Undercover Boss (2010) s02e22 Episode Script
University of California, Riverside
Male announcer: Americans are worried about the economy.
Many of them wonder if our corporate and elected leaders have the answers to our problems.
In these tough times, some bosses are taking radical steps to discover how to improve their companies.
Each week, we follow the head of a major organization as they work undercover alongside their own staff.
This week, the Chancellor at the University of California, Riverside poses as a participant on a TV show where a private school employee is researching the public school experience.
- Pete Weston.
How are you? - Pete? Pleasure to meet you.
Announcer: By going deep undercover Unbelievable.
Announcer: He'll find out what needs improving in this university.
So this looks like a pretty old track.
It is.
We've got a couple of holes over there.
Oh, my.
This track is an embarrassment.
We just simply have to find a way to fix this.
Announcer: Will this former Science Professor be able to handle going back to his roots? You'll be lecturing in front of students.
Oh, my God.
This is unbelievable.
Hello? Hi.
Announcer: Find out next on the Season Finale of Undercover Boss.
Announcer: The University of California, Riverside.
Located 65 miles from Los Angeles, it's one of California's largest universities.
With a student body of more than 20,000 and growing, this university has been in operation since 1954.
Overseeing this massive educational institution is one man.
My name is Tim White.
I'm the Chancellor at the University of California, Riverside.
As Chancellor, I am the CEO and responsible for student affairs on this campus.
The University of California is recognized as the greatest university system in the world.
UC Riverside is part of a system of ten campuses such as UCLA and Berkeley, and each of the campuses has unique strengths, and we have ours.
We're the most ethnically and racially diverse University of California campus, and we're the fourth most diverse in America.
I am Argentinean by birth.
We emigrated when I was a young boy first to Canada, but arrived in Northern California when I was about nine.
We grew up in a very frugal environment.
We had an accent.
We didn't understand the nuances of being a California kid, so I worked like the devil to get rid of this accent and as soon as I could, when I turned 21, I became a naturalized U.
S.
citizen.
You know, I was very engaged in athletics.
I thought that would be my career.
When I finally got to Berkeley as a graduate student, I realized that there was this whole other world out there, and I decided to give science a shot.
And so I did graduate work, and that turned into a faculty job at the University of Michigan.
Then that led to jobs in Oregon State and at the University of Idaho, now at the University of California, Riverside.
Morning, Corina.
Good morning, Tim.
To be chosen Chancellor is really a chance to give back to this great system, this great state.
It's so changed my life.
[Cheers and applause.]
You know, I was very proud of becoming a Chancellor, but through my parents' lens, I think they just were popping with excitement.
And so they said, "oh, son, we're so proud.
We want to come see your new corner office," and, uh, called, uh, as they got close and said, "well, we'll be there tomorrow morning.
" "Great, dad, I love you, and I'm so glad that you're gonna be here tomorrow.
" And he said, "yeah, love you too.
" And driving up, my dad was killed in a horrible auto accident So my dad never had a chance to actually see the new corner office in the administration building.
So I think it makes me realize that we're all fragile.
So let's end every little act, every little conversation, every little thing as positive as it can be.
And, uh, you need to square up with things that matter every day.
Mom.
Karen and I have been married for 13 years.
- [Groans.]
- Yes! She was a Professor at Oregon State University, but now she's a full-time mom.
Oh, two points for you.
- Hey, sweetie.
- Ready? Yep.
I think that the most challenging part will probably be Tim's stamina.
You'll be back in a week? Hopefully.
- Ah, you better be.
- I'll be in better shape then.
It's gonna be a challenge for him.
Love you.
[Kiss.]
Love you too.
California, like the rest of the country, is going through tough economic times, and we've had to tighten our belt.
Unfortunately, that meant reducing salaries and raising tuition.
In fact, over the last three years, tuition has gone up some 57%.
So I wanted to go undercover to see how the student experience has been affected by the decisions I've had to make.
While undercover, I'm gonna go by Pete Weston.
Unbelievable.
Pete's my middle name and Weston is my mother's maiden name.
While undercover, I'm going to tell my employees and students I'm part of a TV show about jobs in the public universities in America.
I wake up this morning and I'm feeling like I'm in a residence hall or dormitory room.
You know, it's got a mini fridge and a microwave, so I can do popcorn, I can do noodles, I can do soup.
Then, in the refrigerator, you know, there's a little milk, a little orange juice, probably a couple beers.
I mean, it's college after all, right? So I'm all set.
Today I'm gonna be working with a Professor of Chemistry.
Before I became Chancellor, I was actually a Science Professor on many different campuses, so I'm very excited about going undercover and being in front of students again.
Professor Larsen? I'm Pete Weston.
How are you? I'm good.
How are you today? I'm a Professor of Chemistry.
I've been at UC Riverside for about 2 1/2 years.
And I did my Ph.
D.
at Cal Tech, and I did my post-doc at MIT.
So, Pete, what we're gonna be doing today is you're gonna walk across campus, where you'll be lecturing in front of chemistry students.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
- Yes.
- That's a big class.
- Yes.
My first year I was teaching this, it was about 150 students.
Wow.
As we struggle with our economy in California, our class sizes are getting larger, so I'm very keen to see whether it is still a good learning environment or if the problems are bigger than I anticipated.
So it's state of the art, this classroom.
It's our new Materials Science and Engineering Building, and I think there is a computer that projects up.
There's a document camera.
You can write, and it projects up.
I'm gonna lecture a little bit, and you're gonna be my scribe for part of it.
Okay.
You'll be standing in front of the Doc Cam, writing this down while I explain it.
This is the simplest page I could find.
[Clears his throat.]
And then, they've got a quiz in a week and a half and so, I'm showing them sample questions.
So it's a multiple choice question, right? You read the question.
The students have these little clickers so they can vote on "a," "b," "c," "d.
" Sort of like as if you were doing online voting.
So is the clicker like a garage door opener kind of thing? Sort of, yeah.
It's the same type of communication.
So right now, we're gonna head over to lecture, 'cause it's about time.
Yeah, let's go.
[Rock music.]
So you're gonna go in and settle them down.
Tell them to get out their clickers.
Explain that you're running the course for a bit.
Right.
You'll be along momentarily? Yeah.
I have to go take care of some things.
Uh, not very long, please.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
[Overlapping chatter.]
This is unbelievable.
Holy cow.
Whew! [Overlapping chatter.]
How are you doing? Thank you.
Um All of sudden, I felt very old again in front of this group of 20-somethings.
And I was very self-conscious, let me tell you.
It's fortunate I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt and you can't see sort of the perspiration that was running down my back.
Hello? Do I have to turn--? [Overlapping chatter.]
Uh, hi.
Students: Hi.
Uh, my name is Pete Weston.
I'm helping Professor Larsen today with your chemistry class.
And, uh, I can't tell if the microphone is working.
- No.
- No.
Uh, so, heh! I see "microphone.
" I see a "help" button.
So, there we go.
Whoo.
How am I doing? Sorry about this.
You guys aren't gonna tell Professor Larsen, are you? [Laughs.]
I'm not sure if Pete's ever done public speaking in that type of venue.
Certainly never in a lecture hall.
Perhaps Pete has spoken in front of a church group.
I think he wanted to run out of the room.
Okay, I can take this for a second.
Okay.
So now we're gonna talk about the rules of mechanisms.
So if you remember, we were going through the difference acid derivatives, okay? You have your x-minus, which could be an alkoxide.
If it's a base, it could be an alcohol, so you just did ethanol plus hcl, right? This is unbelievable.
H-plus doesn't exist.
It's solvated, right? Your inner reaction, where you have a bunch of solvent molecules, and I'll write it up here while he's figuring that out.
So this is your sample question for your quiz.
Okay? So I just read the words at the--? "What is the first step "of the acid-catal-- "cataleezed-- "catalyzed--catalyzed "hydrolysis of-- "of tert butyl ac-- "ace--acetat? Acetate?" Okay.
I think he said one out of ten words correctly.
I think the students are gonna feel a lot better about knowing chemistry terms 'cause they can always say, "well, at least we know it better than Pete.
" So there--so that's their responses from that.
So 62% of them got the wrong answer.
[Laughter.]
I think you can probably blame that on Pete.
Hydrogen chloride.
Is that an acid or a base? - Acid.
- Okay.
So what is it gonna do? Protonate it.
Protonation, exactly.
So let's try this again, shall we? Are you guys ready with your clickers? Yes.
Okay.
Yay! Good job.
[Applause.]
Okay, that's the correct answer.
You don't tell 'em.
You teach 'em through it.
It's pretty cool.
In this brand-new classroom, we've invested a lot of money in the technology, and it was very gratifying for me to see how well it actually works and works in the sense of enhancing the learning environment and how tuned in the students were to the lecture and using the clickers, and this gives me hope that there are other courses where there are a lot of students on wait lists to teach those courses in larger venues and use technology in a cost-effective manner and really kind of get back on track.
