At the time, Hinderaker was the longest-serving chancellor of any University of California campus (although his record was later surpassed by UCLA's Charles E. Young).
After teaching one year at the University of Minnesota, Hinderaker joined the UCLA faculty in political science in 1949, eventually serving as department chair.
Hinderaker oversaw a massive expansion of UC Riverside's curriculum to include numerous professional programs geared toward engineering, medicine, and administration.
Hinderaker endeared himself to students during the anti-war protests in the 1960s by inviting protestors into his office for coffee and doughnuts.
Hinderaker and former UC Regent Phil Boyd pushed for construction of the carillon tower, a landmark on the UCR campus.