Campus Planning

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Education Council and Fidelity Honor Transformation at UC Merced

The American Council on Education (ACE) and Fidelity Investments this week presented the 2024 Award for Institutional Transformation to UC Merced and to Florida Atlantic University.

The award, established in 2014, recognizes institutions that respond to higher education challenges in innovative and creative ways and achieve dramatic changes in a relatively brief period. It was presented along with a $10,000 prize to each institution at the ACE Presidents and Chancellors Summit in Washington, D.C.

Study: UC Merced Expansion Project Will Pump $700 Million Into Local Economy

The Merced 2020 Project, which added 13 facilities to UC Merced’s campus and nearly doubled its square footage, has so far contributed $510.9 million to the regional economy through construction costs alone.

UC Merced Medical Education Building Gains Final Approval from UC Regents

 

At their Nov. 15 meeting, the Regents of the University of California gave final approval for the construction of a new medical education building at UC Merced. The vote approved the final design, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings and the full budget and financing.

Remembering UC Merced’s Founding Planner and Chief Architect Christopher L. Adams (1937-2023)

Christopher L. Adams, who left an indelible mark on UC Merced through his significant contributions as the campus’s lead architect and master planner, passed away on August 11, 2023, in Berkeley. He was 86.

UC Merced's Expansion Project Continues to Garner Acclaim

Since its completion three years ago, the Merced 2020 Project has amassed numerous accolades. Most recently, the landmark project that, in essence, doubled the size of the university's campus, was selected to receive the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Americas Award for Excellence.

UC Merced, Merced College to Provide New Housing for Transfer Students

UC Merced and Merced College will jointly build a 488-bed student housing project for community college and transfer students. The California Legislature gave final approval to the $100 million funding mechanism for the project on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The Labyrinth Provides Space to Reflect, Meditate and Find Peace on Campus

Just in time for the start of the academic year, UC Merced's newest landmark has opened —The Labyrinth.

Located in Kelley Grove overlooking Little Lake, UC Merced Art Director Collin Lewis calls The Labryinth "a testament to our university's commitment to fostering creativity, contemplation and community engagement."

A Turn of the Page: Camfield on Why It’s Time to Bow Out

At the end of May, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Gregg Camfield will step down after five years in the role and nearly a decade in executive leadership at UC Merced. He intends to take a year’s sabbatical then return in the role he held when he arrived on campus in 2007 – professor of 19th century literature with an ardent curiosity about Mark Twain, storytelling and the power of untethered creativity.

Celebration Commemorates 20 Years Since UC Merced Groundbreaking

The setting for the celebration marking 20 years since the groundbreaking for UC Merced was markedly different in many ways from the event it commemorated.

Wednesday's ceremony, attended by hundreds of faculty and staff - including dozens from when the university opened - took place in the Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy Grand Ballroom. It was a scene far removed from the empty field where ground was broken for the 10th University of California campus in October 2002.

UC Merced Celebrates Official Dedication of the Lakireddy Grand Ballroom

Longtime UC Merced supporters Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy were recently honored as part of an intimate event to mark the official dedication of the campus ballroom bearing their names.