Brenda Ortiz

Founding UC Merced Staffer Wraps Up 45 Years in Law Enforcement

August 28, 2025

A collage of photos depicting Tamela Adkins and other staff during the past 20 years.

On Aug. 12, 2005, less than one month before UC Merced opened its doors to undergraduate students, Tamela Adkins joined the campus’s Police Department as support services manager. Intially, her role included managing records and evidence, overseeing the police dispatch center and hiring....

Two Alumni Create Legacies Through Scholarship Endowments

Jessica “JaeJae” Julian (2010) and Marko Zivanovic (2014) are proving that giving back shortly after graduation can be possible. During the campus’s Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts last December...

Bad Break Left Alum With Questions; UC Merced Answered

Erik Olstad started down the path to becoming a veterinarian by accident. After high school, the now 32-year-old attended California State University, Fresno, to get a political science degree. But...

Recovery Group Supports Students Dealing With Addiction

Last fall, UC Merced’s first peer-led recovery program — known as Bobcats for Recovery — began meeting weekly to help support undergraduate and graduate students in recovery from substance use ...

Events Planned to Increase Sexual Assault Awareness

UC Merced’s Campus Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE) Office will kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) on April 1 with numerous events. The month of education is an...

Campus Hosts Exhibit to Counter Violence

The Victory Over Violence (VOV) exhibit is on display through April 1 in the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, Room 355, to help raise awareness of the need to overcome violence. The VOV exhibit...

Campus Celebrates LGBT+ Culture During Pride Week

UC Merced’s Pride Week kicks off March 28. The weeklong celebration is hosted by Lambda Alliance and LGBTQ+ Initiatives in the Office of Student Life. It’s a collaborative effort to affirm the LGBT+...

Campus Honors Impact of Top Donors at Annual Event

Campus supporters, administrative and academic leadership, faculty members, students and alumni gathered for UC Merced’s Celebration of Philanthropic Leaders event, held March 19 to recognize the...

Student-Athlete Takes Leadership to the National Level

Junior Sammantha Fajardo wasn’t satisfied with merely representing UC Merced on the cross country course, so she stepped up to represent the university’s student-athletes at the national level. In...

Students Can Catch Up, Save Up With Summer Session

Completing degree requirements in eight semesters can be challenging for many students. Add a minor, a job or a semester abroad, and students can easily find themselves playing catch-up. That’s why...