Brenda Ortiz

When Chigoziri Ibechem attended her first planning commission meeting in downtown Merced last November, she had no idea where it might lead.

After the meeting, the psychology major from Los Angeles was greeted by the city of Merced’s principal planner, who noticed her enthusiasm for the city’s Local Transportation project. He invited her to apply for an internship program UC Merced’s sustainability office launched earlier this year to give students education and applied learning opportunities in sustainability-related careers.

The University of California, Merced, received the largest incoming class of students in its 13-year history this semester, as total enrollment neared 8,000 for the first time.

The fastest-growing university in the nation, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, UC Merced now enrolls 7,375 undergraduate and 592 graduate students for a total of 7,967 students — an 8.6 percent increase from 7,336 in 2016, as reported in the university’s fall census.

Members of the UC Merced Police Department visited several campus locations last week to play a new question-and-answer game called “Your Campus, Your Police.”

In a life-threatening incident, bystanders have mere moments to act. Thanks to the UC Merced Police Department, American Heart Association and Riggs Ambulance, the general public and campus community have an upcoming opportunity to learn the needed skills to save lives.

The Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Undergraduate Education are excited to announce the Student Success Internship (SSI) program, which provides opportunities for undergraduate students to build experience and skills related to their career ambitions and integrated with their academic learning.