Kenneth Mashinchi

As UC Merced’s mission of food rescue continues to expand in the community, a new program will make sure food isn’t wasted on campus as well.

The No Food Left Behind initiative aims to reduce food insecurity and waste on campus by connecting the campus community to Lakeside catered events that have food left over. When ordering in CaterTrax, there is now an option to donate leftover food, and, if selected, the event will be registered as a No Food Left Behind event.

UC Merced moved into the top 10 in the country in first-generation student performance in the Washington Monthly 2019 College Guide and Rankings released last week. The university — with more than 73 percent of the undergraduate student population being first generation, double the national average and the highest percentage in the UC system — ranked No. 8, jumping five spots from No. 13 in the 2018 rankings.

With a new academic year underway, first-year students are transitioning to university life. In an effort to help these students integrate into the environment — while cultivating meaningful academic, social, wellness and leadership experiences — UC Merced’s Office of Student Life has created the Bobcat Compass program.

UC Merced welcomed the largest incoming class to campus over the past week, as more than 2,000 first-year and transfer students took part in Welcome Week festivities.

Throughout the weekend, families from across the state made their way to Merced to move in their new Bobcat. Among those moving in was Interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom, who will live on campus during his time at UC Merced.

Two simple words, “Leland Legacy,” captured the significance of Wednesday’s opening event for the second phase of the Merced 2020 Project, an event that doubled as a goodbye and thank you to outgoing Chancellor Dorothy Leland.

The message graced a wall of the new Sustainability Research and Engineering Building in large white block letters, a nod to Leland’s tireless effort and motivation to lead the award-winning expansion project.

Fall sports at UC Merced are getting underway in the next few weeks, with five Bobcat teams looking to build on strong 2018 seasons. That includes the men’s soccer team, which will try to defend its California Pacific (Cal Pac) Conference regular season championship.

UC Merced’s desire to fight food insecurity in Merced County and on campus got a big boost recently after being awarded a $492,000 grant from CalRecycle.

UC Merced students come from all over the state, some from very long distances. But for dozens of students just five miles away from campus, getting here took its own kind of journey.

Becoming Gateway Scholars allowed 67 Merced High School students to reach a destination they thought was closed to them, and because of it, a path to higher education has opened to them.

UC Merced continues to earn recognition and awards for its sustainability efforts.

Last week, the university won four awards at the 16th annual Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards.

The growing UC Merced campus is nearly ready to debut the second phase of the innovative Merced 2020 Project, a multiyear plan to add 1.2 million gross square feet of classroom, office, research laboratory, dining, recreation, housing and other needed facilities.

Phase two will include the Arts and Computational Sciences Building, the Sustainability Research and Engineering Building, a Research Server Container Facility, a regional loading dock, a recreation field and outdoor basketball courts, and additional residential housing.