UC Riverside Reviews

Former Employee – worked at UC Riverside full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – The 2011 US News and World Report ranks UCR 44th among top public universities, 97th nationwide (out of 368 colleges) and has 16+ programs earning "best grad school" including the Graduate School of Education and the Bourns College of Engineering based on peer assessment, student selectivity, financial resources, and other factors. The Washington Monthly ranked UCR 5th in the United States in terms of social mobility, research and community service, while U.S. News ranks UCR as the fifth most ethnically diverse and, by the number of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants (42 percent), the 15th most economically diverse student body in the nation. Nearly two-thirds of all UCR students graduate within six years without regard to economic disparity. UCR's extensive outreach and retention programs have contributed to its reputation as a "campus of choice" for minority students, including LGBT students. In 2005, UCR became the first public university campus in the nation to offer a gender-neutral housing option.

Cons – UCR has many athletic programs include men's and women's soccer, cross country, basketball, track and field, baseball, softball, tennis, golf and women's volleyball, but most of them are not strong.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at UC Riverside part-time for more than a year

Pros – 10 dollar meal plan 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after work. You get this everytime you work. Work schedule is flexible around your class schedule. They will never give you a day to work that will conflict with classes. And they are pretty understanding about not being able to come into work.

Cons – I would say the con would be when you get DSO shifts, or Scullery shifts. Those shifts tend to be the worst shifts you can get.

Advice to Senior Management – The only advice I would say is continue to keep what you're doing.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at UC Riverside

Pros – They respect that I am a student and are flexible with my schedule and my job has helped contribute to my career goals.

Cons – It is in the Inland Empire and there's not much out here.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at UC Riverside

Pros – UCR offers a great benefits package

Cons – No raises in five years

Former Employee – worked at UC Riverside

Pros – Everyone is in a good mood
Learn a lot about working with other people
Good for being people skills in the future

Cons – Poor feedback system
Too focused on "not making enemies", but quality of service suffers

Advice to Senior Management – Professionals can give and take criticism, ignoring problems and firing people without warning is bad business and creates resentment that they were trying to avoid in the first place

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at UC Riverside

Pros – Benefits, benefits, benefits! Retirement options are great. Connection to other employees and to the community is fantastic. Depending on who you work for or where you work, you have flexibility in your position for that work/life balance.

Cons – Cost of benefits are rising annually. You have to pay to park on campus, where you work, and it is never close to your office. You are forced to participate in the retirement program. Management and Supervisors are over worked and room for growth is minimum.

Advice to Senior Management – Allow for growth within the current ranks of employees already working at UC Riverside, both professionally and for promotion to higher positions. Promote a stronger work/life balance for all employees and disciplines.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at UC Riverside

Pros – Colleagues are very engaged in a variety of passionate activities. There is a lot of freedom to explore many interests. Reasonable work load.

Cons – Student body can be a bit unwieldy and immature at times. There is very little consistency is policy concerning day to day functions.

Advice to Senior Management – Give more resources to the faculty and staff. This does not mean money, it means time to collaborate on making the campus better. Many people are very eager to renovate education, but do not have the time nor ability to form a supportive network.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at UC Riverside

Pros – easy job
Minimum wage
It was good to meet other people, and connnect with other students

Cons – repetitive, could be the idea that you are working for a corporation/government, but overall its tough to try to get an advancement, especially with the strike and all.

Advice to Senior Management – Not sure

Former Employee – worked at UC Riverside

Pros – You will only be working the hours for your position. I was never required to work on weekends or to stay late. You will be working with a lot of student employees, which can be energizing but also frustrating.

Cons – Upper management will be very difficult to deal with. The system is very bureaucratic, and your work will be directed by managers several levels detached from your position. My contract specified that I would not have set hours, but after three months a manager three levels above me and not involved at all with my position decided that this was unacceptable and required I arrive during a fixed schedule. State budget cuts are making the jobs very insecure, with pay cuts and furloughs implemented system-wide.

Advice to Senior Management – UC Riverside has a lot of challenges in terms of organizational structure and culture. The university has a lot of key employees leaving because of frustrating work conditions, while it seems to cling to the employees who do not have any passion or drive left. There needs to be a reevaluation of the Human Resources effort.

Current Employee – been working at UC Riverside

Pros – good environment, friendly employer, quiet place to work in.

Cons – decent pay, no development program