New UC Riverside Chancellor Jack Hu knows the power of education.
Growing up in the remote countryside of rural South China during the cultural revolution — a decade-long political movement initiated by the Chinese Communist Party — college wasn’t a given for Hu. The country was thrown into violent turmoil, closing educational opportunities. Youths weren’t attending college but were sent into the country for reeducation, a forced ideological indoctrination.
When colleges reopened in 1977, Hu signed up, setting off on a path that would eventually lead to graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and leadership roles at the University of Georgia and now UCR.
“I never thought that I would be going to college, just like I never thought I would be a chancellor at a UC,” Hu, UCR’s first Asian chancellor, said in a Friday, Sept. 19, interview in his office. “So it’s usually the opportunity, right? You can prepare, but then if the opportunity comes, you want to be ready.”
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UC Riverside Chancellor Jack Hu speaks Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, with faculty member Rebecca Wu as he walks across campus. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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UC Riverside Chancellor Jack Hu speaks Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, with faculty member Rebecca Wu as he walks across campus. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
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These are the kinds of stories he wants students to hear — stories that show how higher education can transform a life. Like it did for him.
“Whether I’m Asian or non-Asian or another ethnicity, that’s not important,” Hu said. “…You know, keep dreaming. Keep your ambition high and then work hard to get those goals. Never give up. Those are the types of messages I want — the story I want — the students to hear.”
Hu, who took over from the retiring Kim Wilcox in July, is also the second member of a minority group to hold the seat, UCR spokesperson John Warren has said. The first was Tomás Rivera, the UC system’s first minority chancellor who led UCR from 1979 until his 1984 death.
As Hu settles into his new role and fall classes are set to begin Monday, Sept. 22, UCR and higher education face challenges, from possible funding cuts to freedom of speech issues to how to deal with diversity.
President Donald Trump’s administration is considering cuts to research funding and Minority Serving Institutions, caps on students loans for graduate students and limits on international students’ visas.
Universities have also grappled with free speech. Two years ago, students across the country — including UCR — built encampments to protest the Israel-Gaza war. Last week, conservative activist Charlie Kirk — who spoke at UCR in May — was killed during an appearance at a Utah university.
Hu said free speech is a constitutional right and that, though people disagree, they cannot infringe on the rights of others.
“That is important to recognize the time, place and manner of free speech,” Hu said.
With the constantly changing landscape, leading a university can be challenging, Hu said. That’s why he believes it’s important to continue advocating for education, research and science.
“… Public perception about the value of our higher education is almost at an all-time low,” Hu said. “But we need to do a better job to convince people, to convince citizens, yes, it’s transformative in terms of our education and our research.”
In February, the National Institutes of Health announced it would cap funding for overhead costs for research at 15%. A week later, the cuts were temporarily blocked by a U.S. district court judge in response to a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 22 states, including California.
UCR could lose almost $10 million if those cuts go through.
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the the Trump administration announced it would end discretionary funding to several Minority-Serving Institutions. UCR has been recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2008. The administration contends the grant programs discriminate by giving government benefits exclusively to institutions that meet racial or ethnic quotas.
In terms of funding, Hu said the best approach is diversifying funding sources for research money. He also wants to continue providing access to a university education for students from low-income backgrounds.
“The federal government will continue to fund research, even though the scale may be different from two years ago,” he said. “But if we’re competitive, I think we’ll continue to be successful… Many foundations have reached out to us supporting work in the humanities, social sciences and arts, for example. So diversification is the key.”
Dollars coming to UCR will cultivate future leaders and researchers and ultimately benefit the region, he said.
“In the Inland Empire, we have 4.6 million people, but healthcare is lagging behind,” Hu said. “So I think the university can play a role in expanding our UCR Health, and finally, community engagement, industry engagement, foundations and alumni engagement. So working with all of that to strengthen the university’s participation and our economic contribution to the region.”
One example of such expansion is UCR’s June announcement that it would pursue its own hospital and research center with construction slated for 2027.
As his tenure begins, Hu has set four priorities: student success, research, health care, and community engagement.
“It means working together with our faculty, staff and community leaders and you make sure that what we do is contributing to the students, success and to the communities,” Hu said.
Student success means that students graduate on time while having a good experience and a connection to the university, Hu said. But the goal is for UCR’s reach to go beyond the campus to pursue research, enterprise, innovation and entrepreneurship that will lead to economic development and a stronger healthcare system.
He wants to create jobs for students by partnering with startups and finding ways to improve the high-school-to-college pipeline.
Hu, a former international student himself, has a unique perspective on recent discussions about immigration and visas in the higher education world.
In August, the Trump Administration proposed limiting the length of time certain visa holders – including foreign students – are allowed to stay in the U.S. The rule aims to curb visa abuse and increase the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to vet and oversee people, an Aug. 27 news release states. Previously, students could stay in the country for an unspecified amount of time.
“I do think international students bring a lot of value to education,” he said. “Students get to learn from each other.”
Many who earn degrees stay in the United States and work in various fields, contributing to the economy and to innovation, Hu said. Reducing the number of such students would impact education, tuition revenue and the nation’s influence, he said.
Hu continues to be a model for what can happen when a student gets a college education.
After earning an undergraduate degree in his home country, he moved to Michigan, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering. In 2019, he was named senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Georgia. He previously served as vice president for research at the University of Michigan as well as the associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean for research and graduate education in the university’s College of Engineering.
Hu said his time at the two universities strengthened his abilities and prepared him for his new job.
“I think I brought comprehensive leadership experience to UC Riverside: teaching, research and engagement,” Hu said. “So those are the things we need to do to strengthen the university and strengthen our communities.”