Any questions on that? Announcer: Coming up, Tim forgets his ABCs.
And later, the Chancellor faces a few hurdles.
- All right.
- You got 'em all? Oh, come on, Pete.
Come on.
These things are heavy.
[Clatter.]
Announcer: Tim White, the Chancellor at UC Riverside is undercover at his own university.
Um, hello? Uh Announcer: His coworkers believe he's part of a TV show where a private school employee is researching the public school experience.
And I'll write it up here while he's figuring that out.
Announcer: His journey continues.
I'm outside the Orbach Science Library.
I'm getting ready to go in and work with a student librarian.
Do you have your UCR card? There have been serious budget cuts here.
We've tried to protect the academic, which the library is a key piece of that.
The last thing I want to see is it having an effect on the students' education.
So as I'm looking at huge budget cuts, it's going to be enormously informative for me to see through the lens of a student worker, how's the library doing? Hi.
Is Nastazha here, please? - Nastazha? That's me.
- Hello.
How are you? Good.
How are you? - I'm Pete.
- Nice to meet you.
Welcome to the science library.
All right.
- You can come right on back.
- All right, okay.
So we're gonna go to the second floor and shelve these books.
And also, we're gonna take walkies just in case the front desk gets overwhelmed and they need me to come back.
So I'm gonna give you one too.
You can just go, "Nastazha," and then I'll hear you.
- Okay.
- Do you want to push this? We'll go up to the elevator.
How many hours do you work? Since I want to be a teacher at an underprivileged school, I'm a part-time worker and a full-time student.
So we're gonna go to the right.
All of the shelves are labeled.
I'll start you off at Q-130, that way.
All right.
"Q.
" I'm looking for Q-130.
"S," "Q.
" Q-130.
That's an "O.
" I'm gonna let you finish this shelf, and then I'll do the bottom, and we'll see how far we can both get - Okay.
- In 20 minutes.
I'll be back.
- Where the heck is Q-83? Q-83.
[Walkie squawks.]
[Blips and beeps.]
Hello, this is Pete.
[Blips and beeps.]
All right, time to be self-reliant.
I can't even see anything that looks like this around here.
I'm not an expert, but it certainly crossed my mind that with the manual sorting and placing on the shelves, there's got to be a better way.
[Grunts.]
- Pete, can you hear me? - Yes, Nastazha.
[Walkie blips.]
Okay, I'm hustling.
I got these all screwed up now.
Q-83.
Bingo.
So "I"s and "1"s look the same.
Uh, this is Pete, Nastazha.
[Walkie blips.]
So I have a question on this book.
It's called The Mathematician's Apology.
[Blips.]
- Okay, I'm coming.
- Thank you.
When we were talking on the walkie-talkies and I realized we were on the same aisle, it was awkward.
I was like, "well, I can see you, so" Our time is up, so we're gonna head back downstairs and see how the circulation desk is doing.
We'll work on the computer, 'cause that's mostly where my job is at.
Okey-doke.
When books like these come back, they're the reserves.
That way, if I can't afford to buy it I see.
Or if it's not in yet, I can come use it within the library.
[Typing.]
Now, do you want to help him? Can I help you? So since he has a hold, it's on the hold shelf.
Reserve, hold shelf.
Gotcha.
And so, then Okay.
Yeah.
So Nastazha, I'm having trouble.
I found this book, but he said there was another one.
This is, like, just the solutions manual, but there's a textbook associated with this.
Did you put a hold on the textbook as well, or just the solutions? The textbook.
Um, yeah.
You only had a hold for the solutions.
So you can get the answers but not the questions, huh? [Laughs.]
They're both not coming back until the 8th.
Yes.
Aw.
- You can take the book.
I don't--I don't-- I mean, it has the answers in it.
I mean, you could use-- it tells you what the questions were, I believe.
True.
My job at the university is to make sure that our students can access everything they need to learn, so here's an example of not having enough copies of a given textbook available to our students, so it's gonna alter the way he studies.
My business is to make sure that that doesn't happen, and when we fail, it is not a point of pride, when we don't meet a basic need.
So you're gonna get a teaching credential, and then you're gonna go teach-- - underprivileged.
- Underprivileged.
So how do you feel about that? I feel good.
Um, I'll let you know when I graduate.
It just seems like so far away, even though I'm halfway done.
Yeah.
What's your sense of the students at large? I mean, is this an unusually difficult time with the economy? Uh, let's see, well, my first year, my tuition fees alone were about, like, $10,800.
Uh-huh.
This quarter, they're, like, $11,600.
And I have three loans right now.
And my parents, they don't really have enough money to--to sustain my education.
And I am an education student, so I have to dress in business attire, and business attire is always more expensive than anything else.
Sure.
Like, I think I just bought, like, $40 pants.
Wow.
And I was a little upset, but it's okay.
So-- But they look good, right? They do, so I am, uh, I'm feeling very proud and a bit emotional.
When we fall short, it gives me a little more power to say, "we've got to do some things differently here.
" Okay, so let's get back to shelving those books.
Oh, boy.
Announcer: Coming up, the Chancellor has trouble giving a tour of his own campus.
How many of you know what a Chancellor is? Nobody.
Announcer: And later, Tim's past continues to haunt him.
It makes me miss my mom and dad too, just thinking about it.
[Sniffles.]
[Upbeat music.]
Today I'm going undercover as an assistant track coach.
Runners set, go.
We're looking at track and the other sports in the athletic program to generate more revenue, which will take some pressure off the general fund budget, so I'm gonna be looking to see if there's things here in track and field we can do more efficiently to be able to save money and not cut programs for students.
Are you Nate? Nate Brown.
- Pete Weston.
How are ya? - Pete, pleasure to meet you.
I'm track and field and cross country assistant coach here at the university.
So what we've got going on here is, these are our 400-meter runners.
- I'm not running, right? - No, you're not.
Okay, all right.
You're gonna help me time, you're gonna help me encourage 'em.
Okay.
Athletics played a big piece in my earlier life.
I was involved in swimming and water polo, and from that, I got a scholarship which changed my life.
For me to get back now and touch athletics in a more meaningful way, actually, it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Guys, this is our assistant coach for the day, Coach Weston.
He's gonna help me out with some times.
- Hey, guys.
- All right, gentlemen.
We're getting ready to get on the line.
So Pete, if you want to just start with me, and then we'll call them out as they come through this middle part.
Runners set, go.
Come on, work, work! You can just talk and hit this thing at the same time? You're asking a lot.
- Four, five, six.
- Good form, good form.
There you go.
Nice and loud.
Here we go.
Finish it up, guys.
I have to tell you, um, I screwed this up.
Uh-oh.
I could yell the time, but I couldn't yell the time and press-- Well, just in case you didn't get it, I clicked it myself.
We're okay.
[Laughs.]
There you go, Daniel.
Ladies, come on this way, please.
- How are you ladies doing? - Good.
So just like I did over there, Pete, just, uh, a "runners set" and then "go.
" All right, so what's the command again? I'm just gonna say, "runners set" and then "go.
" So I say "set" and then "go"? You say "runners set" and "go.
" I say all three of those things.
- Absolutely.
- Okay, so runners set, go.
No, you gotta put a little bit more enthusiasm into it.
Yeah.
So, uh, are you guys ready? We're good to go.
Oh, I guess I'm supposed to say it.
Okay.
Runners set, go! That was good.
So we need to take these all back in.
Okay.
You can carry those in there to the shed.
- All right.
- You got 'em all? Oh, come on, Pete, come on.
[Laughs.]
How are we gonna do this? Maybe you should stack them all across your arms or-- - There we go.
- Oh, there you go.
Dang, these things are heavy.
[Clatter.]
Whew.
I need to get some water or something here.
Pete needs to make fitness a priority.
You can tell how winded he was getting out at the track, moving stuff around.
Probably should have taken just two.
He didn't look very athletic.
[Groans.]
You gotta be kidding me.
Pete, we gotta make sure we get those back in.
You know, I do a lot of walking and ride bikes.
Oh, this isn't gonna work.
But I'm not in shape to lift hurdles and these big medicine balls.
[Groans.]
I feel it in my shoulders right now.
Look at that.
As a track assistant coach, I've got a ways to go.
[Groans.]
Got to be a little bit quicker, but you're doing a pretty good job.
How long have you been here? This is year four for me, and I volunteered for three years before that.
How do you pay the bills when you're a volunteer? [Laughs.]
I worked in mortgage.
Ah.
So, yeah, when I worked in mortgage, it wasn't gratifying or fulfilling.
Yeah, yeah.
