By Brenda Ortiz, University Communications

The GoodCall 2016 Best Schools for Scholarships Report has ranked UC Merced No. 8 out of 4,000 U.S. public colleges and universities for earning scholarships.

The report examined the amount of scholarship and fellowship dollars available to students. UC Merced students received an average of $7,944 during the 2014 survey period. 

Eleven UC Merced students were honored during a recent dinner for completing the Margo F.

This weekend, more than 900 degree candidates are expected to take part in the 11th commencement ceremonies at University of California, Merced, and commemorate the hard work that led to their momentous day.

“Commencement marks a significant milestone in a student's life,” Chancellor Dorothy Leland said. “It signifies the beginning of a new journey and the start of a lifelong affiliation with UC Merced as an alumnus.”

Each spring, the Margo F.

Last fall, the

Students from across California and their family members will converge on the UC Merced campus April 16 for Bobcat Day.

Jessica “JaeJae” Julian (2010) and Marko Zivanovic (2014) are proving that giving back shortly after graduation can be possible. 

Last fall, UC Merced’s first peer-led recovery program — known as Bobcats for Recovery — began meeting weekly to help support undergraduate and graduate students in recovery from substance use disorders.

As the recovery group’s first coordinator, student John Dovales Flores worked to educate others and change the support culture on campus.

“When you’re doing outreach, there’s a stigma around drug use and recovery,” he said. “We are trying to change the way that we talk about addiction — in the group and across campus.”