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....

Day of Giving Nets More Than $310K for Scholarships

UC Merced employees and alumni were loud and proud supporters of the #GiveTueUCM campaign, part of the international day of charity known as Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1. Including matching funds, the...

Campus to Expand Fraternities and Sororities in 2016

Strong interest combined with campus growth has triggered the Office of Student Life and the Fraternity and Sorority Council to add several social fraternity and sorority organizations in the coming...

Staff Members Make Campus Safety a Top Priority

During most weekdays, you’ll find Student Employment Coordinator Phyllis Enea in the Center for Professional and Career Advancement, assisting students and training managers throughout the hiring ...

‘My Merced’ Captures Campus’ Spirit in Song

From the moment they step foot on the UC Merced campus, people often say they feel a sense of pride and belonging. Award-winning composer Jimmy Dunne has attempted to capture the essence of that...

Le Grand High Students Challenged to Excel, Achieve

UC Merced staff and administrators encouraged about 400 Le Grand High School ninth- through 12th-grade students to aim for a University of California education. The visit on Nov. 19 was part of...

Donor Match Will Quadruple #GivingTuesday Gifts

The season of giving is just around the corner, and UC Merced is getting in the spirit. On Dec. 1, the campus will participate in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. All around the...

Alumni Support Community Trunk or Treat Event

Members of the UC Merced Alumni Association’s Alumni Campus Employees (ACE) chapter stepped up this Halloween to help with the annual Boys and Girls Club Trunk or Treat event, a safe alternative to...

Three Students Awarded Global Food Initiative Fellowships

The University of California has selected its second class of Global Food Initiative (GFI) fellows — including three students from UC Merced — who will work on projects ranging from food access to...

UC Merced Celebrates Food Day

On Food Day, Oct. 24, the nation will celebrate healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food. Food Day was created by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest to help bring the...