But when someone leaves this campus and they're ready to take on the world, or they're ready to go to grad school or med school or law school, and they leave with an experience that's enriched because of our sport, that's what makes me puff my chest out.
That's what makes us proud.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's go ahead and grab these hurdles.
Look at that.
The grass is growing in the track.
- Oh, yeah, they peek through.
- Yeah? So this looks like a pretty old track.
It is.
I don't know when the last time it was resurfaced.
- Oh, look at that.
- I mean, you can see it here.
There's several spots like that where you can see through to the track.
That's crazy.
Um, we've got a couple of holes over there that we cover up with cones so no one steps in and hurts themself.
Oh, my.
Not much asphalt there.
No, no.
This track is an embarrassment.
It's got potholes.
It's worn out.
It's a safety hazard.
We have a high incidence of shin splints and knee issues.
That's horrible.
It's really amazing, actually, they can use it at all.
Also, the bleachers are unusable.
They're pretty much condemned.
Really? A lot of the boards up there are failing or getting ready to fail, so we're supposed to have them locked at all times.
So we really can't have a meet.
Wow.
Talking with Nate, I'm shocked to learn that we can't host a track meet here.
I was actually a volunteer the last time we had a home meet, and that was in 2004.
Wow.
Nate and the other coaches and this team have been struggling much too long with inferior facilities.
It's unfair to our student athletes.
It's not good for revenue that would come in not only to the campus for a meet, but to the surrounding community.
We had, you know, heard promises about this was gonna happen and that was gonna happen, and it just never did.
Yeah.
And so some of the places you compete against today have modern facilities? Oh, absolutely.
And kids mention that.
So when I bring recruits on the campus, I really just kind of avoid it.
When they're recruiting, student athletes in track and field may choose to go to another university when they see our facilities.
Go ahead, Greg.
We just simply have to find a way to fix this.
Things of that nature can bring revenues to the athletic department and bring visibility to the university that's positive and not negative.
Anytime they walk by, I give them a little pat on the back.
That makes them feel good.
That's all good.
Good job.
Keep your chest up.
There you go.
Good job.
[Upbeat music.]
Today I'm going undercover as one of our campus tour guides.
This year, over 28,000 prospective students and their families will tour the University of California, Riverside campus.
This is a key part in how we recruit the best and the brightest students.
Our tour guides function as ambassadors of the university, so I'm very curious to know if they're energetic and bright and paying attention to the questions and the needs of the tour group.
Hi.
Good morning.
- Is Christina here? - Yes, Christina.
Nice to meet you.
Hi, I'm Pete Weston.
Hi, I'm a tour guide here at UC Riverside.
We have a couple of groups here that we're gonna give a tour to, and then you can watch what I do and then learn from that, and then we'll have you kind of guide the tour as well.
Okay, so this is gonna be yours.
You wear this.
There you go.
Yes.
- Oh, I see.
All right.
- All right.
Let's go ahead and head out.
Good morning, everyone.
My name is Christina.
I am a second year here, a sociology major looking into minoring in either Spanish or business.
We do have a second tour guide with me.
Would you like to introduce yourself to the group? My name is Pete Weston, and I'm learning how to give tours.
[Laughter.]
So if everyone would like to go ahead and just follow me down the stairs and then we can go ahead and get started.
So if you'd like to follow me, just next to me, you can go ahead and walk backwards with me.
- Okay.
- Yes.
If by any chance you have any questions, go ahead and stop me throughout the tour and we'll go ahead and try to answer that for you.
Go ahead.
This way? Yeah, it's okay if you just look sideways and then you can see the sidewalk you're looking towards, and then, so we don't trip.
Do you feel comfortable? Um, I wouldn't say comfortable, but okay is probably-- Okay.
Safety is very, very important.
I'm actually a commuter here, so I commute from Anaheim, and I do park my car at the parking structure.
So whenever I need someone to walk me, if I have a late class, I can always call for security.
Catching up? We're good? All right.
To my left, we do have, uh, one of our restaurants here on campus where you can purchase hot wings, fries, chicken sandwiches.
Walking backwards is not easy, especially because it's not the normal thing you do on a daily basis.
I was praying that he would not fall over.
If they have enough money to pay for that tuition.
Thank you.
To pay for that tuition, so It was awkward.
I know the buildings, but I've never walked around this campus backwards.
We do have our bookstore here onto my left.
You can find every book that our professors require you to have.
Paper, notebooks, all of that.
I highly suggest you come during the week, which is when everything's open.
You can visit our bookstore, our hub, any of that.
I was surprised to see that when we had a Saturday tour that the bookstore was not open to buy a souvenir of some sort.
If those students leave here with a University of California, Riverside t-shirt and they go back to their high school, that may lead to other great students wanting to come here.
So we come to an end to our tour, and if you have any last questions, please feel free to ask me or anyone in a blue shirt.
Almost anybody in a blue shirt, okay? [Laughs.]
So hopefully for this next tour, you can point out every building that we have here on our campus.
- Hi, everybody.
- Hi.
So welcome to the University of California.
My name is Pete Weston, and I'm gonna be your tour guide today.
And helping me is Cynthia.
Christina.
I go by-- Uh, helping me is Christina.
So this building here is an administration building.
How many of you know what a Chancellor is? Nobody.
The Chancellor here is Timothy p.
White.
He's actually a great Chancellor here.
He, on his spare time, will walk around our campus and talk to all of our students.
And during finals week, he'll bring out cookies and his dog, so keep in mind we do have a great Chancellor here on our campus.
Now we're walking and you can actually smell the orange blossoms along here, and if you're tall enough, you could probably grab, uh, grab some oranges up there.
But just to let you know, before you do grab any of our citrus, you could be fined for that.
So I wouldn't like, uh, to have to report any of those happening here.
Do we have any last questions? We are coming to an end of our tour.
No? Thank you.
I'm learning how to do this, so I apologize for taking more of your time.
He needs to be just a lot more out there, more alive, more loud.
It's okay to be loud.
So I wouldn't put him out there as a tour guide just yet.
So, um, a little bit about yourself I'd also like to know.
- I am married.
- Okay.
I have four boys.
Okay.
And one is done with college.
And then I have a couple other boys who are in college.
- Uh-huh.
And then I have a younger boy in elementary school, you know, and, uh So do you work somewhere else as well? I mean-- No, this is my only job because I am a full-time student.
But do you have any scholarships? Any grants? You know, I do have to accept loans in order to be able to come here, so I have to pay that back.
Yeah.
My first year, living here on campus, was a great experience but, you know, life is full of surprises and, you know, you never know what's gonna happen and, um, my father was in a car accident.
And from the car accident of, um, being in, um, second and third-degree burns, one surgery, they had to redo it, and he never-- never came back.
Never recovered from that.
They consider that a coma, what he's in, which it isn't.
It's basically brain dead.
Brain dead.
- Um - Ooh.
It's been over a year now.
He's now in a nursing home.
So my mom, uh, lost her home.
She had to move into an apartment, and I felt how unfair to see my mother having to go through it alone.
I've learned to cherish the time I have with my parent now.
That's my mom.
Yeah.
Because, uh, you never know what's gonna happen.
My dad was killed in a catastrophic auto accident.
One day here, one day not.
Did he know you were gonna be a college kid before? So he knew his little girl was doing okay.
So there's some comfort in that.
I'm sorry.
I'm taking you back to a tough time and you're taking me back to a tough time, aren't you? [Sniffles.]
- I'm sorry.
- That's okay.
[Sniffles.]
This woman has gone through a lot in her life with her dad.
Then, when she's here, she's 100% committed as a tour guide and to her studies and even though she may be pained at the moment, she knows the sacrifice of today will lead to better things tomorrow.
It gives me confidence that public schooling and this university are actually helping create people who can adapt to how life sometimes can be so brutally unfair.
But at the end of the day, it's the stuff we're talking about with your daddy.
Yes.
And it makes me proud to really get to know you better.
Thank you.
It's amazing how much you can connect with someone, so thank you for sharing that with me.
And, um Thank you.
Can I have a hug? Yeah.
I actually feel like our students today have their act together better than I had my act together then.
You know, if it really came down to it, I would have gone home and helped the family.
Would I have done it as graciously as she did? I doubt it.
You know, walking backwards is hard.
[Laughs.]
[Groans.]
I was surprised during this journey to see how my personal life story seemed like the folks I was working with's life story.
The facts are different, but every one of them has fought through something in their life.
My dad, you know, did what it took to eek out a living.
We didn't have a lot, so he'd bring home crates from work.
[Sighs.]
On the weekend, my brother and I, and my dad would take 'em apart and cobble together and build something.
I still have a piece of that furniture.
I started realizing its symbolic importance to me, that you can't let tough stuff or lack of resources get in the way of moving forward.
[Sniffles.]
My time undercover has come to an end, and I was just getting used to being Pete.
