In recognition for its continuing efforts to advance Latino student success, UC Merced has earned recertification of the prestigious Seal of Excelencia. The Seal is a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment and more intentionally serve Latino students.
He studied in hallowed halls of academia. His highly respected research takes him halfway around the globe into societies both foreign and familiar. In his newest role, he leads the largest school of a research university less than two decades old but soaring in reputation and influence.
Yet if you ask Leo Arriola about his journey, he uses a surprising word.
“I’m accidental in every possible way,” he said. “Professor. Administrator. Statistically, I shouldn’t be in this position.”
UC Merced has received a $750,000 boost to its mission to invest in the San Joaquin Valley’s unique cultural, creative and linguistic wealth by working with the region’s people to strengthen communities and champion social justice.
Ph.D. student Micah Oeur has been awarded a 2024-2025 UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship to support her physics research and boost her goal to be a professor.
PPPF’s goal is to enhance faculty pathways for historically underrepresented groups, particularly Chicanx/Latinx, African Americans, American Indians/Native Americans, Filipinx and Pacific Islanders in all disciplines; women in STEM; and Asian Americans in the humanities and social sciences.
Professor Leonardo R. Arriola from UC Berkeley has been named dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) as of Aug. 1.
Vice Chancellor and Provost Betsy Dumont made the announcement today, saying Arriola was chosen after a nationwide search that produced a diverse array of candidates.
“Flora,” a film by UC Professor Yehuda Sharim, earned an award from the Latino and Native American Film Festival.
The film, which Sharim describes as a memoir of post-teen daughters of immigrants who must teach themselves about love and tenderness in a world dominated by unnecessary suffering and pain, won the festival’s Environmental, Social, Economic, Political Justice Award.
The National Science Foundation awarded a team, led by principal investigators Professor Ajay Gopinathan and Carrie Kouadio, funding to establish a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at UC Merced.
This new program seeks to increase the diversity of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) research community.
The campus and community are invited to participate in this year’s Pride Week at UC Merced, taking place April 8-12. Lambda Alliance (LAMBDA) is spearheading efforts once again in collaboration with other campus units, offices and departments. A variety of events are planned all week long to celebrate LGBTQ+ identity and culture and highlight campus and community resources.
Students interested in social and racial justice, working with communities in the area, further understanding of critical race and ethnic studies, leadership opportunities and teamwork are invited to a kickoff party for a new student focused initiative led by the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) program.
The National Science Foundation recently awarded nearly $500,000 to the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) to help develop an internal culture that fosters inclusion, diversity and equity.
The grant comes from the BIO-LEAPS (Leading Culture Change through Professional Societies of Biology) program for the proposal titled “Strengthening Inclusion by Change in Building Equity, Diversity and Understanding (SICBEDU).” With it, SICB plans to address how it can better serve its members and the next generation of organismal biologists.
