At two significant junctures in its existence, UC Merced had the good fortune of being led by strong women – Carol Tomlinson-Keasey and Dorothy Leland. Both visionaries, they guided the newest UC through uncharted waters, providing the leadership that inspired their teams to overcome what were, at the time, seemingly insurmountable challenges. They also both finished their respective tenures as chancellor with the campus looking very different than when they started, and in doing so, left behind indelible marks. Legacies.
Tomlinson-Keasey was named UC Merced’s founding chancellor years before construction crews had even broken ground. That meant she had all of the responsibilities incumbent upon a university’s leader – but without a campus to show for it. This included persuading legislators, business and community leaders, educators, interest groups and others that a major, UC-caliber research university would not only thrive in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley but bring lasting benefits to a largely underserved region of the state.
Despite severe budget obstacles, environmental concerns, political hurdles and numerous other challenges, Tomlinson-Keasey managed to translate the dream of a new UC campus into a broadly supported vision of future greatness. In honor of her many contributions to UC Merced, the university's central quadrangle was named the Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad.
In her inaugural address on Oct. 25, 2002, on the undeveloped site where the first buildings of the 10th UC campus would soon begin to rise, Tomlinson-Keasey vowed that UC Merced would “keep the promise that California made to its citizens in 1868,” when the University of California system was established.
“In classrooms and labs, in dormitories, over the din of cafeterias, in libraries that allow for quiet reflection, we will transform the lives of the next generation,” she said.
“We will help educate the youth who will become our leaders and we will help them understand the interdependence of peoples and nations. We will provide those engineers and scientists who will plan and deliver the next exuberant phase of technology. We will offer the tools of thought and encourage the imaginations of those who will care for the planet, find cures for diseases and nourish souls with the arts. We will provide unique research programs, internships, study-abroad programs and programs at the nation's and state's capitals — all with the intent of lighting an intellectual fire.”
Leland, on the other hand, had a campus to showcase, albeit one that was bursting at the seams, when she was named chancellor in 2011. Under her watch, UC Merced experienced tremendous growth. There was a spike in enrollment and employees. There was also a dramatic rise in the school’s research and academic distinction during this time.
Growing pains ensued and skeptics who were once questioning the campus’s ability to grow its student population pivoted to scrutinizing the feasibility of literal expansion.
Enter the Merced 2020 Project.
At a time when the state was cracking down on funding for capital projects, Leland and her team persuaded the UC Regents to approve the $1.3 billion project by thinking outside the box and championing a “first of its kind” public-private partnership between an institution for public higher education and a developer. By the time it was finished in the summer of 2020, the physical capacity of the campus nearly doubled.
UC Merced’s public profile also experienced exponential growth under Leland’s chancellorship. During her fifth year, the university made its first appearance on the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” list. Then in 2016, the campus became the youngest to be classified as an R2 research institution – the second-highest classification for American research universities – by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
In her speech to the California Association of Public Schools in January of 2020, Leland also harkened to the very beginnings of the UC system.
“Among the things I am most proud about UC Merced is that it, more than any other UC campus, still adheres to the original land grant mission of the University of California,” said Leland.
“First, we, more than any other UC, are educating California’s emerging citizenry, many more of whom are low-income, underrepresented and first-generation. Second, we are advancing research into the cutting-edge fields of our day – agriculture and engineering, yes, but also climate change and its impacts on water, still the lifeblood of California’s economy, and other pressing issues. And third, we remain closely tied to the region that fought to have us here — in the heart of California — that still faces daunting challenges but is, I believe, on the rise. Indeed, I know that together we will rise — a campus and its communities.”
In August of 2006, Tomlinson-Keasey stepped down as chancellor to return to teaching and writing. She passed away in October of 2009 at age 66 due to complications related to breast cancer.
Leland stepped down as chancellor in August of 2019 and has since retired.
