DECEMBER 2022

Season's Greetings, Trustees! Thank you for your incredible support of the year-end Give to UC Merced initiative, which has already exceeded the $150,000 goal. If you haven't already, it is not too late to contribute -- whether to the Trustees' Impact Fund or to other areas across campus -- and help ensure we reach 100% board giving for the 2022 calendar year. As we close a productive and eventful semester and year, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for all that you do to move our campus forward. We are so fortunate to have the support and partnership of this board and all of its members, and we look forward to continuing our work together in the new year. In the meantime, we wish you a wonderful holiday season. See the video below for a special greeting from Chancellor Muñoz and Dr. Aguirre-Muñoz. You can also check out the latest issue of UC Merced Magazine, which you should receive by mail soon. Take care, and Happy Holidays to you and yours! Warmest regards, Stephanie Sia Director, Foundation Board

Holiday Video

UC Merced Magazine

BOARD UPDATES

BOT Meeting Schedule

2022-2023 Full Board Meetings Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Work Group/Committee Meetings Connections & Engagement WG | RSVP Friday, January 13, 2023 | 1:00 PM Advocacy & Awareness WG | RSVP Thursday, January 19, 2023 | 10:00 AM Executive Committee | RSVP Tuesday, January 24, 2023 | 1:00 PM Nominations Work Group | RSVP Friday, February 3, 2023 | 11:00 AM Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Work Group TBD

Trustees' Impact Fund

If you haven't already, please be sure to make your annual contribution to the Trustees' Impact Fund. Gifts to the 2022 Fund and other funds that are meaningful to you can be made online here or by completing and mailing this form. Please reach out to ucmfoundation@ucmerced.edu if you have any questions.

EVENTS

Fall 2022 Commencement

Neither chilly temperatures nor a thick blanket of dense fog could dampen the smiles and spirits of hundreds of Bobcats as they participated in UC Merced's Fall 2022 Commencement. Nearly 450 graduates took part in three separate ceremonies at the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre this past weekend. Read more here, and check out the Commencement Chronicle for highlights and recordings.

Athletics

Lua and Martin Names to NAIA All-West Region Team Seniors Andres Lua and Anthoni Martin of the University of California, Merced men's soccer team have been named to the 14-player United Soccer Coaches NAIA Men's All-West Region Team. The two Bobcats were also named NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans earlier this month.

Please visit our athletics page for information on games and upcoming athletics events.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UC Merced Gains Prestigious UC Agricultural Experiment Station Designation  UCs Merced and Santa Cruz became the newest campuses in the system to be named agricultural experiment stations (AES). An AES is a place-based scientific research center at a land-grant university that explores challenges and develops improvements to different aspects of the agricultural endeavor by working with farmers, ranchers, suppliers, processors and others involved in food production and agriculture.

Gov. Gavin Newsom Visits UC Merced Political Science Class  A day before the midterm election, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a surprise visit    to a political science class at UC Merced.    Newsom was invited by Assemblymember Adam Gray, who co-teaches the class    and provides insight about how government, specifically the California    State Legislature, operates.

UC Merced, Fresno City College Create New Transfer Pipeline for Students  On October 31, UC Merced and Fresno City College (FCC) signed the Merced Promise Pathway Program memorandum of understanding (MOU). The signing of this MOU further extends access for transfer students in the Central Valley. FCC is the largest community college in the Central Valley region. This partnership will provide students with a dedicated transfer counselor with expertise in UC Merced transfer admissions and knowledge of FCC support services.

Nishiguchi Joins California Academy of Sciences, Recognized for Contributions to Microbiology  Molecular and Cellular Biology Professor Michele “Nish” Nishiguchi has been inducted as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and was recently named president-elect for the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). She is one of 11 distinguished scientists inducted at the California Academy of Sciences’ Annual Fellows Gathering this year.

UC MERCED FOUNDATION ucmfoundation@ucmerced.edu | 209.382.4142