For hundreds of new students arriving at UC Riverside this fall, their introduction to the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) began with a simple message: You are part of a community, with people and opportunities ready to help you make the most of your UCR experience.
CNAS welcomed new students and their families to campus with a series of Welcome Week activities designed to help them make connections, learn about resources and begin building their community at UCR.
The week began Sunday, Sept. 20, with the CNAS New Family Welcome, where hundreds of students and family members gathered in the HUB to meet faculty, staff, current students and other new CNAS families.
CNAS Dean Peter Atkinson welcomed families to the college, while a panel of CNAS Science Ambassadors offered a student perspective on making the transition to UCR. The students answered questions about everything from academics and research to joining student organizations, managing their time and finding community on campus.
Their advice reflected their own experiences at UCR: explore, meet people, take advantage of opportunities and give yourself time to adjust.
The conversation also gave families an opportunity to hear directly from students about how they can support their Highlanders as they become more independent.
On Tuesday morning, first-year and transfer students continued their introduction to CNAS through New Student Major Welcome sessions held across campus. Students met faculty, advisors and classmates within their majors while learning about academic expectations, resources and opportunities available inside and outside the classroom.
Those smaller gatherings led into the CNAS New Student Welcome Luncheon in the Physics Courtyard, bringing students from across the college together for pizza, music, giveaways and conversation.
CNAS Divisional Dean of Student Academic Affairs Stephanie Dingwall introduced students to some of the people they will encounter throughout their time at UCR, including faculty, academic advisors, staff and CNAS Science Ambassadors.
The introductions had a larger purpose, she told the students.
“Here at CNAS, we are a community,” Dingwall said, encouraging students to interact with and seek help from the people around them.
Atkinson reinforced that message in his welcome remarks.
“Our job is to help you meet your career aspirations, no matter what they may be,” Atkinson told the students. “All of us are here to help you.”
He encouraged students to make connections and take advantage of the many people and resources available to them throughout the college.
“Part of being successful in life is asking for help,” Atkinson said. “Do not be afraid to ask.”
But his advice was not limited to academics. Atkinson also encouraged students to enjoy their college experience, meet people and take advantage of the opportunities ahead of them.
Before students returned to the pizza and conversations around the courtyard, they received one final assignment: introduce themselves to at least three people they did not already know.
It was a small challenge that captured the larger purpose of CNAS Welcome Week: helping students begin building the relationships that can support them throughout their time at UCR.
From meeting their professors and academic advisors to finding a new classmate across the lunch table, Welcome Week offered new students a first look at the community they are now part of.
And for CNAS, that community will remain an important part of helping students succeed long after Welcome Week ends.
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