San Joaquin Valley

Editor's note: Since the launch of the "Boldy Forward" campaign in September, UC Merced has doubled the campaign’s fundraising goal from $100 million to $200 million, thanks in great part to the prolific support of campus donors including the recent donation made by Fred and Mitzie Ruiz. 

The White House announced today (Sept. 2) a $65.1 million award — the largest federal grant ever awarded to the Central Valley — to the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Innovation (F3) Coalition as part of its "Build Back Better" initiative to boost economic recovery after the pandemic.

Just seven years after it began offering graduate degrees, UC Merced’s Sociology Department has already begun shaping the future of the professoriate by placing 11 of its graduate alumni in tenure-track positions — five of those in the 2022-23 academic year.

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Isabella Mitchell knew she wanted to move away from Lynwood after graduation in an effort to explore California. After attending UC Merced's annual admitted student open house event in April, the 18-year-old was convinced to call the university home for the next four years.

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Robert St. Martin is proud of having been able to balance his studies, extracurricular activities and social life during his four years at Rancho Buena Vista High School in San Diego County. Several Advanced Placement courses and the marching and concert bands kept him busy.

As he prepares to start his journey at UC Merced this month, he knows the juggling act as a Bobcat will help mold him to go even further.

The new film by filmmaker Yehuda Sharim, "El Ojo Comienza En La Mano" ("The Eye Begins in the Hand"), features the life work of Central Valley artist and muralist Rubén A. Sánchez.

Sharim, a professor in the Global Arts Studies Program, will be in conversation with Sánchez in the coming months as a way to premiere the work where it originated and needs to be shown first: Merced and other nearby locations.

UC Merced is highlighting incoming first-year students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Lizet Martin-Martinez might not have had any family role models for her college career, but she has no problem kicking obstacles out of her way to reach her bright future.

Her father trained in martial arts when he was young and encouraged her to do the same so she could take care of herself. She has been studying martial arts for the past four years and is now a first-degree black belt.

UC Merced is highlighting incoming students for fall 2022 — a dynamic, diverse and accomplished cohort of new Bobcats.

Narciso Martinez Solorio applied to 31 colleges and universities, including UCs and Ivy League schools. After being accepted to most of them and thinking about his future, the Merced resident decided UC Merced is the perfect fit for him to continue his education in the fall.

"I want to experience something different. I want to be part of a growing university, and the moment I first visited the campus I knew I would fit in easily," he said.

The state budget passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom promises tens of millions of dollars for UC Merced to build the next generation of world-class programs and facilities.

The budget appropriates new funding for campus expansion, climate-related initiatives, the university's Community and Labor Center and a potential housing partnership.

Two undergraduate students who will receive their bachelor’s degrees later this month have been selected for a unique opportunity to attend a meeting of some of the greatest minds in the world.