UCI Student Affairs champions the success of students – many of whom have come to UCI to pursue the American dream. To support the health and wellness of UCI’s 36,000 diverse students, we offer a plethora of resources to help students thrive by meeting basic needs, fostering social and emotional wellness, and developing leadership skills.
Jennifer Smith
Executive Director of Development, Provost Initiatives
949-824-0298
jennifer.smith@uci.edu
UCI’s Cross-Cultural Center is home to dozens of student clubs and organizations focused on building inclusive communities with an emphasis on activism, social justice, empowerment and diversity. Funding for the Cross-Cultural Center will support ongoing programs, workshops, and events to ensure UCI’s increasingly diverse student body embraces, celebrates and protects its many rich cultures and heritages.
Undergraduate scholarships for student leaders will enable promising undergraduates to develop skills that enhance their academic success and prepare them for leadership roles in our dynamic and diverse global society. Scholarship recipients will gain experience with team building, public speaking, problem solving and risk management.
The UCI Veteran Services Center recently partnered with the Orange County Veterans and Military Families Collaborative to offer resources to the more than 115,000 local veterans and their families. VSC seeks philanthropic support to establish an interdisciplinary UCI Veterans Research and Resource Center for more than 40 research projects across campus that improve the lives of veterans.
UCI is the first public university to create an official esports program and is regarded as one of the best competitive online gaming teams in the world. A new facility will reinforce our standing as a global center for esports, where academia and industry collaborate to improve competition, advance research, engage communities, create entertainment and launch careers.
More than 20 percent of UCI’s undergraduate and graduate students struggle with hunger because they can’t afford to eat properly. The FRESH Basic Needs Hub serves students dealing with food, housing and wellness insecurity — issues that affect their academic performance as well as their overall health — by providing emergency food, toiletries, and referrals to financial assistance during economic crises.
