The season of giving is just around the corner, and UC Merced is getting in the spirit. On Dec. 1, the campus will participate in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. All around the world, people will come together for the unified purpose of celebrating generosity and giving.
Twelve new trustees have been appointed to the University of California, Merced, Foundation Board of Trustees.
The purpose of the 62-member board is to assist in the promotion and financial support of the university’s mission of teaching, research and public service. Among their roles as trustees, members raise and increase philanthropic support, advocate for the university and manage a portion of the university’s endowment.
The concept of taking a “gap year” is gaining steam in the U.S. Typically done between high school and college, these sabbaticals can also occur in the space between graduating college and entering the workforce or beginning graduate school. For many, the transition between phases of life is a mental and physical break filled with travel and life experiences.
Rebekah Contreras found herself entering one of those phases as she concluded her studies at UC Merced this past spring, but she wanted more than an extended vacation.
The UC Merced Police Department will host its annual Light Up the Lantern event on Sept. 19 to support the campus’s Police Mentor Program.
In 2006, UC Merced police officers formed a partnership with UC Merced students with the mission of positively impacting the lives of at-risk students in the local community through mentorship and education. The program, which benefits 200 Merced fourth-grade students annually, operates solely on grant and private funding.
The UC Merced Alumni Association and Athletics and Recreation will host the inaugural UC Merced Journey 5K Fund Run on Sept. 5 to celebrate the campus’s 10th anniversary.
Current students, staff and faculty members, alumni and community members are invited to participate. All proceeds from the run will support student scholarships. The goal is to raise $2,500, which will be matched 3-to-1.
Members of the UC Merced 
Shavone Charles is combining her love of music and technology to blaze a new trail in social media.
Each fall, UC Merced opens its doors to the community to show what takes place on a research university campus.
David Do sits in his office in Washington, D.C. — nearly 3,000 miles from UC Merced — reflecting on the path he’s cut for himself.
