates as eligible for admission to the University of California, who applied to UC Irvine were admitted.[58]

Incoming freshmen predominantly represent the San Francisco Bay Area and the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. The most popular major for freshmen is a major in the School of Biological Sciences (26.3%), followed by Social Sciences (19.4%), Undecided/Undeclared (18.2%), Engineering (11.3%), Humanities (6.7%), Physical Sciences (6.0%), Arts (4.0%), Social Ecology (3.5%), Information and Computer Sciences (2.7%), and Health Sciences (1.8%).[59] The average freshman's incoming high school GPA was 3.89. The average SAT scores were 595 (Critical Reading), 636 (Mathematics), and 502 (Writing), while the ACT composite score was 26.[60] SAT verbal scores for the middle 50% were 600 and 640, while SAT math scores ranged between 640 and 700.[59]

Image:Claire Trevor Theatre, UCI.jpg
Claire Trevor Theatre, UCI

Currently and in the past two decades, the ethnic breakdown at UCI was:

Languages
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