A wave of blue and gold covered the recreation fields at UC Merced as more than 2,400 students walked the stage during the first in-person spring commencement in three years.

The three-day ceremony weekend started by welcoming back 1,000 alumni from the classes of 2020 and 2021 — who were previously honored with a virtual ceremony because of COVID-19.

In front of more than 1,400 fellow Bobcats, Cathryn Flores and Maya Morris, the student commencement speakers for the Class of 2022 will share their words of congratulations and encouragement with their fellow graduates.

Flores will speak to the graduates of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, at the university’s Recreation Field. The Fremont native is majoring in English and minoring in writing. She said her four years at UC Merced have molded her into the person she is today.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded a $750,000 grant to the UC Merced Library in partnership with the Center for the Humanities to establish a research archive documenting the Sierra Nevada and Central Valley.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced that Department of Political Science Chair and Professor Jessica Trounstine has been named to the 2022 Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows.

Yosemite National Park is once again serving as the backdrop for a loose adaptation of one of Shakespeare's comedies. Shakespeare in Yosemite's "Love's Labor's Lost" will finally hit the stage at the Curry Village Amphitheater later this month. The show was initially planned for 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Most people are familiar with the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words." However, the message conveyed by an image may not always be factual.

Professor Yehuda Sharim is sharing his experiences in cinema and community engagement with students at universities across the country and the globe.

Twelve of UC Merced’s graduate programs and one of its schools are among the best in the country in the U.S. News & World Report 2023 Best Graduate Schools rankings, according to results released March 29.

A UC Merced professor is being recognized by a major organization for the work he has accomplished related to the Spanish language. Literature Professor Manuel M. Martín-Rodríguez will be the latest permanent member inducted to the North American Academy of Spanish Language during a virtual ceremony on Friday.

UC Merced's Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center (NCPC) and California State University, Stanislaus, are partnering on a large project as part of California Endgame's goal to end tobacco use in the state by 2035.