I actually liked the mustache.
The extra teeth, I could do without that.
I'm gonna surprise each person I worked with, but instead of asking them to come to my office, I'm gonna go to the place where they work on campus and reveal to them that I'm not Pete.
Rather, I'm the Chancellor of UC Riverside.
Nate.
How you doing? - Christina.
- Hello.
- Do you know who I am? - I feel like I should.
You--you look like Pete.
You look exactly like our Chancellor.
I am Tim White.
I'm the Chancellor.
[Laughs.]
Looks very different.
You tricked me.
I'm the chancellor.
How are you? Good.
How are you? So I'm not fired yet? You're not fired yet, no.
Okay, okay.
I'm usually not surprised.
That's pretty good.
Aw, man.
Yes, sir.
Nate, when you interacted with the students, you've got leadership just written all over you.
The difference in many things in life, including athletics, between great, you know, and national caliber, world class, and good, is only about this.
Right.
And that's what's separating you from the top of your game.
And so, I talked to some donors, and they're willing to donate money to send you to a great track and field coaching clinic somewhere.
You'd know which is the right one to go to.
We'll pay for the airfare and the registration and the hotel.
You'll get in there and spend some time listening to the best of the best.
Would that be helpful to you? Absolutely.
I will look forward to it.
And then, with respect to this track, you know, I've checked around a little bit, and we're gonna take this thing out.
Beautiful.
And I'm gonna tear down these condemned stands.
Yes.
To do this with the track is gonna cost $2 million.
We've set it aside out of our capital expense budget.
Wow.
Thank you so much.
It absolutely will make a difference.
And I think you and I will probably have a tear in our eye when we host a home meet.
I'll probably camp out overnight.
- Wait for the tickets.
- [Laughs.]
The student athlete experience just got better today at UC Riverside.
It's humbling, as a Chancellor, to notice what an assistant coach is doing.
I'm honored, and I just say thank you.
Nastazha, the fact that you've got a clear view of, you know, having a dream, having a goal, I was so impressed with that.
I tried to go back to when I was on the verge of turning 20 and, uh, I'm not sure I measure up.
In fact, I know I don't measure up.
Thanks.
And I actually was paying attention to the things you were telling me when somebody came up looking for the book and there was only one and it was out.
So I'm gonna look into exactly how it's decided how many copies there are in reserve.
That's one we're gonna run down and fix, and that's because you helped me understand that.
I didn't know that was a problem.
I'm glad I could help you.
Some students will be happy too.
So I checked with the financial aid office.
I was very concerned to learn that you're carrying something like $9,000 in loans right now.
For me, personally, a degree is necessary to get into credentialing school Yeah.
In order to help children learn.
So I see it as more of an investment.
I met a couple donors who are interested in paying off that $9,000 debt that you have.
That would be amazing.
It's done.
- Seriously? - Yeah.
Thank--oh, thank-- thank you.
You've got a couple years to go to finish your first degree here.
- Yes.
- Would it be helpful if, again, because of the generosity of donors, I could give you a $5,000 a year scholarship for two years? Another $10,000? Yes.
It would definitely help.
It might even to allow me to come stay back on campus, which would give me less of a commute.
That one's done as well.
You have a $5,000 scholarship.
It makes me almost want to cry.
Um, it's amazing.
A lot of things that people say about UCs is that they're so big, you're just a number, but the fact that my Chancellor listens to my problems tells me that I'm not just a number.
To have my debt wiped away, to get a scholarship all in one day? That's a lot to process.
It's really gonna help make life a little bit easier.
Did you have fun in my class? I had fun as Pete.
[Both laugh.]
I think the students thought it was really amazing to have a camera crew in the lecture hall.
But on the other hand, they might wonder, doesn't he have better things to do? I don't know if that raises or decreases your profile.
Yeah, it's been a bit of a dilemma.
You know, could I have been doing other things? You bet.
So, you know, I may have some damage control on the backside.
On the other hand, I've actually learned some amazing things.
How do I have an honest conversation in a way that they don't see the tie and the suit coat and say, "Chancellor," but rather, "Pete," you know? You didn't have conversations grind to a halt when you showed up.
- Right.
- Yeah.
I never have that happen.
Yeah, right.
[Both laugh.]
I must say, you know, working with you is really a lot of fun.
[Laughs.]
Thank you.
I was so impressed with the respect that these students had for you.
I was thinking about how to actually put in place something that honors you but honors what you've committed your life to as a woman in science, and the donors have come together and wanted me to ask you if you'd be willing to have the Catharine Larsen women in science scholarship - Oh, my goodness.
- Established for $10,000.
This is being driven a bit by the donors who know about you and your work and know about the need for women in science.
I think that would be amazing.
I'm very honored.
It's not easy to surprise me, but you've done it.
[Laughs.]
Supposedly at elementary school age, boys and girls have the same ratio of being interested in science, and there's still, unfortunately, a sociological pressure where, once they hit puberty, you lose a lot of the women.
You need more of these female role models out there.
You know, you don't believe you can do it unless you see someone like you doing it.
It feels good to know that, you know, that if I work here till midnight or something, that it means something.
Of course, the key is to get my students graduated and papers and things out, but, no, it means a lot.
Um, yeah, it means a lot.
Christina, I could not have been more pleased to see how you portrayed the quality of this university and to be such a wonderful ambassador to this university and so focused on your studies, and at the same time be struggling with that horrible, devastating accident and its consequences.
Um, I mean, it's hard to put a smile on my face in front of all of my guests and anyone.
That's what I continue to do, so You told me that you had just about $10,000 in loans at this point.
Uh, yeah, at this point.
I still have a couple more years to go.
And you've carried so much, you know, at home and with your studies.
I mean, with your job.
I'd like to offer you $10,000 to pay off the loan debt that you have today and start fresh.
Oh, my goodness.
[Laughs.]
Thank you so much.
So another thing I'd like to do-- Okay.
Is give you a $10,000 scholarship so you don't have to take any more debt.
Thank you.
You just made my future a lot easier.
- There's one more thing.
- Oh, goodness.
[Laughs.]
Um, so I'd like to give you another $10,000-- Oh, my goodness.
So you can move closer to the university.
[Sniffles.]
And gladly.
Oh, my goodness.
I feel this weight off my shoulder.
I think that my dad is thankful for what you're doing.
[Clears throat.]
Not just myself.
Once I go to that nursing home and visit my dad, I'll let him know.
Right.
He'll feel happy.
You kind of just changed my life a little right now.
A lot, actually.
My dad came to this country to work for his family, and so that's why I've always been a hard worker.
And I know he, of course, would love to give me a hug and say how proud he is.
[Sniffles.]
[Laughs.]
[Crying.]
It makes me miss my mom and dad too, just thinking about it, but So as I reflect on this experience and go forward here, I'm confident that we're on the right path.
Hi, I'm Tim.
I'm the Chancellor.
I just wanted to say hi.
I'm Courtney.
Courtney? I'm Tim.
I'm Lizbeth.
- I'm the Chancellor.
- Yeah, I know.
I wish I could give a scholarship to everybody.
It's just not in the cards.
What are you studying? I'm studying psychology.
MFA in, uh, creative writing.
- Philosophy, law and society.
- Law and society? So how do we manage this place differently to keep the costs as low as possible? You ever watch that show Undercover Boss? - No.
- No? Too busy studying? Yeah.
That was you with the--? He had the earring.
That wasn't you with the earring.
What? The truth is, we have to find ways to innovate.
If we become stagnant, then we are gonna miss opportunities.
My friend from San Diego, she's in high school still.
You gonna come here? It's time to take a deep breath and then go back to the office and keep working to find a better way for our students, for our faculty, for our staff, and for our society.
[upbeat music.]
Announcer: Since the very first Undercover Boss - I'm Randy.
- Nice to meet you nice to meet you.
Announcer: Many people's lives have changed for the better.
I will recover those wage cuts over the next three years.
[Cheers and applause.]
It's the story of your life you're tearing off the page Because of our conversation, we're going to add a vision plan for the medical benefits next year.
Oh, man! Oh, this is all coming together now.
You're getting that raise that you want.
Oh, God! - How's your dad gonna be? - He'll be proud.
My mom always told me that hard work pays off, but this is crazy.
We made it.
A trip for you and your wife.
Man, you gonna make me sit here and start crying.
- I'm so happy.
- [Laughs.]
Thank you so much.
That'll mean so much to me and my daughter.
Nobody's ever done something like that for me.
I'd like to give you an additional $15,000 bonus.
I don't even know what to say.
Oh, it's awesome.
You're gonna be the youngest franchisee in our Baja system.
You okay? Only in a movie.
Only in America it might happen.
I want you to have also the American dream.
Wow.
In the United States, you can have whatever you want.
