​Congratulations to the classes of 2016 graduating from Irvine’s public high schools. Commencement ceremonies take place on the following dates.
 
Irvine High School                  Wednesday, June 8 @ 1:00 p.m.       Irvine High School Stadium
 
Northwood High School        Wednesday, June 8 @ 5:00 p.m.       Bren Center (UCI)
 
University High School          Wednesday, June 8 @ 2:00 p.m.       Bren Center (UCI)
 
Woodbridge High School      Wednesday, June 8 @ 5:00 p.m.       Irvine High School Stadium
 
Creekside High School and
San Joaquin High School
(joint graduation ceremony)   Thursday, June 9 @ 1:00 p.m            IUSD Learning Center Room #1

​By Irvine City News staff

Part of Irvine’s well-deserved reputation as a place where excellence in education is highly esteemed is thanks to the city’s universities and colleges. The biggest and most well known is UCI, while Irvine Valley College and Concordia University Irvine are well-established schools based in Irvine. But colleges and universities with main campuses in other SoCal cities also offer courses here, including Cal State Fullerton, USC, and Pepperdine University.

Chapman University is a relatively new entry among the institutions with an Irvine presence, having welcomed the students to its Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in 2015. The Irvine campus is located at Alton Parkway and Jeronimo Road, near the train station. It includes graduate programs in physical therapy and physician assistant programs, and is also home to Orange County’s only school of pharmacy.

The Chapman University School of Pharmacy (CUSP) offers a master’s program in pharmaceutical sciences and a three-year accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy program. And in March the school reached a prestigious milestone quickly when it was approved to offer a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences.

“The Ph.D. degree will be in high demand for careers in the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies and academic research institutions,” said Ron Jordan, the dean of CUSP.

Hospitals and retail pharmacies aren’t the only place pharmacists work. Irvine and OC’s medical products and technology industries are among the fields with a high demand for pharmacists.

“Although we will be preparing students to work in traditional areas of pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, we are intently focused on preparing our graduates to work in the team-based care environments within medical groups, accountable care organizations, care transition organizations, and patient-centered medical homes,” comments Lawrence Brown, an associate dean at CSUP, on an online forum.
 
chapman.edu/pharmacy
 
 

​Those video games your child loves to play may soon earn him a scholarship to UC Irvine. The university has announced it will open the first-ever public research university-based e-sports initiative. The program includes up to 10 academic scholarships to students selected to be on the team.
 
Thomas Parham, vice chancellor of student affairs at UCI, says, “We hope to attract the best gamers from around the world, and our academic programs in computer gaming science, digital arts, computer science, engineering, anthropology, law, medicine, neuroscience and behavior create a strong foundation for research and inquiry related to gaming.”
 
Those who don’t make the team will still be able to enjoy the state-of-the-art gaming center.
 
According to the university, e-sports often include multiplayer video game competitions. Its popularity draws enthusiasts from all over the world to view matches that are live streamed.
 
The success of the program is “virtually” guaranteed. Last year, College Magazine ranked UC Irvine the No. 1 school for gamers. Among the campus clubs, the Association of Gamers has the highest membership. Add to that, the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences is the largest in the nation.
 
Jesse Wang, president of the Association of Gamers, said, “The eSports team and the arena will ensure that UCI continues to be a leader and trendsetter in collegiate e-sports.”