Outreach

UC Merced invites all Bobcats to give back to the university and campus community by participating in numerous events planned throughout March as part of the third annual Student Philanthropy Month.

The monthlong initiative, hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and Student Alumni Association (SAA), is dedicated to building a culture of philanthropy and awareness at the university.

Merced area fourth- and fifth-grade girls and their mothers recently participated in hands-on scientific projects in a UC Merced classroom laboratory that was transformed for one day into an exciting experimental space.

UC Merced’s NSF-funded CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines (CCBM) hosted the event as part of the seven-week Mother Daughter Science Camp, organized by the Merced branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

A significant grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will advance UC Merced's efforts to create a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of college readiness among high-school students in the San Joaquin Valley, particularly those from underrepresented and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds.

An education and workforce collaborative spearheaded by UC Merced and composed of partners from Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties was awarded $18.1 million by the California Department of General Services (DGS) as part of the K-16 Education Collaborative Grant Program. WE Will! The Northern San Joaquin Valley K-16 Regional Partnership was one of four collaboratives across the state recently selected to receive an award.

UC Merced was recently awarded a significant grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche group, to create the UC Merced Center for Health Equity. The initiative will focus on eliminating health disparities and advancing health equity throughout the San Joaquin Valley, particularly among the region’s Hispanic, Latinx, immigrant and rural communities.

Here's a challenge:

Four weeks, five days a week and seven hours a day, you have to teach math to middle school students.

During the summer.

And you have to keep it interesting.

The Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP) has been doing just that for the past 18 years at several sites, including UC Merced.

How?

Every Tuesday and Thursday during the school year, elementary, middle and high school students from around the region travel to a special lab at UC Merced designed just for them.

It’s the CalTeach Learning Lab, and in just one year more than 2,200 students from the community have experienced hands-on lessons there in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), including chemistry, coding and robotics and spectro analysis.

Bloomberg Philanthropies has recognized the University of California, Merced, as an American Talent Initiative (ATI) High-Flier, among a group of 28 high-graduation-rate institutions that are national leaders in college access and success for lower-income students.

The excitement was palpable at UC Merced as a record number of people descended on the campus for Bobcat Day. More than 5,700 students, family members and friends attended the annual open house event April 22 to learn about the university and its offerings.

First-year student Edwin Casillas found everything he was looking for in a university — and more — at UC Merced. Nearly a year after the Sonora native said he "felt at home" when visiting the campus, he is confident he made the right decision to become a Bobcat.