I'm so happy I can't-- it's a shock.
It's the story of your life
Many of them wonder if our corporate and elected leaders have the answers to our problems.
In these tough times, some bosses are taking radical steps to discover how to improve their companies.
Each week, we follow the head of a major organization as they work undercover alongside their own staff.
This week, the Chancellor at the University of California, Riverside poses as a participant on a TV show where a private school employee is researching the public school experience.
- Pete Weston.
How are you? - Pete? Pleasure to meet you.
Announcer: By going deep undercover Unbelievable.
Announcer: He'll find out what needs improving in this university.
So this looks like a pretty old track.
It is.
We've got a couple of holes over there.
Oh, my.
This track is an embarrassment.
We just simply have to find a way to fix this.
Announcer: Will this former Science Professor be able to handle going back to his roots? You'll be lecturing in front of students.
Oh, my God.
This is unbelievable.
Hello? Hi.
Announcer: Find out next on the Season Finale of Undercover Boss.
Announcer: The University of California, Riverside.
Located 65 miles from Los Angeles, it's one of California's largest universities.
With a student body of more than 20,000 and growing, this university has been in operation since 1954.
Overseeing this massive educational institution is one man.
My name is Tim White.
I'm the Chancellor at the University of California, Riverside.
As Chancellor, I am the CEO and responsible for student affairs on this campus.
The University of California is recognized as the greatest university system in the world.
UC Riverside is part of a system of ten campuses such as UCLA and Berkeley, and each of the campuses has unique strengths, and we have ours.
We're the most ethnically and racially diverse University of California campus, and we're the fourth most diverse in America.
I am Argentinean by birth.
We emigrated when I was a young boy first to Canada, but arrived in Northern California when I was about nine.
We grew up in a very frugal environment.
We had an accent.
We didn't understand the nuances of being a California kid, so I worked like the devil to get rid of this accent and as soon as I could, when I turned 21, I became a naturalized U.
S.
citizen.
You know, I was very engaged in athletics.
I thought that would be my career.
When I finally got to Berkeley as a graduate student, I realized that there was this whole other world out there, and I decided to give science a shot.
And so I did graduate work, and that turned into a faculty job at the University of Michigan.
Then that led to jobs in Oregon State and at the University of Idaho, now at the University of California, Riverside.
Morning, Corina.
Good morning, Tim.
To be chosen Chancellor is really a chance to give back to this great system, this great state.
It's so changed my life.
[Cheers and applause.]
You know, I was very proud of becoming a Chancellor, but through my parents' lens, I think they just were popping with excitement.
And so they said, "oh, son, we're so proud.
We want to come see your new corner office," and, uh, called, uh, as they got close and said, "well, we'll be there tomorrow morning.
" "Great, dad, I love you, and I'm so glad that you're gonna be here tomorrow.
" And he said, "yeah, love you too.
" And driving up, my dad was killed in a horrible auto accident So my dad never had a chance to actually see the new corner office in the administration building.
So I think it makes me realize that we're all fragile.
So let's end every little act, every little conversation, every little thing as positive as it can be.
And, uh, you need to square up with things that matter every day.
Mom.
Karen and I have been married for 13 years.
- [Groans.]
- Yes! She was a Professor at Oregon State University, but now she's a full-time mom.
Oh, two points for you.
- Hey, sweetie.
- Ready? Yep.
I think that the most challenging part will probably be Tim's stamina.
You'll be back in a week? Hopefully.
- Ah, you better be.
- I'll be in better shape then.
It's gonna be a challenge for him.
Love you.
[Kiss.]
Love you too.
California, like the rest of the country, is going through tough economic times, and we've had to tighten our belt.
Unfortunately, that meant reducing salaries and raising tuition.
In fact, over the last three years, tuition has gone up some 57%.
So I wanted to go undercover to see how the student experience has been affected by the decisions I've had to make.
While undercover, I'm gonna go by Pete Weston.
Unbelievable.
Pete's my middle name and Weston is my mother's maiden name.
While undercover, I'm going to tell my employees and students I'm part of a TV show about jobs in the public universities in America.
I wake up this morning and I'm feeling like I'm in a residence hall or dormitory room.
You know, it's got a mini fridge and a microwave, so I can do popcorn, I can do noodles, I can do soup.
Then, in the refrigerator, you know, there's a little milk, a little orange juice, probably a couple beers.
I mean, it's college after all, right? So I'm all set.
Today I'm gonna be working with a Professor of Chemistry.
Before I became Chancellor, I was actually a Science Professor on many different campuses, so I'm very excited about going undercover and being in front of students again.
Professor Larsen? I'm Pete Weston.
How are you? I'm good.
How are you today? I'm a Professor of Chemistry.
I've been at UC Riverside for about 2 1/2 years.
And I did my Ph.
D.
at Cal Tech, and I did my post-doc at MIT.
So, Pete, what we're gonna be doing today is you're gonna walk across campus, where you'll be lecturing in front of chemistry students.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
- Yes.
- That's a big class.
- Yes.
My first year I was teaching this, it was about 150 students.
Wow.
As we struggle with our economy in California, our class sizes are getting larger, so I'm very keen to see whether it is still a good learning environment or if the problems are bigger than I anticipated.
So it's state of the art, this classroom.
It's our new Materials Science and Engineering Building, and I think there is a computer that projects up.
There's a document camera.
You can write, and it projects up.
I'm gonna lecture a little bit, and you're gonna be my scribe for part of it.
Okay.
You'll be standing in front of the Doc Cam, writing this down while I explain it.
This is the simplest page I could find.
[Clears his throat.]
And then, they've got a quiz in a week and a half and so, I'm showing them sample questions.
So it's a multiple choice question, right? You read the question.
The students have these little clickers so they can vote on "a," "b," "c," "d.
" Sort of like as if you were doing online voting.
So is the clicker like a garage door opener kind of thing? Sort of, yeah.
It's the same type of communication.
So right now, we're gonna head over to lecture, 'cause it's about time.
Yeah, let's go.
[Rock music.]
So you're gonna go in and settle them down.
Tell them to get out their clickers.
Explain that you're running the course for a bit.
Right.
You'll be along momentarily? Yeah.
I have to go take care of some things.
Uh, not very long, please.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
[Overlapping chatter.]
This is unbelievable.
Holy cow.
Whew! [Overlapping chatter.]
How are you doing? Thank you.
Um All of sudden, I felt very old again in front of this group of 20-somethings.
And I was very self-conscious, let me tell you.
It's fortunate I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt and you can't see sort of the perspiration that was running down my back.
Hello? Do I have to turn--? [Overlapping chatter.]
Uh, hi.
Students: Hi.
Uh, my name is Pete Weston.
I'm helping Professor Larsen today with your chemistry class.
And, uh, I can't tell if the microphone is working.
- No.
- No.
Uh, so, heh! I see "microphone.
" I see a "help" button.
So, there we go.
Whoo.
How am I doing? Sorry about this.
You guys aren't gonna tell Professor Larsen, are you? [Laughs.]
I'm not sure if Pete's ever done public speaking in that type of venue.
Certainly never in a lecture hall.
Perhaps Pete has spoken in front of a church group.
I think he wanted to run out of the room.
Okay, I can take this for a second.
Okay.
So now we're gonna talk about the rules of mechanisms.
So if you remember, we were going through the difference acid derivatives, okay? You have your x-minus, which could be an alkoxide.
If it's a base, it could be an alcohol, so you just did ethanol plus hcl, right? This is unbelievable.
H-plus doesn't exist.
It's solvated, right? Your inner reaction, where you have a bunch of solvent molecules, and I'll write it up here while he's figuring that out.
So this is your sample question for your quiz.
Okay? So I just read the words at the--? "What is the first step "of the acid-catal-- "cataleezed-- "catalyzed--catalyzed "hydrolysis of-- "of tert butyl ac-- "ace--acetat? Acetate?" Okay.
I think he said one out of ten words correctly.
I think the students are gonna feel a lot better about knowing chemistry terms 'cause they can always say, "well, at least we know it better than Pete.
" So there--so that's their responses from that.
So 62% of them got the wrong answer.
[Laughter.]
I think you can probably blame that on Pete.
Hydrogen chloride.
Is that an acid or a base? - Acid.
- Okay.
So what is it gonna do? Protonate it.
Protonation, exactly.
So let's try this again, shall we? Are you guys ready with your clickers? Yes.
Okay.
Yay! Good job.
[Applause.]
Okay, that's the correct answer.
You don't tell 'em.
You teach 'em through it.
It's pretty cool.
In this brand-new classroom, we've invested a lot of money in the technology, and it was very gratifying for me to see how well it actually works and works in the sense of enhancing the learning environment and how tuned in the students were to the lecture and using the clickers, and this gives me hope that there are other courses where there are a lot of students on wait lists to teach those courses in larger venues and use technology in a cost-effective manner and really kind of get back on track.
