About UC Merced

A Focus on Research

Jennifer Manilay, an assistant professor in the School of Natural Sciences, examines cell fate decisions in the immune system.

Consistent with our sister campuses such as UCLA and UC Berkeley, academic research is a critical part of UC Merced's mission. The process of discovery provides our students with a deeper understanding of the world and its cultural, social, natural and engineered systems.

Special research institutes established at the university include:

• Health Sciences Research Institute
• Sierra Nevada Research Institute
• UC Merced Energy Research Institute
• University of California Advanced Solar Technologies Institute

In addition, startup funding has been received for the:

• UC Merced Center for Computational Biology
• Center of Excellence for the Study of Health Disparities in Rural and Ethnic Underserved Populations
• UC Merced Center for the Humanities and Arts

UC Merced has also entered into collaborative research partnerships with the:

• Central Valley Higher Education Consortium
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• National Park Service

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland is leading the campus as it continues on the path to becoming a renowned research university.

UC Merced Leadership

In May 2011, the UC Board of Regents appointed Georgia College & State University President Dorothy Leland as UC Merced's chancellor. She took office July 1, 2011, following the retirement of Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang. He took office March 1, 2007, following the retirement of Founding Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, who died in 2009.

A Member of the UC System

Like all University of California campuses, UC Merced operates under the direction of the UC president and is governed by The Regents of the University of California, a 26-member board established under the California Constitution.

UC Merced is the first new UC campus built since 1965. It was authorized by the California Legislature in 1988 to address the higher-education needs of the state's fastest-growing region — the Central Valley, with a population of 6.5 million residents — and increase access to the UC system for the state's top achievers.

UC Merced was established in the Valley partly to address chronically low levels of educational attainment in the region. Since the fall of 2004, the year before UC Merced opened, applications to UC campuses from Central Valley residents have increased 51 percent and admissions have risen 47 percent (as of 2009).

A Strategic Investment

UC Merced strives to help improve the standard of education within the valley through educational outreach centers in Bakersfield and Fresno. These centers offer:

• Professional development programs for K-12 teachers and administrators
• Interaction with students at each of the 144 Valley high schools
• Educational opportunities for students who want to take classes in the summers

UC Merced also contributes to the economic growth of Central California. In the Central Valley, where unemployment and poverty rates substantially exceed California averages, campus construction has supported thousands of jobs, stimulating new business development and pumping millions of dollars into the local economy each year. In addition:

• Our faculty research initiatives and administrative projects have brought in more than $113.3 million in grants and contracts since 2003, including $17.4 million received in fiscal year 2010-11
• The university is one of the largest employers in Merced County with more than 850 employees, including faculty and staff
• The campus' economic contribution to the region and the state of California is nearing $1.225 billion since the beginning of operations in July 2000
• UC Merced's future medical school will increase access to health care for Valley residents and address the specific health problems commonly found here

The Science & Engineering Building earned LEED Gold certification from the USGBC in May 2009.

Green Campus

One major goal for UC Merced is to become the greenest campus in the country. As of May 2009:

• Six campus buildings have earned LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with a seventh earning LEED Silver
• Four more buildings under construction or recently completed are expected to achieve LEED Gold

No other university in the United States has earned LEED Silver or better for every building on campus. This unprecedented achievement demonstrates the university's dedication to excellence in environmentally responsible design, construction and operation.

UC Merced's commitment to environmental sustainability extends beyond building practices. Participation in the campuswide recycling program is the norm, not the exception. All campus operations focus on minimizing the negative impacts of the campus on the environment, and include such practices as:

• Recyclable food containers and utensils made from potato starch are used in all takeout meals ordered at the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center and Lantern Cafe
• All food waste is composted by campus dining staff
• Campus purchasing practices promote the acquisition of items made from recycled materials and that use minimal packaging

Also part of our green-campus goal is land conservation. University officials — through a special collaboration with the Packard Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Nature Conservancy and the state of California — have set aside 25,000 acres of grassland habitat for permanent conservation.

PG&E has donated two Honda Civics, powered by natural gas, to UC Merced.

Philanthropic Support

Private support lies at the heart of our university's vital partnerships with the community. Our gracious donors have continued to show support for UC Merced's mission by contributing funds to fill the gap where public funding ends. Between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, UC Merced received $4.4 million in private gifts and grants. This tremendous support ensures that our university has the opportunity to continue research efforts that enhance the lives of Californians for years to come.