San Joaquin Valley

UC Merced will host incoming students, their families and friends on Saturday, April 20, for Bobcat Day - the university's annual open house.

Bobcat Day will begin at 9:15 a.m. with a welcome message from Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz at University Plaza. Campus staff, faculty, students and alumni will be available throughout the day to answer questions about clubs and student organizations, summer session, Greek life, cultural groups, athletics, academics, health promotions, the UC Merced Police Department and more.

UC Merced has partnered with two California community colleges to further extend access to students transferring to a four-year university. In April, ceremonies were held to sign agreements with Madera Community College and Las Positas College.

By signing the Madera Promise and Las Positas Promise agreements, the institutions give respective students attending Madera Community College and Las Positas College a streamlined pathway to transfer to UC Merced.

A significant grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will advance UC Merced's efforts to create a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of college readiness among high-school students in the San Joaquin Valley, particularly those from underrepresented and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds.

Editor's note: In honor of Black History Month, the UC Merced newsroom is highlighting some of the organizations, services and people who serve or represent the Black community on campus.

For many aspiring college students, it can be hard to picture themselves attending a four-year university, especially when they will be the first in their family to attend. UC Merced's partnership with The 1300 Campaign is giving local young men of color a first-hand experience of what being a student at UC Merced might feel like for themselves - from the dorm room to the research lab.

Hundreds of students representing all nine University of California undergraduate campuses will descend upon Merced this weekend for the annual Student of Color Conference.

The conference is sponsored by the University of California Student Association (UCSA) - the official voice of students from across the UC system. Organizers say the conference's mission is for students of color to come together and share their experiences to better identify targeted advocacy among different identity groups.

Hundreds of UC Merced graduates, their friends and familes will pack the Merced Theatre in downtown Merced this weekend as fall commencement ceremonies are celebrated. There are 427 Bobcats set to participate.

The pomp and circumstance begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, with the Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony.

Ahead of UC Merced's 2023 Fall Commencement, the ceremony keynote speakers have been selected. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, will speak at the undergraduate ceremonies and Keith Alley, former executive vice chancellor and provost at UC Merced, will speak at the graduate ceremony.

Since 2017, Mitchell has been president of the American Council on Education (ACE) - the major coordinating body for the nation's college and universities that creates policies and practices for higher education learners across the country.

As a result of climate change, the Golden State's farms are expected to face a surge in agricultural pests, which poses a threat to California's specialty crops industry.

An education and workforce collaborative spearheaded by UC Merced and composed of partners from Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties was awarded $18.1 million by the California Department of General Services (DGS) as part of the K-16 Education Collaborative Grant Program. WE Will! The Northern San Joaquin Valley K-16 Regional Partnership was one of four collaboratives across the state recently selected to receive an award.