Any questions on that? Announcer: Coming up, Tim forgets his ABCs.
And later, the Chancellor faces a few hurdles.
- All right.
- You got 'em all? Oh, come on, Pete.
Come on.
These things are heavy.
[Clatter.]
Announcer: Tim White, the Chancellor at UC Riverside is undercover at his own university.
Um, hello? Uh Announcer: His coworkers believe he's part of a TV show where a private school employee is researching the public school experience.
And I'll write it up here while he's figuring that out.
Announcer: His journey continues.
I'm outside the Orbach Science Library.
I'm getting ready to go in and work with a student librarian.
Do you have your UCR card? There have been serious budget cuts here.
We've tried to protect the academic, which the library is a key piece of that.
The last thing I want to see is it having an effect on the students' education.
So as I'm looking at huge budget cuts, it's going to be enormously informative for me to see through the lens of a student worker, how's the library doing? Hi.
Is Nastazha here, please? - Nastazha? That's me.
- Hello.
How are you? Good.
How are you? - I'm Pete.
- Nice to meet you.
Welcome to the science library.
All right.
- You can come right on back.
- All right, okay.
So we're gonna go to the second floor and shelve these books.
And also, we're gonna take walkies just in case the front desk gets overwhelmed and they need me to come back.
So I'm gonna give you one too.
You can just go, "Nastazha," and then I'll hear you.
- Okay.
- Do you want to push this? We'll go up to the elevator.
How many hours do you work? Since I want to be a teacher at an underprivileged school, I'm a part-time worker and a full-time student.
So we're gonna go to the right.
All of the shelves are labeled.
I'll start you off at Q-130, that way.
All right.
"Q.
" I'm looking for Q-130.
"S," "Q.
" Q-130.
That's an "O.
" I'm gonna let you finish this shelf, and then I'll do the bottom, and we'll see how far we can both get - Okay.
- In 20 minutes.
I'll be back.
- Where the heck is Q-83? Q-83.
[Walkie squawks.]
[Blips and beeps.]
Hello, this is Pete.
[Blips and beeps.]
All right, time to be self-reliant.
I can't even see anything that looks like this around here.
I'm not an expert, but it certainly crossed my mind that with the manual sorting and placing on the shelves, there's got to be a better way.
[Grunts.]
- Pete, can you hear me? - Yes, Nastazha.
[Walkie blips.]
Okay, I'm hustling.
I got these all screwed up now.
Q-83.
Bingo.
So "I"s and "1"s look the same.
Uh, this is Pete, Nastazha.
[Walkie blips.]
So I have a question on this book.
It's called The Mathematician's Apology.
[Blips.]
- Okay, I'm coming.
- Thank you.
When we were talking on the walkie-talkies and I realized we were on the same aisle, it was awkward.
I was like, "well, I can see you, so" Our time is up, so we're gonna head back downstairs and see how the circulation desk is doing.
We'll work on the computer, 'cause that's mostly where my job is at.
Okey-doke.
When books like these come back, they're the reserves.
That way, if I can't afford to buy it I see.
Or if it's not in yet, I can come use it within the library.
[Typing.]
Now, do you want to help him? Can I help you? So since he has a hold, it's on the hold shelf.
Reserve, hold shelf.
Gotcha.
And so, then Okay.
Yeah.
So Nastazha, I'm having trouble.
I found this book, but he said there was another one.
This is, like, just the solutions manual, but there's a textbook associated with this.
Did you put a hold on the textbook as well, or just the solutions? The textbook.
Um, yeah.
You only had a hold for the solutions.
So you can get the answers but not the questions, huh? [Laughs.]
They're both not coming back until the 8th.
Yes.
Aw.
- You can take the book.
I don't--I don't-- I mean, it has the answers in it.
I mean, you could use-- it tells you what the questions were, I believe.
True.
My job at the university is to make sure that our students can access everything they need to learn, so here's an example of not having enough copies of a given textbook available to our students, so it's gonna alter the way he studies.
My business is to make sure that that doesn't happen, and when we fail, it is not a point of pride, when we don't meet a basic need.
So you're gonna get a teaching credential, and then you're gonna go teach-- - underprivileged.
- Underprivileged.
So how do you feel about that? I feel good.
Um, I'll let you know when I graduate.
It just seems like so far away, even though I'm halfway done.
Yeah.
What's your sense of the students at large? I mean, is this an unusually difficult time with the economy? Uh, let's see, well, my first year, my tuition fees alone were about, like, $10,800.
Uh-huh.
This quarter, they're, like, $11,600.
And I have three loans right now.
And my parents, they don't really have enough money to--to sustain my education.
And I am an education student, so I have to dress in business attire, and business attire is always more expensive than anything else.
Sure.
Like, I think I just bought, like, $40 pants.
Wow.
And I was a little upset, but it's okay.
So-- But they look good, right? They do, so I am, uh, I'm feeling very proud and a bit emotional.
When we fall short, it gives me a little more power to say, "we've got to do some things differently here.
" Okay, so let's get back to shelving those books.
Oh, boy.
Announcer: Coming up, the Chancellor has trouble giving a tour of his own campus.
How many of you know what a Chancellor is? Nobody.
Announcer: And later, Tim's past continues to haunt him.
It makes me miss my mom and dad too, just thinking about it.
[Sniffles.]
[Upbeat music.]
Today I'm going undercover as an assistant track coach.
Runners set, go.
We're looking at track and the other sports in the athletic program to generate more revenue, which will take some pressure off the general fund budget, so I'm gonna be looking to see if there's things here in track and field we can do more efficiently to be able to save money and not cut programs for students.
Are you Nate? Nate Brown.
- Pete Weston.
How are ya? - Pete, pleasure to meet you.
I'm track and field and cross country assistant coach here at the university.
So what we've got going on here is, these are our 400-meter runners.
- I'm not running, right? - No, you're not.
Okay, all right.
You're gonna help me time, you're gonna help me encourage 'em.
Okay.
Athletics played a big piece in my earlier life.
I was involved in swimming and water polo, and from that, I got a scholarship which changed my life.
For me to get back now and touch athletics in a more meaningful way, actually, it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Guys, this is our assistant coach for the day, Coach Weston.
He's gonna help me out with some times.
- Hey, guys.
- All right, gentlemen.
We're getting ready to get on the line.
So Pete, if you want to just start with me, and then we'll call them out as they come through this middle part.
Runners set, go.
Come on, work, work! You can just talk and hit this thing at the same time? You're asking a lot.
- Four, five, six.
- Good form, good form.
There you go.
Nice and loud.
Here we go.
Finish it up, guys.
I have to tell you, um, I screwed this up.
Uh-oh.
I could yell the time, but I couldn't yell the time and press-- Well, just in case you didn't get it, I clicked it myself.
We're okay.
[Laughs.]
There you go, Daniel.
Ladies, come on this way, please.
- How are you ladies doing? - Good.
So just like I did over there, Pete, just, uh, a "runners set" and then "go.
" All right, so what's the command again? I'm just gonna say, "runners set" and then "go.
" So I say "set" and then "go"? You say "runners set" and "go.
" I say all three of those things.
- Absolutely.
- Okay, so runners set, go.
No, you gotta put a little bit more enthusiasm into it.
Yeah.
So, uh, are you guys ready? We're good to go.
Oh, I guess I'm supposed to say it.
Okay.
Runners set, go! That was good.
So we need to take these all back in.
Okay.
You can carry those in there to the shed.
- All right.
- You got 'em all? Oh, come on, Pete, come on.
[Laughs.]
How are we gonna do this? Maybe you should stack them all across your arms or-- - There we go.
- Oh, there you go.
Dang, these things are heavy.
[Clatter.]
Whew.
I need to get some water or something here.
Pete needs to make fitness a priority.
You can tell how winded he was getting out at the track, moving stuff around.
Probably should have taken just two.
He didn't look very athletic.
[Groans.]
You gotta be kidding me.
Pete, we gotta make sure we get those back in.
You know, I do a lot of walking and ride bikes.
Oh, this isn't gonna work.
But I'm not in shape to lift hurdles and these big medicine balls.
[Groans.]
I feel it in my shoulders right now.
Look at that.
As a track assistant coach, I've got a ways to go.
[Groans.]
Got to be a little bit quicker, but you're doing a pretty good job.
How long have you been here? This is year four for me, and I volunteered for three years before that.
How do you pay the bills when you're a volunteer? [Laughs.]
I worked in mortgage.
Ah.
So, yeah, when I worked in mortgage, it wasn't gratifying or fulfilling.
Yeah, yeah.
But when someone leaves this campus and they're ready to take on the world, or they're ready to go to grad school or med school or law school, and they leave with an experience that's enriched because of our sport, that's what makes me puff my chest out.
