Desiree Lopez

UC Merced’s battle against climate change is traveling south of the border as campus leaders joined UC Alianza MX to help launch a strategic alliance between the UC system and counterparts in Mexico.

As of July 1, UC Merced's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion transitioned to the Division of Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE), with an official launch planned in conjunction with a special event on Thursday, Sept. 15.

UC Merced continues to build a national reputation for its academic distinction and research excellence.

For three consecutive years, UC Merced has been ranked in the top 100 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. The 2023 list released this morning (Sept. 12) placed the campus at No. 97 overall among national universities, No. 42 for overall public universities and No. 15 in R2 universities.

As one of the leaders for sustainability and equity, UC Merced hosted the first offsite meeting for the Governor’s Strategic Growth Council (SGC) last week.

The mission of the council is to coordinate and work collaboratively with public agencies, communities and stakeholders to achieve healthy, thriving and resilient communities for all Californians.

UC Merced is No. 49 in the United States and No. 23 among public universities in the latest Washington Monthly college rankings recognizing the institutions progress and increasing prestige.

It is also No. 23 “Best Bang for Your Buck” in the western United States.

The magazine released its 2022 rankings this week. The rankings are based on publicly available federal data and focus largely on outcomes for students at 442 national universities, such as social mobility and college loan debt, along with research excellence.

After a nationwide search, Rakesh Goel was selected as UC Merced’s next dean of the School of Engineering.

Goel is a seasoned academic leader who currently serves as executive associate dean in the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly).

The state budget passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom promises tens of millions of dollars for UC Merced to build the next generation of world-class programs and facilities.

The budget appropriates new funding for campus expansion, climate-related initiatives, the university's Community and Labor Center and a potential housing partnership.

To continue to execute and build a strong foundation for students of color to attend a four-year college, UC Merced held its first Black California Community Colleges CEO’s Retreat. The three-day event welcomed to the campus several Black community college leaders from around the state.

For the first time, UC Merced has been awarded a Platinum rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements under the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS.)

Platinum is the highest rating a higher education institution can receive for its sustainability programs and actions. Currently, only 11 institutions throughout the nation have earned this rating.

The University of California, Merced, continues to pave the way to success for local high school students. The campus announced the expansion of the Merced Automatic Admission Program (MAAP) for students at Dinuba Unified School District (DUSD).

The new partnership will allow students with a weighted GPA of 3.5 with no grade lower than a “C” to be automatically admitted to UC Merced through a streamlined admissions process.