The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University System of California. The main campus sits on 1,900 acres (769 ha) in a suburban district of Riverside, California, USA, with a campus of 20 acres (8 hectares) in Palm Desert. Founded in 1907 as the Experimental Station of the University of California Citrus, Riverside pioneered research in the biological control of pests and the use of growth regulators responsible for extending the growing season citrus in California from four to nine months. Some of the most important research collections in the world in a variety of citrus and entomology as well as science fiction and photography, are in Riverside. UCR College of Letters and Science opened in 1954. The Regents of the University of California declared a general campus UCR system in 1959, and graduate students were admitted in 1961. To accommodate an enrollment of 21,000 students 2015, more than $ 730 million has been invested in new construction projects since 1999. Preliminary accreditation of the School of Medicine of the UCR in October 2012 and the first class of 50 students were enrolled in granted August 2013. It is the first new medical research-based public school in 40 years. UCR is considered one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United States. The 2016 US News & World Report Best Colleges rankings places UCR tied for 58th among the top public universities, tied for 121 nationwide and ranks 16 + programs graduate school, including Graduate School of Education and the Bourns College of Engineering based on peer assessment, student selectivity, financial resources, and other factors.Washington Monthly ranked UCR second in the United States in terms of social mobility, research and service community, [12] while UCR US News ranks as the fifth largest ethnic diversity and the number of students receiving Pell grants (42 percent), the most economically diverse student body 15th in the nation. [9] Almost two thirds of all UCR students graduate within six years regardless of economic disparity. [13] extensive outreach and retention of the UCR have contributed to its reputation as a "campus of choice" for minority students, including LGBT students. [14] In 2005, the UCR became the first public university campus in the nation to offer a choice of gender-neutral housing. [fifteen] UCR sports teams are known as the Highlanders and play in the Big West Conference Division I. His nickname was inspired by the great height of the campus, located in the foothills of Box Springs Mountain National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) . Basketball team in the women's wing of the UCR won back to back championships Big West in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, the baseball team men won their first conference championship and advanced to the regional for the second time since college he moved to Division I in 2001.