Academic Distinction

UC Merced’s Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve has become a hallmark of the campus — acres of preserved lands that contribute to the university’s mission of environmental conservation and while offering unique research opportunities to students and faculty.

One of the campus’s best-kept secrets, though, might be The Vernal Pool, a scholarly journal for undergraduate students’ creative writings, from poetry to plays.

More than 22,000 students applied to UC Merced for the Fall 2017 semester, and about 2,300 are now beginning their educational journeys on campus. Among those, 24 rose to the top of the class to be named Regents Scholars, recipients of the University of California’s most prestigious scholarship award.

First-year student Michael Grey is one of those select 24, having proven himself through determination and diligence. He said taking advanced placement and honors courses in high school in Antelope, just north of Sacramento, motivated him to succeed academically.

Like anyone starting a Ph.D. program, Anna Ankirskaia had her doubts.

But, like anyone who ultimately completes their Ph.D., Ankirskaia had to conduct her own research and get it published. With support from Professor Patricia LiWang in the Quantitative and Systems Biology (QSB) program, she’s made it happen, publishing twice in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

It was only after graduate school, while working as a professor, that James Zimmerman realized something had been missing from his education.

Trained as a nuclear scientist, Zimmerman was well-prepared for a life in the laboratory, where success is measured in data and discovery. Though confident in his ability to understand the atom, Zimmerman was less certain of his ability to lead a classroom.

UC Merced recently launched a new standalone Ph.D. program in Public Health, further establishing the university’s commitment to educating the next generation of scholars who are addressing the San Joaquin Valley’s unique health concerns.

The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) previously offered a Ph.D. in social sciences with an emphasis in public health, but this optional track within the Social Sciences Graduate Group was never a standalone program.

The University of California, Merced, is the No. 1 public university in the nation for financial aid given to first-year students — and a strong performer in graduation and retention rates — according to the U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings released today.

UC Merced ranks among the top 10 universities in the nation for the success of its first-generation and underrepresented students, according to Washington Monthly’s 2017 College Rankings.

The university received high marks in areas related to social mobility, placing No. 3 in the nation for graduating Pell Grant recipients at higher-than-predicted rates. It’s also No. 10 in the nation by the same measure for first-generation students, which account for 71 percent of the campus’s total enrollment.

More than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to participate in the University of California, Merced’s 12th com

UC Merced’s Classroom and Office Building (COB) has achieved a silver rating from the LEED Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) sustainability program, the campus’s first certification to come from the