Community

A new coalition of universities and community partners across the state — including UC Merced —aims to address the COVID-19 pandemic in communities that are disproportionally affected.

In just 15 years since its founding, UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., said UC Merced has come to embody the best of what the University of California has to offer when it comes to research excellence, social mobility and diversity.  

Drake chose UC Merced as the first campus he would visit after taking over as the UC’s 21st president in August, succeeding President Janet Napolitano. The president spent the day with Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, meeting with faculty, students and staff in physically distanced gatherings on campus. 

Imagine pouring farm-fresh milk down the drain or crushing perfectly good eggs that could feed families. This has been the reality for farmers during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy, a Merced family deeply engaged in both local and international philanthropy, have made the first significant gift in support of UC Merced’s landmark Merced 2020 Project.

Researchers at the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute at the University of California have launched a new public-private pilot initiative to bring telehealth services to underserved rural residents in Merced County.

Many universities across the country have transitioned to remote instruction, which can present a new set of challenges to students who might not have access to the right equipment to complete their coursework.

Some students at UC Merced received additional help from HP, which donated 100 computers to the university in late spring. Sixty-nine of the laptops were used by incoming Bobcats participating in the Summer Bridge program.

The novel coronavirus has forced many shops to shutter their doors or comply with new state rules to remain open, such as offering outdoor dining or online shopping with curbside pickup. A record number of business owners are also turning to UC Merced’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for economic support and business advice.

California counties with high numbers of low-wage workers are seeing higher incidence of COVID-19, suggesting a link between so-called “worker distress” and spread of the virus, according to a new study by UC Merced’s Community and Labor Center.

Merced Mayor Michael Murphy and cardiologist Hanimireddy Lakireddy will be awarded the prestigious UC Merced Chancellor’s Medal.