Softball: Highlander Headlines
Get To Know Three New Faces Of Highlanders Softball
What are you most excited about this year?
• Courtnie Ploesh: “Starting season and seeing how much the team can improve from last year.”
• Taylor Wright: “I am most excited about meeting new people and starting at a new place.”
• Stephanie Tickemyer: “Getting to compete at a high level. I’m excited about being independent and on my own and having to be responsible.”
Why did you choose UC Riverside?
• Courtnie Ploesch: “I chose UC Riverside because I really like the coaches and I believe in what they believe in making changes and making a difference.”
• Taylor Wright: “I picked UCR because the UC school has really good academics. And also the coaching staff and softball program because I believe in their vision of the future.”
• Stephanie Tickemyer: “I chose UC Riverside because it’s a beautiful campus. It’s close to home and I like the high academic level of the UC.”
UC Riverside Rankings
#24 Best Value Schools
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#46 Computer Engineering
#48 Environmental / Environmental Health Engineering
#52 Physics
#53 Computer Science
#54 Political Science
#56 Biological Sciences
#58 Earth Sciences
#59 Materials Engineering
#60 Chemical Engineering
#60 Chemistry
#61 Mechanical Engineering
#63 Psychology
#64 Economics
#67 Best Engineering Schools
#67 Biomedical Engineering / Bioengineering
#67 Electrical / Electronic / Communications Engineering
#68 Math
#74 History
#74 Best Education Schools
Revamping Highlander Softball
In addition to upgrading the facilities, the coaching staff made it through their first season as Highlanders. This coming year will be another exciting one. This September, softball will be bringing in 11 new athletes to help compete for a Big West Championship. The Highlanders will begin fall games in November.
Come to UC Riverside as a student ...
and leave as a doctor
We are proud to introduce California’s newest medical school, which recently received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and will enroll its inaugural class of M.D. students in August 2013. Building on a long partnership in medical education with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the UCR School of Medicine is committed to expanding and diversifying the physician workforce in Inland Southern California and improving the health of people living in the region.
The foundation for this new medical school is an excellent integrated two-year medical curriculum which was developed in concert with UCLA as part of the UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences. This program provided the first two years of M.D. education at UCR for over 30 years; students then completed their M.D. training at UCLA. More than 700 practicing physicians have graduated from this joint program. The new UCR School of Medicine will continue the tradition of providing a unique portal into medical school for UCR students, with up to 24 of the 50 seats filled by students who attend UCR for at least six consecutive quarters and complete their bachelor’s degree at UCR.
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The controversy raged throughout the opening weeks of that inaugural school year as different factions argued over what symbol should represent the newest UC school. Many wanted a bear symbol that could compete with the Bruins of UCLA and the Bears of Berkeley, while others wanted to go in a completely different direction, demonstrating the independence and uniqueness of the school.
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A total of 67 nicknames were initially suggested by the student body. The names ran the gamut, from the wild (Bearcats, Rams, Bisons, Badgers, Gorillas) to the uninspired (Rovers, Ramblers, Possums, Chihuahuas, Valencias). There were colorful names (Red Raiders, Golden Eagles, Bluejays, Golden Beavers, Orangemen), names befitting the area’s heritage and environment (Caballeros, Friars, Vaqueros, Rattlers, Scorpions, Pioneers) and names that were, frankly, just weird (Aphids, Rocks, Bondsmen).
An election in November 1954 saw none of the proposed six nicknames receive a majority. While “Cubs” was the most popular of the six, many rallied against it because it showed the campus as a “little brother” to schools like UCLA and Cal. A write-in campaign, led by the men’s basketball team, was begun for the name “Hylanders,” a name suggested by freshman Donna Lewis. The name was changed to its current spelling and won easily. In recognition of her contribution to the university, Lewis received a lifetime pass to all athletic events.
“Highlanders” fit the campus well for several reasons. The Box Springs Mountains, which stand behind the campus, were known as the Highlands. In addition, UCR is the highest elevation campus in the UC System.
The name proved to be a solid compromise. UCR Publicity Director Howard Cook had a friend create an aggressive little bear wearing a kilt for the school’s logo, and the campus took on a Scottish flare as buildings were named after Scottish regions. There was a brief uproar in 1988 when the athletics department proposed changing the mascot to a human figure in a kilt, a plan that was quickly scrapped.
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But change was inevitable, and it occurred after the 1998 passing of the referendum that approved the move to Division I. Much as they had done years earlier, student-athletes took the lead, approaching the administration and saying that they “didn’t want a teddy bear in a dress” to represent them.
The change took time, money and input from New York based SME Design, Inc., a logo development company. Several logos were designed, including one with a bear featuring a half-blue face in homage to William Wallace, the Scottish hero and the subject of the movie Braveheart.
In 2011, the mascot was updated once again. Students voted online from 13 new designs and selected a new interlocking U and C logo as well as a streamlined version of the UCR mascot, featuring a roaring Scotty wearing a plaid Tam o' Shanter.
Every school in the University of California System has some combination of blue and gold as their school colors. The colors were selected for the university by a committee of students at what is now UC Berkeley in June 1873. Blue was considered because of the sky and the landscape, the student cadet uniforms, and the number of Yale graduates who were instrumental in the founding and administration of the university.
Gold was considered because of California’s designation as the Golden State and the color of many native wildflowers, such as the California Golden Poppy. Unable to decide between the two, the committee asked their female classmates to decide. Student Rebekah Bragg Cummings suggested using both colors, and the committee agreed.
