Register Now for UC Merced's 2004 Summer Session

This summer is the perfect time for students to get a head start on earning University of California credit by taking general education courses offered right here in the San Joaquin Valley during the fifth annual UC Merced Summer Session.

Limited space is still available for Summer Session One, which begins June 21 and runs through July 30, and early registration is encouraged for Summer Session Two, scheduled from August 2 through September 10.

Featuring a selection of 13 undergraduate courses, the 2004 summer session also offers students a choice of three convenient locations with the goal of increasing the availability of UC programs throughout the Valley. Courses will be presented at the UC Merced Centers in Fresno and Bakersfield, as well as at the campus offices in Atwater. To further boost student access, many of the courses will incorporate live, two-way videoconferencing.

"We are pleased to continue providing students with regional access to UC courses and the highest quality of instruction," said Coordinator of Professional Studies/Summer Session David Mendoza. "This year, we are especially proud to announce that several members of UC Merced's founding faculty members are among the instructors and will offer a preview of the exceptional scholars our campus has recruited."

During the first session, Dean of Natural Sciences Maria Pallavicini and Professor Mike Colvin will teach Contemporary Biology and Professor Roland Winton and Adjunct Professor Wil van Breugel will teach Physics of the Cosmos. Other Session One courses include Calculus 21A, Principles of Microeconomics, General Psychology and Elementary Statistics.

Among the highlights of Session Two, Professor David F. Kelley will teach Concepts of Chemistry and Professor Anne Myers Kelley will teach Physics: Light, Color and Vision. Additional courses offered during the second session include Principles of Macroeconomics, Russian History, Calculus 21B, Discoveries and Concepts in Nutrition, and Introduction to Sociology.

Presented in partnership with UC Davis, the 2004 UC Merced Summer Session includes one lower division course for UC Merced credit, plus 11 lower division courses and one upper division course for UC Davis credit. Three to five units of UC credit is available for each course, with fees ranging from $200 to $635. Slightly higher fees are required for non-UC students.

Geared to help current UC students fulfill their general education requirements and provide newly admitted UC students with an introduction to UC courses, the UC Merced Summer Session also is open to incoming high school seniors, recent high school graduates and community college students who are prepared for university-level coursework.

High school students must submit a letter from their school principal or counselor documenting their grade point average and recommending them for college-level study to enroll. Other San Joaquin Valley residents who are at least 18 years old also are eligible to register for the UC Merced Summer Session courses.

Information about the 2004 UC Merced Summer Session courses, as well as applications, are available online at < www.ucmerced.edu/professional_dev/programs_students.asp>. Anyone interested in more information and UC Merced Summer Session catalogs is encouraged to contact Shannon Adamson, Summer Session Coordinator, at (559) 241-7407 or summersession@ucmerced.edu.

UC Merced, the 10th campus of the UC system and the first major research university to be built in the United States during the 21st century, is scheduled to open in fall 2005. Planned ultimately to grow to a student population of 25,000, the university has a special mission to serve the educational needs of San Joaquin Valley residents. UC Merced already is serving area students through a concurrent admissions program with three Valley community colleges and through UC summer session courses at UC Merced centers in Fresno, Bakersfield and Atwater.