S. Jack Hu, University of Georgia provost, named UC Riverside chancellor amid steep challenges

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S. Jack Hu, a senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia with deep experience in leading research enterprises and guiding outreach to students from rural and low-income communities, has been named the new chancellor of UC Riverside.
Hu's appointment, announced Wednesday afternoon by the UC Board of Regents, takes place at a crucial moment for the UC system and higher education, which has come under fierce critique by President Trump, who has revoked billions in medical and scientific research funding and derides diversity efforts while his administration threatens to take away the ability of colleges to enroll international students.
Hu starts July 15 and will replace Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2013.
Under Wilcox, the Inland Empire campus grew dramatically in enrollment and footprint and joined the American Assn. of Universities, a prestigious group of the top 71 American and Canadian research campuses. During his time, UC Riverside increased in size by more than 5,000 students and 200 faculty, opened a $87-million business school building, and ushered in a new medical school that will graduate its ninth class next month.
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"Over his distinguished career at leading public research institutions, Dr. Hu has championed innovation and academic initiatives that have increased opportunities for students and faculty and have positively impacted their lives and the communities they serve,' said UC President Michael V. Drake in a statement. "UC Riverside has established itself as a global leader in providing world-class scholarship. Dr. Hu has the academic acumen and collaborative mindset to move the campus forward with integrity and purpose."
In a statement, Hu said he was "honored" and "deeply grateful" to join UC Riverside.
Born in Hunan province, China, Hu was an undergraduate at Tianjin University, and will be the first Asian American chancellor of UC Riverside. His annual salary will be $824,000, a slight increase over Wilcox's salary of $810,000.
Speaking at the regents meeting in Sacramento, he shared his personal story as an immigrant from China and the first in his family to go to college as "a testament to the transformative power of education."
"More than 40 years ago, I came to America to pursue a dream, arriving at the University of Michigan with a small suitcase and a thirst for learning. But never in my wildest dreams I'd imagine that I would became the chancellor of the University of California Riverside," Hu said.
Hu, 61, oversaw instruction, research, public service, outreach and information technology spread across 19 colleges and schools at the University of Georgia. He began his Georgia post in 2019. During his tenure, the university's graduation rate increased by 20%, and the campus retained its status as one of nine public universities with a six-year graduation rate of more than 90%, a common measure of higher education success. UCLA and UC Berkeley are also in the group.
Hu spent the bulk of his career at the University of Michigan, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering and developed a specialty in researching the quality and productivity of manufacturing systems. He rose through faculty and administrative ranks in Michigan for more than 20 years before being appointed vice president for research in 2015, a role in which he oversaw a $1.5-billion research portfolio across campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint.
"On behalf of the UC Board of Regents, we are proud to welcome Dr. Hu as UC Riverside's next chancellor,' said Janet Reilly, regents chair and search advisory committee member. "Dr. Hu's reputation as a results-oriented team player makes him the ideal partner to bolster UC Riverside's impact on students and the region through robust research, economic development, and community engagement.'
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At Riverside, Hu will take the helm of a campus grappling with deep cuts to federal funding grants, including those from the National Institutes of Health, a UC-wide hiring freeze and a UC-wide Department of Justice investigation over allegations of antisemitic employment discrimination tied to pro-Palestinian protests. The Riverside campus has largely been spared from the targeted Trump administration investigations over admissions policies or antisemitism allegations that have hit UCs including those in Los Angeles and Berkeley.
Last year, UC Riverside received more than $40 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health — one of the federal agencies that has made the deepest cuts to higher education funding — and is targeted in lawsuits by states and research groups to halt the reduction.
In an interview, Hu acknowledged that "federal funding cuts are a tremendous challenge."
"The key as a country is that we must invest in science, in talent, in innovation," he said. "The UC system is a leader in the country in terms of being a research university system. We need to work with federal government, with agencies, to sustain the partnership that universities in the country have built with the federal government. Without such investment, I think the U.S will not be able to complete globally."
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Hu told The Times that universities will "need to diversify the sources of funding: state support, federal funding for research, for students, industry support, foundation support, all of those are important."
He added that his priorities will include "student success, social mobility, research and scholarship, expanding healthcare access for the region, and supporting communities in the Inland Empire region."
Hu will lead one of UC's most diverse and unique campuses. UC Riverside traces its origins to agricultural research into citrus but has grown into a multifaceted research university with globally ranked programs in entomology — the study of insects — plant and animal sciences, air pollution and alternative fuels.
The main Riverside campus is 1,900 acres and the university has more than 26,000 students and 4,700 faculty and staff. But it is often overshadowed by other UCs, such as the more selective UCLA and UC Berkeley. Still, Riverside consistently ranks on lists of the top U.S. public universities.
The campus, which draws more than 14,000 commuter students, was the top UC last year in accepting first-year and transfer students, and ranked first in the system for accepting low-income individuals and those who were the first in their families to attend college.
As it has grown in size and popularity, UC Riverside has also faced hurdles. While expanding its enrollment, adding new programs and building new centers, students have complained of crowded housing and dining areas, parking shortages and some offerings that are stretched thin, such as services for immigrant students. To address some of the shortages, the university is building a $156-million instructional facility as well as hundreds of new apartments.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.