Hundreds of UC Merced graduates, their friends and familes will pack the Merced Theatre in downtown Merced this weekend as fall commencement ceremonies are celebrated. There are 427 Bobcats set to participate.
The pomp and circumstance begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, with the Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony.
During college, Dr. Margo Vener was on a completely different career path. Having received a C in chemistry early on, she had all but closed the door on any notion of pursuing a career in medicine. But a conversation with her uncle during her senior year changed all of that.
After telling him she wanted to become a teacher so she could make a difference and really help people in a hands-on way, he suggested it sounded more like she should become a doctor.
“That’s when it clicked,” said Vener. “I hadn't thought of it since I ruled it out after I received a C in that class.”
The Merced 2020 Project, which added 13 facilities to UC Merced’s campus and nearly doubled its square footage, has so far contributed $510.9 million to the regional economy through construction costs alone.
Ahead of UC Merced's 2023 Fall Commencement, the ceremony keynote speakers have been selected. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, will speak at the undergraduate ceremonies and Keith Alley, former executive vice chancellor and provost at UC Merced, will speak at the graduate ceremony.
Since 2017, Mitchell has been president of the American Council on Education (ACE) - the major coordinating body for the nation's college and universities that creates policies and practices for higher education learners across the country.
After Thanksgiving wraps up, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday take hold of many people's time, attention and dollars. However, there is another day of opportunity — one that holds the potential of creating a positive ripple effect originating at UC Merced and extending across the globe.
UC Merced's reputation for environmental stewardship remains strong following the campus's most recent recognition by The Princeton Review 2024 Green Honor Roll.
UC Merced was one of four UC campuses, and one of only four public universities in California, to make the list, including UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. UC Merced received a score of 99 points, which is the highest possible green score provided by the ranking.
An education and workforce collaborative spearheaded by UC Merced and composed of partners from Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties was awarded $18.1 million by the California Department of General Services (DGS) as part of the K-16 Education Collaborative Grant Program. WE Will! The Northern San Joaquin Valley K-16 Regional Partnership was one of four collaboratives across the state recently selected to receive an award.
At their Nov. 15 meeting, the Regents of the University of California gave final approval for the construction of a new medical education building at UC Merced. The vote approved the final design, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) findings and the full budget and financing.
It's been more than a year since UC Merced joined the 1300 Campaign partnership, continuing its efforts to help students of color attend and succeed at four-year universities. Now it's time for a review and a look ahead.
Veterans with aspirations to pursue higher education will have access to new resources and support through the Veterans Upward Bound Program at UC Merced.
This year, the university was selected as one of the recipients of the Department of Education (DOE) grant, which helps to provide first-generation and low-income veterans with assistance from the application process through commencement. The DOE website states, "the program's primary goal is to increase the rate at which participants enroll in and complete postsecondary education programs."
