Chancellor

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UC Merced Announces Return of In-person Commencement

After two years of virtual celebrations, UC Merced will honor the accomplishments of the fall 2021 graduates with a traditional in-person commencement this Saturday.

In addition, the campus is also inviting summer 2021 graduates who had their commencement affected by the pandemic to join the celebration Dec. 18, at The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre in downtown Merced.

Governor Announces State Funding for UC Merced’s Medical Education Building

Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaking at UC Merced on Monday, announced that the state will support the building of the university’s new medical education building.

The Health, Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education Building will support a B.S.-to-M.D. joint degree program with UCSF-Fresno, starting in 2023, along with public health and psychological sciences faculty and students.

“We hope that students stay in the Valley and serve the people who made their education possible. To develop the talent, it takes time. But this is the beginning,” Newsom said.

Events Honor Indigenous Peoples' Day & Native American Heritage Month

UC Merced understands and values the need to acknowledge the rich and diverse history of those who came before us and who are still with us today.

2021 State of the University Address Highlights UC Merced’s Accomplishments

Delivering his first in-person State of the University campus address, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz outlined the progress UC Merced has achieved across many fields and laid out initial plans for investing a historic $20 million gift to the university.

“The state of UC Merced is indeed exceptional,” he pronounced in the address delivered Thursday to a group of external supporters and Friday to faculty and staff. “And because of our shared vision, our shared resources and our shared efforts, our shared future is boundless.”

UC Merced Names First Endowed Chair in Medical Education

Distinguished UC Merced Director of Medical Education and public health Professor Dr. Thelma Hurd has been appointed the inaugural Thondapu Family Endowed Chair in Medical Education.

“I am both gratified and honored,” said Hurd. “It is truly an important step in establishing a long-term medical education program on the campus and for the community.”

UC Merced Faculty Land Three UC-HBCU Grants, Most in System

The University of California Office of the President awarded three out of only seven UC-Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Initiative grants to UC Merced faculty members.

The initiative has fostered faculty partnerships with HBCUs to support enhanced diversity and representation of Black scholarship in graduate education and the professoriate since 2017.

New AI Institute Expands UC Merced’s Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Effort

With a new $20 million federal grant, UC Merced becomes part of a multi-institutional research collaborative to develop artificial intelligence — or AI — solutions to tackle some of agriculture’s biggest challenges related to water management, climate change and integration of new technology into farming.

Incoming Grad Students Awarded Inaugural Inclusive Excellence Fellowship

As part of its commitment to inclusive excellence in graduate research and education, UC Merced has awarded its new Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence to four incoming Ph.D. students from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts whose studies will contribute to the representation of Black scholars in academia and beyond.

UC Merced Receives Largest Philanthropic Gift in Campus History

Philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, have made the most significant gift to the University of California, Merced, in the university’s 16-year history.

Scott announced the $20 million gift in a blog post June 15. In all, the couple donated $2.74 billion to 286 organizations, including nonprofits and groups working to combat racial discrimination. UC Merced is the only University of California campus to receive a gift in the couple’s generous giving history.