Alyssa Johansen

At an intimate gathering of supporters, UC Merced awarded former Gov. Gray Davis the Chancellor’s Medal — the university’s highest honor — in recognition of his instrumental role in bringing the 10th University of California campus to Merced.

The medal was presented recently during a special evening marking UC Merced’s 20th anniversary year, celebrating two decades since the campus opened its doors to undergraduate students.

Female high school student-athletes are invited to the UC Merced campus on March 8 for Together We Will, a first-of-its-kind conference designed to inspire connection, confidence and leadership.

The one-day event will bring together speakers, mentors and health experts to provide a platform for young women to build skills for success in both competition and life.

Black History Month often honors familiar names, leaders whose courage and determination changed the course of a nation. But many others have made groundbreaking contributions that exposed injustice, advanced civil rights, reshaped American culture and revolutionized technology. Their achievements and efforts were met with threats, ignorance and suppression. Some had soaring potential cut short by mortal illness.

From open farmland in California’s Central Valley to a global model for sustainable design, UC Merced’s architectural story is currently on view as part of a special exhibit at UC Berkeley’s Bauer Wurster Hall.

Located in one of Berkeley’s most iconic Brutalist buildings and the home of the College of Environmental Design, “From the Ground Up: Building UC Merced” features oversized photographs, architectural models and sketches that trace Merced’s ambitious growth while creating a visual and conceptual bridge between the University of California’s first and newest campuses.

UC Merced has been recognized on Newsweek’s inaugural America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026 list, a national ranking designed to spotlight institutions that support, advance and elevate women across campus and beyond.

UC Merced will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting a day of action, inviting the campus and community to serve together on Monday, Jan. 19.

In keeping with King’s call to build a “beloved community,” UC Merced’s Community Engagement Center is inviting students, staff, faculty and alumni to participate in a range of service projects throughout Merced and beyond as part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

UC Merced has once again been recognized as a national leader in community-engaged scholarship. The 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement affirms the university’s deep and expanding commitment to serving the public.

UC Merced women's soccer star Trinidad Quiroz has signed with Necaxa Femenil of Liga BBVA MX Femenil. Quiroz is the first Bobcat to sign a contract with the highest level of women's football in Mexico.

The forward from San Jose, Calif., is a two-time NAIA All-American and she earned All-CCAA First Team honors this past fall following the Bobcats first season in NCAA Division II.

Hundreds of UC Merced students will be celebrated this weekend at the university’s fall commencement ceremonies in downtown Merced. Nearly 400 undergraduate students and 40 Graduate Division students are set to cross the stage in the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre during three ceremonies.

The University of California, Merced today announced the largest philanthropic gift in its history, an extraordinary new commitment from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This transformational investment, Ms. Scott’s second major gift to UC Merced, underscores growing national recognition of UC Merced’s rapid ascent as one of the nation’s most innovative public research universities and a leader in access and opportunity, student success, and social mobility.