Chancellor

Neither chilly temperatures nor a thick blanket of dense fog could dampen the smiles and spirits of hundreds of Bobcats as they participated in UC Merced's Fall 2022 Commencement. Nearly 450 graduates took part in three separate ceremonies at the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre.

Downtown Merced will be covered in a sea of blue and gold over two days as hundreds of UC Merced Bobcats take part in fall commencement. Also, for the first time, graduate students will have their own ceremony to celebrate their achievements.

The pomp and circumstance kick off with the inaugural Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16.

Longtime UC Merced supporter and institutional partner the David and Lucile Packard Foundation has made a significant gift to the campus that will catalyze research efforts and scientific investigations focused on climate change and developing sustainable solutions that ensure the planet’s health.

Almost 1,000 community college students representing 39 different campuses in California came to UC Merced to explore the opportunities for transfer to a University of California school.

The all-day Puente Motivational Conference introduced the students and more than 100 faculty members to admissions counselors from across the University.

UCs Merced and Santa Cruz became the newest campuses in the system to be named an agricultural experiment stations (AES), UC President Michael Drake announced at today’s Regents’ meeting.

They are the first campuses in more than 50 years to earn the designation.

The University of California, Merced, as the lead agency working in collaboration with partners from Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, was awarded a planning grant for $250,000 to plan and design streamlined pathways for students from high school to postsecondary education to the workforce.

Fred and Mitzie Ruiz, longtime UC Merced donors and two of the university’s most active and earliest supporters, have made a significant gift to name the campus’ administration building and enrollment center.

In honor of their philanthropic leadership, the facility will be named the Fred and Mitzie Ruiz Administration Center. As a hub of campus business and activities, the Ruiz Administration Center will help establish a lasting legacy that embodies its namesakes’ dedication to both UC Merced and the San Joaquin Valley.

This week, UC Merced welcomed the community to campus as it hosted a debate between candidates for the State Assembly District 27 seat Esmeralda Soria (D) and Mark Pazin (R). The newly established seat represents Merced, Madera and Fresno counties. Soria is currently a Fresno City Council member, and Pazin is a former Merced County sheriff.

The debate was moderated by Mark Keppler with The Maddy Institute. Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz opened Monday’s ceremony with welcoming remarks.

The debate can be watched in its entirety below.

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz has been named to the Carnegie Classifications Institutional Roundtable, a panel of higher education leaders that will recommend potential revisions to the way institutions are classified, looking particularly at metrics describing students’ social and economic mobility.

“This is a historic measure by the Carnegie Foundation to re-envision how well universities help to build the lives and futures of our students,” said Muñoz. “It is an honor to be able to join colleagues from around the country in this important work.”