That's what makes us proud.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's go ahead and grab these hurdles.
Look at that.
The grass is growing in the track.
- Oh, yeah, they peek through.
- Yeah? So this looks like a pretty old track.
It is.
I don't know when the last time it was resurfaced.
- Oh, look at that.
- I mean, you can see it here.
There's several spots like that where you can see through to the track.
That's crazy.
Um, we've got a couple of holes over there that we cover up with cones so no one steps in and hurts themself.
Oh, my.
Not much asphalt there.
No, no.
This track is an embarrassment.
It's got potholes.
It's worn out.
It's a safety hazard.
We have a high incidence of shin splints and knee issues.
That's horrible.
It's really amazing, actually, they can use it at all.
Also, the bleachers are unusable.
They're pretty much condemned.
Really? A lot of the boards up there are failing or getting ready to fail, so we're supposed to have them locked at all times.
So we really can't have a meet.
Wow.
Talking with Nate, I'm shocked to learn that we can't host a track meet here.
I was actually a volunteer the last time we had a home meet, and that was in 2004.
Wow.
Nate and the other coaches and this team have been struggling much too long with inferior facilities.
It's unfair to our student athletes.
It's not good for revenue that would come in not only to the campus for a meet, but to the surrounding community.
We had, you know, heard promises about this was gonna happen and that was gonna happen, and it just never did.
Yeah.
And so some of the places you compete against today have modern facilities? Oh, absolutely.
And kids mention that.
So when I bring recruits on the campus, I really just kind of avoid it.
When they're recruiting, student athletes in track and field may choose to go to another university when they see our facilities.
Go ahead, Greg.
We just simply have to find a way to fix this.
Things of that nature can bring revenues to the athletic department and bring visibility to the university that's positive and not negative.
Anytime they walk by, I give them a little pat on the back.
That makes them feel good.
That's all good.
Good job.
Keep your chest up.
There you go.
Good job.
[Upbeat music.]
Today I'm going undercover as one of our campus tour guides.
This year, over 28,000 prospective students and their families will tour the University of California, Riverside campus.
This is a key part in how we recruit the best and the brightest students.
Our tour guides function as ambassadors of the university, so I'm very curious to know if they're energetic and bright and paying attention to the questions and the needs of the tour group.
Hi.
Good morning.
- Is Christina here? - Yes, Christina.
Nice to meet you.
Hi, I'm Pete Weston.
Hi, I'm a tour guide here at UC Riverside.
We have a couple of groups here that we're gonna give a tour to, and then you can watch what I do and then learn from that, and then we'll have you kind of guide the tour as well.
Okay, so this is gonna be yours.
You wear this.
There you go.
Yes.
- Oh, I see.
All right.
- All right.
Let's go ahead and head out.
Good morning, everyone.
My name is Christina.
I am a second year here, a sociology major looking into minoring in either Spanish or business.
We do have a second tour guide with me.
Would you like to introduce yourself to the group? My name is Pete Weston, and I'm learning how to give tours.
[Laughter.]
So if everyone would like to go ahead and just follow me down the stairs and then we can go ahead and get started.
So if you'd like to follow me, just next to me, you can go ahead and walk backwards with me.
- Okay.
- Yes.
If by any chance you have any questions, go ahead and stop me throughout the tour and we'll go ahead and try to answer that for you.
Go ahead.
This way? Yeah, it's okay if you just look sideways and then you can see the sidewalk you're looking towards, and then, so we don't trip.
Do you feel comfortable? Um, I wouldn't say comfortable, but okay is probably-- Okay.
Safety is very, very important.
I'm actually a commuter here, so I commute from Anaheim, and I do park my car at the parking structure.
So whenever I need someone to walk me, if I have a late class, I can always call for security.
Catching up? We're good? All right.
To my left, we do have, uh, one of our restaurants here on campus where you can purchase hot wings, fries, chicken sandwiches.
Walking backwards is not easy, especially because it's not the normal thing you do on a daily basis.
I was praying that he would not fall over.
If they have enough money to pay for that tuition.
Thank you.
To pay for that tuition, so It was awkward.
I know the buildings, but I've never walked around this campus backwards.
We do have our bookstore here onto my left.
You can find every book that our professors require you to have.
Paper, notebooks, all of that.
I highly suggest you come during the week, which is when everything's open.
You can visit our bookstore, our hub, any of that.
I was surprised to see that when we had a Saturday tour that the bookstore was not open to buy a souvenir of some sort.
If those students leave here with a University of California, Riverside t-shirt and they go back to their high school, that may lead to other great students wanting to come here.
So we come to an end to our tour, and if you have any last questions, please feel free to ask me or anyone in a blue shirt.
Almost anybody in a blue shirt, okay? [Laughs.]
So hopefully for this next tour, you can point out every building that we have here on our campus.
- Hi, everybody.
- Hi.
So welcome to the University of California.
My name is Pete Weston, and I'm gonna be your tour guide today.
And helping me is Cynthia.
Christina.
I go by-- Uh, helping me is Christina.
So this building here is an administration building.
How many of you know what a Chancellor is? Nobody.
The Chancellor here is Timothy p.
White.
He's actually a great Chancellor here.
He, on his spare time, will walk around our campus and talk to all of our students.
And during finals week, he'll bring out cookies and his dog, so keep in mind we do have a great Chancellor here on our campus.
Now we're walking and you can actually smell the orange blossoms along here, and if you're tall enough, you could probably grab, uh, grab some oranges up there.
But just to let you know, before you do grab any of our citrus, you could be fined for that.
So I wouldn't like, uh, to have to report any of those happening here.
Do we have any last questions? We are coming to an end of our tour.
No? Thank you.
I'm learning how to do this, so I apologize for taking more of your time.
He needs to be just a lot more out there, more alive, more loud.
It's okay to be loud.
So I wouldn't put him out there as a tour guide just yet.
So, um, a little bit about yourself I'd also like to know.
- I am married.
- Okay.
I have four boys.
Okay.
And one is done with college.
And then I have a couple other boys who are in college.
- Uh-huh.
And then I have a younger boy in elementary school, you know, and, uh So do you work somewhere else as well? I mean-- No, this is my only job because I am a full-time student.
But do you have any scholarships? Any grants? You know, I do have to accept loans in order to be able to come here, so I have to pay that back.
Yeah.
My first year, living here on campus, was a great experience but, you know, life is full of surprises and, you know, you never know what's gonna happen and, um, my father was in a car accident.
And from the car accident of, um, being in, um, second and third-degree burns, one surgery, they had to redo it, and he never-- never came back.
Never recovered from that.
They consider that a coma, what he's in, which it isn't.
It's basically brain dead.
Brain dead.
- Um - Ooh.
It's been over a year now.
He's now in a nursing home.
So my mom, uh, lost her home.
She had to move into an apartment, and I felt how unfair to see my mother having to go through it alone.
I've learned to cherish the time I have with my parent now.
That's my mom.
Yeah.
Because, uh, you never know what's gonna happen.
My dad was killed in a catastrophic auto accident.
One day here, one day not.
Did he know you were gonna be a college kid before? So he knew his little girl was doing okay.
So there's some comfort in that.
I'm sorry.
I'm taking you back to a tough time and you're taking me back to a tough time, aren't you? [Sniffles.]
- I'm sorry.
- That's okay.
[Sniffles.]
This woman has gone through a lot in her life with her dad.
Then, when she's here, she's 100% committed as a tour guide and to her studies and even though she may be pained at the moment, she knows the sacrifice of today will lead to better things tomorrow.
It gives me confidence that public schooling and this university are actually helping create people who can adapt to how life sometimes can be so brutally unfair.
But at the end of the day, it's the stuff we're talking about with your daddy.
Yes.
And it makes me proud to really get to know you better.
Thank you.
It's amazing how much you can connect with someone, so thank you for sharing that with me.
And, um Thank you.
Can I have a hug? Yeah.
I actually feel like our students today have their act together better than I had my act together then.
You know, if it really came down to it, I would have gone home and helped the family.
Would I have done it as graciously as she did? I doubt it.
You know, walking backwards is hard.
[Laughs.]
[Groans.]
I was surprised during this journey to see how my personal life story seemed like the folks I was working with's life story.
The facts are different, but every one of them has fought through something in their life.
My dad, you know, did what it took to eek out a living.
We didn't have a lot, so he'd bring home crates from work.
[Sighs.]
On the weekend, my brother and I, and my dad would take 'em apart and cobble together and build something.
I still have a piece of that furniture.
I started realizing its symbolic importance to me, that you can't let tough stuff or lack of resources get in the way of moving forward.
[Sniffles.]
My time undercover has come to an end, and I was just getting used to being Pete.
I actually liked the mustache.
