JUNE 2021
Dear UC Merced Fellows,

As many of you know, we are eagerly preparing for a full return to campus this fall - a transition which has been highly anticipated by the entire UC Merced community and will not be without its challenges. As we welcome our incredible returning and incoming Bobcats and open brand new facilities which were completed in the 2020 Project last year, the energy on campus is sure to be palpable. We cannot wait for the chance to welcome you all back to campus and to experience the hope and excitement firsthand. We will look forward to sharing details on university events in the coming months as we gear up for the 2021-2022 academic year.

In the meantime, we hope that you have been enjoying the virtual Conversations with Campus Leaders series. The past two sessions have been with Dean Jeff Gilger and Dean Betsy Dumont, and Dean Mark Matsumoto will close out the series on June 16. Please find links to the recordings and to register for the upcoming session below.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of UC Merced. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at ucmfoundation@ucmerced.edu or (209) 382-4142 if you need anything at all.

Best wishes,
Stephanie


Stephanie Sia
Director, UC Merced Foundation Board
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
Dean Jeff Gilger
School of Natural Sciences
Dean Betsy Dumont

School of Engineering
Dean Mark Matsumoto
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
5:00 - 6:00 pm
FOUNDATION UPDATES
UC Merced Communications
We hope that you have enjoyed receiving updates through the quarterly UC Merced Fellows Briefing (see archive here).

If you would also like to receive the University of California weekly newsletter, you can sign up here.
Trustees' Impact Fund
The Board of Trustees has voted to direct the 2021 Trustees' Impact Fund towards the area of Student Success. If you would like to contribute, gifts can be made online (engage.ucmerced.edu/foundation-gift) or by completing and returning this form.
Advocacy Item: Double the Pell
Pell Grants are federal grants awarded to low-income undergraduate students that help make college more accessible and affordable. The Double the Pell campaign is a national effort calling on Congress to restore the purchasing power of Pell Grants by doubling the amount of the maximum award to $13,000 and indexing the grants to inflation to preserve their value over time. Please voice your support by clicking below and completing the form to email members of Congress.
“Double the Pell is an investment in students' dreams, the community, and the end to a cycle of having the dream but not being able to afford it.”

Lisseth Lopez Ponce, UC Merced, 2021
Please consider posting on Facebook or Twitter to invite others to advocate. Below are sample posts to share along with this link: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/double-the-pell?p2asource=pell2021ucm2#pledge

More than 78K @UofCalifornia undergrads receive the #PellGrant, but over time, disinvestment and inflation have eroded its purchasing power. That’s why we’re asking Congress to #DoublePell. Please join our efforts! #UC4Pell

Why #DoublePell? Because the #PellGrant is one of the most effective ways to help low-income students afford college. We’re calling on Congress to make the necessary investments, will you join us? #UC4Pell

The federal #PellGrant helps low-income students afford college. Join our efforts to double its maximum award so that higher education is accessible for today’s students and generations to come. #DoublePell #UC4Pell
UNIVERSITY NEWS

Founding UC Merced Foundation Trustee Bob Gallo was recently announced as the university’s first trustee emeritus and was honored at a virtual Board of Trustees meeting in late February for his longtime service to campus.

Applied Mathematics graduate student Shayna Bennett won first place at the University of California’s Grad Slam finals on May 7.

President Joe Biden has nominated UC Merced Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to be the new director of the Office of Science in the federal Department of Energy.

UC Merced master’s student Selina Brinkmann has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for study at Oxford University — a first for the campus.


Like many students at UC Merced, pre-medical student Nina Bouzamondo-Bernstein faced uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world.

Alicia Garza, author, civil rights activist and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, became the 13th recipient of the prestigious award during the virtual event on Tuesday, April 20.

A five-year, $2.2 million training grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will assist UC Merced with the development of diverse cohorts of doctoral students in interdisciplinary biomedical disciplines.
RECENT EVENTS
Commencement Chronicle
Commencement Recordings
School of Engineering

School of Natural Sciences

School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
Children's Opera
Save the Dragons! (read more here)

Save the Dragons! is a 45-minute operatic performance for children that shows how to be a good leader, how all things are connected in the world, and why saving living creatures matters.

The UC Merced Children’s Opera provides children in the San Joaquin Valley with high-impact and interactive arts experiences that introduce them to performing arts and UC Merced. Our performances are welcoming and empowering so that students feel comfortable with and excited by the idea of attending university themselves.