Economic Impact

MERCED, Calif. — Though UC Merced looked back this year to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the campus’s groundbreaking, signs of what the future will hold continue to come into focus.

Those signs include cutting-edge research moving forward in the San Joaquin Valley -- the state's fastest growing region -- and around the world, the growing campus, and the ever-strengthening bond between the campus and the community.

Chemistry Professor Jason Hein and his students make a lot of compounds in the lab.

They also make a lot of chemical waste.

But Hein found a way to clean up the waste and reuse it, saving money and helping the environment at the same time.

Research is the hallmark of the University of California, which develops more patents than any other university in the nation. And as the system’s newest campus, UC Merced is continuing to conduct cutting-edge research.

With evidence mounting that the San Joaquin Valley economy is finally gaining strength, the University of California, Merced, today announced that it continues to do its part, investing more than $165 million in the regional economy over the last 14 months.

Total investment in the region now tops $815 million since campus operations began in July 2000, the university said. Statewide, the total is approximately $1.54 billion.

The University of California, Merced, has contributed approximately $650 million to the San Joaquin Valley economy since the campus began initial operations in July 2000, the university reported today.

Statewide, the value of UC Merced’s cumulative economic contribution has amounted to $1.225 billion. Both totals reflect university expenditures through June 30, the end of the campus’ 2010-11 fiscal year.

With student enrollment expected to top the 5,000 mark this fall, faculty research projects winning major new grants and making national headlines, and intercollegiate athletics about to begin, the University of California, Merced, officially begins its seventh academic year today with rising expectations and a rapidly evolving profile within the San Joaquin Valley, the state and the UC system.