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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.”

Sang Hoang ('20) says he has had enough. The University of California, Merced alumnus is tired of seeing countless attacks on Asian Americans, which have only increased amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

A core tenet of UC Merced’s mission is public service, something staffers Tom and Esmeralda Martinez know all about thanks to their daughter.

UC Merced’s Office of Sustainability and Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are working to create a more inclusive workforce.

This summer, both offices are teaming up with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit international environmental advocacy group, to allow one student to participate in an exclusive paid remote internship to gain experience in ecological research alongside the NRDC clean transportation team.

As news headlines continue to focus on seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. As of May 18, California has recorded more than 3.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in over 61,500 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.

In Dr. Carrie L. Byington, the novel coronavirus met a formidable foe.

As an expert in infectious disease, Byington has been uniquely suited to use her role as executive vice president and head of University of California Health (UCH) to battle the virus that triggered a global pandemic. On April 26, UCH announced it had administered 1 million doses through a statewide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The pandemic has changed many aspects of life, but UC Merced Bobcats demonstrated their ability to overcome life's unexpected curveballs during an academic year unlike any other.

To ensure each student’s accomplishments are celebrated, UC Merced will host its second virtual spring commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 15, for the Class of 2021.

While this year's ceremony looked quite different from years past due to the coronavirus pandemic, the presentation of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance remained an important celebration.

A team of UC Merced students partnered with Castle Air Museum to complete a proposal in the hopes of making the park more accessible to the diverse community it serves.