The University of California’s National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement has chosen its first fellows who will each spend a year researching free speech issues. The fellowships also include a week-long residency on each UC campus.
The ten fellows are as follows:
Robert Cohen, New York University professor of history and social studies, will develop curriculum materials for educators to deal with free speech crises.
Carlos Cortes, UC Riverside professor emeritus of history, will examine the effect of diversity programs on campuses.
Author Ellis Cose will analyze free speech protections in the current political climate.
Justin McClinton, UC Santa Barbara Ph.D. candidate in education policy and leadership studies, will work to help administrators better prepare incoming students..
Candace McCoy, director of policy analysis in the Office of the Inspector General for the New York Police Department will study the relationship between protests and police.
Elizabeth Meyer, University of Colorado Boulder associate professor of educational foundations, policy and practice, will look at how to tackle free speech issues in the classroom.
William Morrow, former UC Berkeley student body president, will focus on helping student leaders deal with these issues.
Gamelyn Oduardo-Sierra, legal counsel to the chancellor at the University of Puerto Rico, will develop digital resources detailing the public’s free speech rights.
Carlin Romano, Ursinus College and University of Pennsylvania professor of philosophy and humanities, will write articles on controversial topics and set up campus debates to address these topics.
Keith Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, will create free speech guidelines for universities to follow.
UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman has also been given administrative oversight of the center. He is currently searching for its first executive director.
UCI Professors Join National Academy of Engineering
UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering Efi Foufoula-Georgiou and professor emerita of information and computer sciences Judith Olson were recently named to the National Academy of Engineering.
Foufoula-Georgiou and Olson were among 83 US scholars and researchers selected as NAE members. They also join 15 NAE members from UCI.
The National Academy of Engineering is a nonprofit organization that aims to further education and research and recognize significant advances in engineering.
Foufoula-Georgiou was acknowledged for her work in hydrology and hydroclimatology. Olson was recognized for her studies on telepresence robots.
UCI Appoints New Assistant Police Chief
Paul Cooper, former Claremont city chief of police, was named UCI’s assistant chief of police last week.
Cooper has a B.A. in criminal justice from the Union Institute and University. In his new role at UCI, he brings 33 years of police experience from Claremont.
As assistant chief of police, Cooper will help oversee daily operations at UCI and the Medical Center.
Veggie Grill at UTC to Close
The Veggie Grill location at UTC is scheduled to close at the end of May after the vegan restaurant was unable to reach a new leasing agreement with the Irvine Company.
Breakfast Republic, a popular San Diego-based chain will open its first Orange County location in its place. Items on their menu include a mashed potato omelet, Oreo pancakes and Jurassic pork eggs benedict.
Breakfast Republic will open at UTC in fall 2018.
