Kenneth Mashinchi

UC Merced has long served as an educational opportunity for undocumented students and their families. A new grant will ensure the university can help more scholars realize their academic, career and personal goals.

UC Merced is one of 32 campuses that will receive support this academic year from the new California Campus Catalyst Fund. To date, the Catalyst Fund has raised nearly $10 million for a three-year initiative founded by educators, funders and advocates.

It’s that time of year again - time to show your Bobcat pride at UC Merced’s annual Homecoming celebration.

Students, staff, faculty, alumni and the community are welcome to the two-day event, which will include a downtown block party for the first time.

The event kicks off Friday at the Downtown Campus Center (DCC). Since its opening in January, the DCC has helped revitalize downtown Merced and, from 6-11 p.m., it will be the site of new Homecoming events.

As UC Merced continues to lead the way in sustainability on university campuses, a new wrinkle has been added to the process of certifying buildings.

Recently, the Science and Engineering 1 (SE1) building achieved gold certification under LEED Operations and Maintenance (LEED O & M) criteria. Certification is nothing new to the campus — every building at UC Merced is LEED certified or on track to be certified.

But who has begun to handle the certification process is groundbreaking.

Two multimillion-dollar grants aimed at increasing high school graduation and college-going rates in the San Joaquin Valley will benefit students in Tulare and Fresno counties at least through 2025.

If UC Merced’s Center for Educational Partnerships has its way, the benefits will last much longer than that.

The UC Merced Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP) has been awarded two GEAR UP grants from the U.S. Department of Education to implement a Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GU Project) in two school districts.

Michael Pierick’s road to presenting as part of the UC Merced delegation at this week’s UC Board of Regents meeting started in 2012, with a pit stop on the way to a basketball tryout at Sonoma State.

Both of Pierick’s parents attended UCLA and encouraged him to check out the newest UC campus while driving to Sonoma from San Diego, where Pierick was finishing his senior year at Rancho Bernardo High School.

“When I got to campus, it was just this close-knit community,” Pierick said. “I could really be the person I wanted to be.”

UC Merced is venturing into the bright lights of YouTube shows and junior Kamyar Nekoui is leading the charge.

Tuesday marks the release of the first online episode of Nekoui’s project, a recorded talk show titled “Crucial Conversations.” The show, formatted to mirror popular talk shows like “The View,” is the first of its kind at the university.

UC Merced is venturing into the bright lights of YouTube shows and junior Kamyar Nekoui is leading the charge.

Tuesday marks the release of the first online episode of Nekoui’s project, a recorded talk show titled “Crucial Conversations.” The show, formatted to mirror popular talk shows like “The View,” is the first of its kind at the university.

UC Merced psychology Professor Anna Song and biology Professor Jennifer Manilay had a special dinner with UC President Janet Napolitano at her Oakland home recently to honor the faculty members for their work on first-generation student initiatives.

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland and Merced Mayor Mike Murphy welcomed the Bay Area Council to Merced on Thursday for a robust discussion on potential future connections between Merced and the Bay Area.

“Today we are focusing on the economic potential of building greater interconnectedness, which would have major benefits to both regions,” Leland said. “It’s not just about creating a bedroom community here. We will be attracting businesses and industries that will help lift Merced, the Valley and the state.”