Dear Fellows,
I hope this message finds you safe and in good health. Since beginning my tenure as the fourth chancellor of the University of California, Merced, I have quickly witnessed that our entire campus community has no shortage of drive, passion and commitment. For an institution so young, I am in awe of the strong and large base of support UC Merced has already inspired. I know I am certainly inspired by UC Merced’s great potential to make a transformative impact on our students and on our region, state, and nation, and I am grateful to have so many strong partners like you in carrying out our mission.
While this year has seen many challenges, I have no doubt that UC Merced will continue to prevail and rise. We were recently recognized as the first public research university in the country to achieve carbon neutrality, emblematic of our campus' commitment to sustainability. You may have also heard that UC Merced rose into the top 100 universities in the US News and World Report and is now ranked 40th among public universities in the nation. Our institution was recognized as number one for outperforming expected graduation rates, number five for creating social mobility for our students, and number eight for educating an economically diverse student body.
Our total enrollment is over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students - our highest yet despite the pandemic - and we remain committed, as always, to ensuring the success of all students, both during their time here and beyond graduation.
I write today to thank all of you - for your past service on our Board of Trustees and longstanding support of UC Merced. The UC Merced Fellows program launched about a year ago with the 2019 Chancellor’s Annual Address. While we were unable to gather in person this year, I hope that you were able to hear my remarks on the state of the university and my discussion with UC Merced Foundation Chair, Denise Watkins. The 2020 Annual Address can be viewed here.
I look forward to the time when we are safely able to welcome back our friends to campus. Until then, please accept my best wishes for your health and happiness this holiday season, and know that you are a valued member of the UC Merced Fellows and of the campus community. Thank you again for all that you’ve done and continue to do for UC Merced.
With great gratitude,
Juan Sanchez Muñoz, Ph.D.
Chancellor
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UC MERCED FOUNDATION UPDATES |
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This year, our annual fundraising initiative has been expanded to encompass the entire month of December. Give To UC Merced launched on Giving Tuesday, December 1, and has already raised more than $90K from over 350 donors - inspiring students, alumni, faculty, staff, family and friends alike to support our campus initiatives. We invite you to join us in making an impact by December 31 - gifts of any amount matter and you can choose where to direct your support. | Read more
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2020 Trustees' Impact Fund |
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This year's Trustees' Impact Fund is supporting the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve, which is a part of the UC Natural Reserve System. The board has secured matching funds from the State of California through Proposition 68, providing critical support towards the first phase of building a field research station on the site. If you are interested in contributing, gifts can be made through the Give To UC Merced initiative. If you have any questions about the project, please contact Lisa Pollard Carlson at lpollard@ucmerced.edu or (209) 291-8169.
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Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Jessica Trounstine |
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Under the leadership of then-Chair Lee Kolligian, and with a significant lead gift made by executive board member and diplomat Fred and Mitzie Ruiz, the board utilized the UCOP Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs program to establish the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees Presidential Chair. Dr. Jessica Trounstine, Political Science Professor and Department Chair, was appointed as our first chairholder in July 2019. Professor Trounstine shares an update below on how the endowed chair appointment has supported her work and enhanced her research.
I am deeply appreciative of the support of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees for my research, teaching, and service. Being appointed to this prestigious chair allowed me the opportunity to decline a well-resourced offer at Cornell University in favor of continuing to build the UC Merced community and political science department. It also afforded me the time to contribute to the campus and larger community. For instance, I was able to launch UC Merced’s inaugural chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha (the political science honor society) and serve as an expert witness for Central California Legal Services and the Public Interest Law Project.
The endowed chair appointment has been integral to advancing my research and visibility in my field. I drew on the generous research funds associated with the chair for several exciting projects. In one project, I am working to analyze the promise and pitfalls of a new type of electoral system called ranked choice voting. In another, I have hired two research assistants to learn how to increase voter turnout among hard-to-reach populations in California. In a third project exploring the development of public sector unions, I used chair funds to digitize thousands of historical records. The funds also allowed me to provide support to my graduate student who is investigating inequality in government benefits in Nigeria.
The endowed chair appointment has also increased my profile in academia. I was invited to participate in an ongoing project with the Urban Institute to help cities throughout the United States develop metrics of mobility from poverty for their communities. I was also invited to contribute to a program funded by the Hewlett Foundation that seeks to build a new intellectual community around research on American Political Economy.
I want to truly thank the board for their support of my research team's work, and I look forward to providing further updates in the future.
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2020 Accolades and Publications
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Friday, December 18, 2020
11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
You are cordially invited to the bi-annual showcase of student ingenuity from the School of Engineering's signature programs: Engineering Capstone, Engineering Service Learning, and Software Capstone.
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Fall Virtual Commencement |
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Saturday, December 19, 2020
10:00 AM
We hope you will join us to cheer on our graduates as they cross the virtual stage into a new, exciting chapter of life! Each school's ceremony will be broadcast on the Commencement website.
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Conversations with Campus Leaders |
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Information about future sessions will follow soon.
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UC Merced Foundation Trustee, Dr. Vikram Lakireddy, and UC Merced staff member, Priya Lakireddy, have made the first significant gift in support of UC Merced’s landmark Merced 2020 Project. The generous donation from the Lakireddys will name the state-of-the-art central hub of the new UC Merced Conference Center. The Dr. Vikram and Priya Lakireddy Grand Ballroom will host scholarly conferences and seminars, student-focused events and will be a flagship location for high-level events and speakers.
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UC Merced has broken into the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the top national universities, placing 97th overall and 40th among public institutions.
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UC Merced and Merced College are teaming up to make it easier than ever for local students to matriculate through community college and earn bachelor’s degrees from the most respected public university system in the world, all without ever having to leave their hometown.
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In just 15 years since its founding, UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., said UC Merced has come to embody the best of what the University of California has to offer when it comes to research excellence, social mobility and diversity.
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After a lengthy and rigorous review by independent auditors, UC Merced can proudly announce it is the first public research university in the country to achieve carbon neutrality, two years ahead of its goal.
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UC Merced undergraduate students and faculty partner with Merced Shakespearefest to produce the bilingual, English-Spanish Shakespearean web series Ricardo El Segundo (Richard II). The production’s origin lies within Ph.D. candidate William Wolfgang’s idea to bring a bilingual Shakespearean show to the Central Valley, in an effort to bridge cultures together through the iconic playwright’s social justice activism.
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Biology graduate students are producing educational podcasts and artwork to communicate research happening at UC Merced and beyond. RadioBio seeks to increase scientific literacy in the Central Valley, and engage UC Merced undergraduates in biology and cutting-edge research.
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