Merced — The University of California, Merced will hold the inauguration of Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey on Friday, October 25, 2002.
The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with the inauguration ceremony and founding celebration at the future site of the campus, to be followed by a community luncheon at Lake Yosemite County Park.
The inauguration is a formal academic ceremony marking the installation of the Merced campus Chancellor by the University of California President Richard Atkinson and the UC Regents. The ceremony will include the participation of visiting faculty members from the UC system and other institutions, who will march in an academic procession.
Attendance at the inauguration ceremony and founding celebration is free, however, seating is limited. Members of the public who wish to attend are invited to register for free tickets by contacting UC Merced's Office of Special Events and Protocol through e-mail [eventsatucm@ucop.edu] or by fax [209-724-4424]. For more information, please call 209-724-4438.
The UC Merced community luncheon following the inauguration is sponsored by the Merced Chamber of Commerce, and will include a picnic luncheon. All members of the community are welcome to attend at no charge.
UC Merced is the 10th campus of the UC system, and is expected to open its main site in Merced in fall 2004 with an initial 1,000 students. The campus will in subsequent years and decades grow to be a vibrant center for 25,000 students. Today, more than 100 educators and professionals that comprise the UC Merced staff are planning the physical and academic infrastructure for the campus.
In the area of fundraising, the University has already achieved record success for a new campus: The institution has received commitments to fund 13 endowed professorships, and the E. & J. Gallo Winery and Gallo Family recently provided the campus with a $5 million challenge grant to create the Ernest & Julio Gallo School of Management. In addition, the University has received major funding commitments from the Packard Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation.