The extra teeth, I could do without that.
I'm gonna surprise each person I worked with, but instead of asking them to come to my office, I'm gonna go to the place where they work on campus and reveal to them that I'm not Pete.
Rather, I'm the Chancellor of UC Riverside.
Nate.
How you doing? - Christina.
- Hello.
- Do you know who I am? - I feel like I should.
You--you look like Pete.
You look exactly like our Chancellor.
I am Tim White.
I'm the Chancellor.
[Laughs.]
Looks very different.
You tricked me.
I'm the chancellor.
How are you? Good.
How are you? So I'm not fired yet? You're not fired yet, no.
Okay, okay.
I'm usually not surprised.
That's pretty good.
Aw, man.
Yes, sir.
Nate, when you interacted with the students, you've got leadership just written all over you.
The difference in many things in life, including athletics, between great, you know, and national caliber, world class, and good, is only about this.
Right.
And that's what's separating you from the top of your game.
And so, I talked to some donors, and they're willing to donate money to send you to a great track and field coaching clinic somewhere.
You'd know which is the right one to go to.
We'll pay for the airfare and the registration and the hotel.
You'll get in there and spend some time listening to the best of the best.
Would that be helpful to you? Absolutely.
I will look forward to it.
And then, with respect to this track, you know, I've checked around a little bit, and we're gonna take this thing out.
Beautiful.
And I'm gonna tear down these condemned stands.
Yes.
To do this with the track is gonna cost $2 million.
We've set it aside out of our capital expense budget.
Wow.
Thank you so much.
It absolutely will make a difference.
And I think you and I will probably have a tear in our eye when we host a home meet.
I'll probably camp out overnight.
- Wait for the tickets.
- [Laughs.]
The student athlete experience just got better today at UC Riverside.
It's humbling, as a Chancellor, to notice what an assistant coach is doing.
I'm honored, and I just say thank you.
Nastazha, the fact that you've got a clear view of, you know, having a dream, having a goal, I was so impressed with that.
I tried to go back to when I was on the verge of turning 20 and, uh, I'm not sure I measure up.
In fact, I know I don't measure up.
Thanks.
And I actually was paying attention to the things you were telling me when somebody came up looking for the book and there was only one and it was out.
So I'm gonna look into exactly how it's decided how many copies there are in reserve.
That's one we're gonna run down and fix, and that's because you helped me understand that.
I didn't know that was a problem.
I'm glad I could help you.
Some students will be happy too.
So I checked with the financial aid office.
I was very concerned to learn that you're carrying something like $9,000 in loans right now.
For me, personally, a degree is necessary to get into credentialing school Yeah.
In order to help children learn.
So I see it as more of an investment.
I met a couple donors who are interested in paying off that $9,000 debt that you have.
That would be amazing.
It's done.
- Seriously? - Yeah.
Thank--oh, thank-- thank you.
You've got a couple years to go to finish your first degree here.
- Yes.
- Would it be helpful if, again, because of the generosity of donors, I could give you a $5,000 a year scholarship for two years? Another $10,000? Yes.
It would definitely help.
It might even to allow me to come stay back on campus, which would give me less of a commute.
That one's done as well.
You have a $5,000 scholarship.
It makes me almost want to cry.
Um, it's amazing.
A lot of things that people say about UCs is that they're so big, you're just a number, but the fact that my Chancellor listens to my problems tells me that I'm not just a number.
To have my debt wiped away, to get a scholarship all in one day? That's a lot to process.
It's really gonna help make life a little bit easier.
Did you have fun in my class? I had fun as Pete.
[Both laugh.]
I think the students thought it was really amazing to have a camera crew in the lecture hall.
But on the other hand, they might wonder, doesn't he have better things to do? I don't know if that raises or decreases your profile.
Yeah, it's been a bit of a dilemma.
You know, could I have been doing other things? You bet.
So, you know, I may have some damage control on the backside.
On the other hand, I've actually learned some amazing things.
How do I have an honest conversation in a way that they don't see the tie and the suit coat and say, "Chancellor," but rather, "Pete," you know? You didn't have conversations grind to a halt when you showed up.
- Right.
- Yeah.
I never have that happen.
Yeah, right.
[Both laugh.]
I must say, you know, working with you is really a lot of fun.
[Laughs.]
Thank you.
I was so impressed with the respect that these students had for you.
I was thinking about how to actually put in place something that honors you but honors what you've committed your life to as a woman in science, and the donors have come together and wanted me to ask you if you'd be willing to have the Catharine Larsen women in science scholarship - Oh, my goodness.
- Established for $10,000.
This is being driven a bit by the donors who know about you and your work and know about the need for women in science.
I think that would be amazing.
I'm very honored.
It's not easy to surprise me, but you've done it.
[Laughs.]
Supposedly at elementary school age, boys and girls have the same ratio of being interested in science, and there's still, unfortunately, a sociological pressure where, once they hit puberty, you lose a lot of the women.
You need more of these female role models out there.
You know, you don't believe you can do it unless you see someone like you doing it.
It feels good to know that, you know, that if I work here till midnight or something, that it means something.
Of course, the key is to get my students graduated and papers and things out, but, no, it means a lot.
Um, yeah, it means a lot.
Christina, I could not have been more pleased to see how you portrayed the quality of this university and to be such a wonderful ambassador to this university and so focused on your studies, and at the same time be struggling with that horrible, devastating accident and its consequences.
Um, I mean, it's hard to put a smile on my face in front of all of my guests and anyone.
That's what I continue to do, so You told me that you had just about $10,000 in loans at this point.
Uh, yeah, at this point.
I still have a couple more years to go.
And you've carried so much, you know, at home and with your studies.
I mean, with your job.
I'd like to offer you $10,000 to pay off the loan debt that you have today and start fresh.
Oh, my goodness.
[Laughs.]
Thank you so much.
So another thing I'd like to do-- Okay.
Is give you a $10,000 scholarship so you don't have to take any more debt.
Thank you.
You just made my future a lot easier.
- There's one more thing.
- Oh, goodness.
[Laughs.]
Um, so I'd like to give you another $10,000-- Oh, my goodness.
So you can move closer to the university.
[Sniffles.]
And gladly.
Oh, my goodness.
I feel this weight off my shoulder.
I think that my dad is thankful for what you're doing.
[Clears throat.]
Not just myself.
Once I go to that nursing home and visit my dad, I'll let him know.
Right.
He'll feel happy.
You kind of just changed my life a little right now.
A lot, actually.
My dad came to this country to work for his family, and so that's why I've always been a hard worker.
And I know he, of course, would love to give me a hug and say how proud he is.
[Sniffles.]
[Laughs.]
[Crying.]
It makes me miss my mom and dad too, just thinking about it, but So as I reflect on this experience and go forward here, I'm confident that we're on the right path.
Hi, I'm Tim.
I'm the Chancellor.
I just wanted to say hi.
I'm Courtney.
Courtney? I'm Tim.
I'm Lizbeth.
- I'm the Chancellor.
- Yeah, I know.
I wish I could give a scholarship to everybody.
It's just not in the cards.
What are you studying? I'm studying psychology.
MFA in, uh, creative writing.
- Philosophy, law and society.
- Law and society? So how do we manage this place differently to keep the costs as low as possible? You ever watch that show Undercover Boss? - No.
- No? Too busy studying? Yeah.
That was you with the--? He had the earring.
That wasn't you with the earring.
What? The truth is, we have to find ways to innovate.
If we become stagnant, then we are gonna miss opportunities.
My friend from San Diego, she's in high school still.
You gonna come here? It's time to take a deep breath and then go back to the office and keep working to find a better way for our students, for our faculty, for our staff, and for our society.
[upbeat music.]
Announcer: Since the very first Undercover Boss - I'm Randy.
- Nice to meet you nice to meet you.
Announcer: Many people's lives have changed for the better.
I will recover those wage cuts over the next three years.
[Cheers and applause.]
It's the story of your life you're tearing off the page Because of our conversation, we're going to add a vision plan for the medical benefits next year.
Oh, man! Oh, this is all coming together now.
You're getting that raise that you want.
Oh, God! - How's your dad gonna be? - He'll be proud.
My mom always told me that hard work pays off, but this is crazy.
We made it.
A trip for you and your wife.
Man, you gonna make me sit here and start crying.
- I'm so happy.
- [Laughs.]
Thank you so much.
That'll mean so much to me and my daughter.
Nobody's ever done something like that for me.
I'd like to give you an additional $15,000 bonus.
I don't even know what to say.
Oh, it's awesome.
You're gonna be the youngest franchisee in our Baja system.
You okay? Only in a movie.
Only in America it might happen.
I want you to have also the American dream.
Wow.
In the United States, you can have whatever you want.
I'm so happy I can't-- it's a shock.
It's the story of your life