New undergraduates arrive Sept. 22 for the School of Social Ecology dean's welcome event in the Social Sciences Lecture Hall.
Dean Gould, Associate Dean Houston and Undergraduate Affairs team greet school’s newest Anteaters
By Matt Coker
Shortly after the UC Irvine Convocation ceremony in Bren Events Center Sept. 22 for new undergraduates, 456 freshmen and 517 transfers attached to the School of Social Ecology were invited to the Social Sciences Lecture Hall for presentations by the dean, an associate dean and the undergrad advising team.
“Good morning, Social Ecology,” Director of Undergraduate Advising Danielle Primavera announced while walking to the front of the lecture hall's stage. “Did you zot already this morning?”
She explained that she would not have students contort their hands to make UCI’s ubiquitous anteater shadow puppet but instead asked them to take part in an icebreaker with the unfamiliar neighbors sitting next to them.
As the resulting commotion died down, Primavera introduced Dean Jon B. Gould, who explained his job is something of a hybrid: “Think of me as a cross between the principal you are used to in high school, who is nice, and the chief executive of a multimillion-dollar corporation.”
Gould says whether he is meeting with students, faculty, staff, alumni or potential donors, he finds it “a pleasure to be at this school.”
But what exactly is social ecology? The dean put the question to the assembled students and received varying answers that, while educated and close to the wording he was after, required simplification.
“We don’t just study societal problems, we try to help solve them,” Gould explained. “And, we try to help solve them with businesses, with nonprofits, with governments, with community leaders. That’s what we’re about.”
Getting to the heart of any impostor syndrome percolating in the room, Gould reassured the undergrads that they truly belong in the School of Social Ecology, given that they were among the two applicants out of every 10 who got accepted. “We accepted you,” he said, “and we don’t make mistakes in our division. Every single one of you belongs here.”
The dean, who is also a professor of criminology, law & society, invited “the next generation of social ecologists” to enroll in the “Introduction to Social Ecology” course he will be teaching in the Winter quarter. Even more amazingly, he offered to join any students who get together in groups of three or more for lunch — on him. (Email jon.gould@uci.edu to schedule yours.)
Like Gould, the next speaker revealed, “I love teaching.” In fact, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs Doug Houston said that love inspired him to become a college professor, as he currently is in the School of Social Ecology’s Department of Urban Planning & Public Policy.
“What I love about teaching is I get to learn,” Houston said, “and I learn from you.”
One thing he says he has learned from teaching first-generation students over the years is how his own educational experience at the University of Texas at Austin was shaped by himself being the first in his immediate family to attend college.
“So, as I welcome you to the School of Social Ecology, I’m also welcoming you to a conversation, to share yourself,” Houston said. “And, we can start by getting to know you and helping you get to know each other a little bit more.”
To that end, the professor invited the students to take an online survey, with the results displayed in real time on the screens above the stage. Not only did the answers reveal the feelings and demographics of these new students, but it also allowed them get familiar with a digital exercise that instructors across UCI employ in their classrooms.
Houston encouraged the students to lean on friends, faculty, staff and the numerous UCI services available to them to make navigating college as smooth as possible. Among those helpers are the staff and peer advisors in Social Ecology Undergraduate Affairs, who took the stage to introduce themselves after Houston’s presentation.
For a taste of what’s coming in the future — specifically, their junior and senior years — the students were introduced to the Field Study and Career Services staff, who shared insights about the program for required internships as well as the Career Summit coming Oct. 13 to Irvine Barclay Theatre.
Before helping to hand out goodie bags to new Anteaters as they left the lecture hall, Wendi Forrest, the school’s associate director of Alumni and Donor Engagement, took the stage for a presentation on the Student Digital Toolkit, a collection of Canva photo frames that students are encouraged to use with their social media posts.
Forrest also announced a contest where students earn points for taking selfies with School of Social Ecology faculty, Dean Gould and associate deans like Houston. These images must be posted on students' social media platforms and tagged @ucisoceco on Instagram and “University of California, Irvine - School of Social Ecology” on LinkedIn so entries can be tracked. The top point earners each quarter and for the whole year will have chances to win fabulous prizes.
Fall 2026 School of Social Ecology by numbers
- Current students: 3,241
- Enrolled majors: 3,519
- Enrolled minors: 388
- Male: 763 (23.5%)
- Female: 2,410 (74.4%)
- Nonbinary: 59 (1.8%)
- Freshmen: 9.51%
- Sophomores: 12.79%
- Juniors: 37.23%
- Seniors: 40.48%
- Low income: 48.57%
- First-generation: 47.73%
- Underrepresented minority: 48.35%
- Campuswide Honors Collegium: 5.4%
- New undergraduate students: 973 (456 freshmen, 517 transfers)
(Source: School of Social Ecology Undergraduate Affairs)
The Beloit List for the Class of 2030
The Mindset List, a.k.a. The Benoit List because it was started at Beloit College in Wisconsin, is an annual compilation of cultural touchstones, historical reference points and worldview of incoming college freshmen. The following is based on most incoming freshmen having been born in 2008. Click on The Mindset List link below for the full list.
- The first president they remember is Donald Trump.
- The No. 1 word of the year when they were born was “bailout.”
- They spent most of their fifth- and sixth-grade years on a screen and wore masks when they finally returned to school.
- Kindle has never been just a verb about starting fires.
- Someone has always been singing “Bomb, bomb Iran” to the tune of “Barbara Ann.”
(Source: The Mindset List)
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