Diversity

Soil biogeochemistry Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe — who is on leave from UC Merced while she serves as federal director of the Office of Science for the Department of Energy — has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

2022 was a banner year for UC Merced marked with growth, innovation and prestige. As we boldly move forward toward 2023, here's a look back at the stories that stood out this year. 

Solar-paneled Canals Getting a Test Run in San Joaquin Valley

February 8, 2022

Graduate Division’s Competitive Edge Summer Bridge program for incoming Ph.D. students was identified as a Program to Watch by Excelencia in Education, a national effort to identify evidence-based programs that improve Latino student success in higher education.

UC Merced’s commitment to keeping its students and their families informed about all the incredible opportunities the campus offers on Bobcat Day has been awarded first place in the Best Recruiting and Admissions category by the Modo Appademy Awards.

Molecular and Cellular Biology Professor Michele “Nish” Nishiguchi has been inducted as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and was recently named president-elect for the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB).

She is one of 11 distinguished scientists inducted at the California Academy of Sciences’ Annual Fellows Gathering this year.

On Monday (Oct.31), UC Merced and Fresno City College (FCC) signed the Merced Promise Pathway Program memorandum of understanding (MOU). The signing of this MOU further extends access for transfer students in the Central Valley.

FCC is the largest community college in the Central Valley region. This partnership will provide students with a dedicated transfer counselor with expertise in UC Merced transfer admissions and knowledge of FCC support services.

The University of California, Merced, as the lead agency working in collaboration with partners from Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, was awarded a planning grant for $250,000 to plan and design streamlined pathways for students from high school to postsecondary education to the workforce.

Antisemitism is not a new form of discrimination; it dates back thousands of years. But recent events and the charged political climate in the United States have brought it to the forefront, an educator said during a workshop at UC Merced.

Jill S. Jacobs, an education strategist for the nonprofit Academic Engagement Network, led a discussion of the history of discrimination against people of the Jewish faith, culture or background. She was invited to campus by UC Merced’s Division of Equity, Justice & Inclusive Excellence.

UC Merced has added Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) to its list of partners signed to the Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP).

The ninth partnership will allow hundreds of VUSD students to be automatically accepted to UC Merced if they meet the university’s eligibility requirements.

The program allows students who complete the A-G courses for first-year UC admission with a weighted GPA of 3.5, with no grade lower than a "C," to be admitted to the university through a streamlined process.

Fred and Mitzie Ruiz, longtime UC Merced donors and two of the university’s most active and earliest supporters, have made a significant gift to name the campus’ administration building and enrollment center.

In honor of their philanthropic leadership, the facility will be named the Fred and Mitzie Ruiz Administration Center. As a hub of campus business and activities, the Ruiz Administration Center will help establish a lasting legacy that embodies its namesakes’ dedication to both UC Merced and the San Joaquin Valley.