Community

A memorandum of understanding signed between University of California, Merced, and the Los Angeles Community College District this week will extend access for transfer students through the Merced Promise Pathway Program.

A celebration of stories and a concert highlighting the history of San Joaquin Valley’s railroads are the opening acts of the 2024-25 UC Merced Arts season .

Merced LitFest and Train Station Trios reflect the season’s varied offerings. Gallery exhibitions, concerts, theater performances and a film festival are scheduled on and off campus through May 2025. The creators and their work provide a multilayered experience of the Valley’s people, culture and landscape.

When it comes to changing the lives of its students, UC Merced is second to none.

In the latest Wall Street Journal America's Best Colleges rankings, UC Merced was the No. 1 university in the nation for social mobility — a term used to describe how well colleges and universities attract, retain and help students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds complete their degrees and graduate into promising careers.

As classes begin Wednesday for UC Merced's 20th academic year, the campus and its offerings continue to grow to meet the needs of students and the community at large.

Edwin Lopez was so excited for his college experience to begin that he volunteered to help his fellow students move in last week. The first-year student from Firebaugh was set to attend Fresno State when he got a scholarship offer from UC Merced he said he couldn't refuse.

"This campus feels like home," he said. As soon as he visited, he knew he wanted to attend and couldn't wait to start.

First responders from across Merced County converged on UC Merced Thursday for what they said was a highly successful response to a simulated emergency.

Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and medical personnel assembled at the university’s library to carry out incident duties and protocols. The UC Merced Police Department and Office of Emergency Management led the simulation — a yearly exercise at the university designed to enhance and evaluate the agencies’ collaboration and incident effectiveness.

Less than three years ago, the idea of bringing a children’s museum to Merced began to blossom. Since Mayya Tokman and Angelo Kyrilov, both UC Merced professors, opened the doors of Kids Discovery Station, they have seen more than 65,000 visitors.

In a region that struggles with access to health care, a new program - introduced by UC Merced Extension in partnership with the Merced County Department of Public Health - aims to improve access to health services for Central California.

Participants with varying levels of education can apply for the Community Health Worker Specialized Training Certificate, which will help them understand how to connect communities in need to assistance and health services available in their counties.

A study of fast-tracked government funds for relief during the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered bottlenecks at federal, university and community levels that undermined partnerships. Researchers, including UC Merced Professor Nancy Burke , made several recommendations to strengthen financial partnerships that underlie community-based participatory research.

It is impossible to avoid — the real-life event that frames the play “26 Pebbles” is disturbing. Heartbreaking.

Which makes all the more remarkable the play’s uplifting message of human resilience and the ability to come together after an unspeakable tragedy — the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.