How do you take a university further?
For UC Merced’s chancellor, the answer starts with record-setting enrollment and extends to student opportunities, strong community connections, and new homes for students, academics and research, along with an ever-growing national reputation.
Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz pointed to the future and celebrated the university’s people and achievements in his annual State of the University address Oct. 21 before a gathering of UC Merced Foundation trustees, elected officials and members of the campus community.
The event also honored two longtime trustees, Kenni Friedman and Art Kamangar, for their service to and support of UC Merced. Friedman was named trustee emeritus and Kamangar trustee and secretary emeritus, respectively.
In his address, Muñoz said no other University of California campus achieved what UC Merced has in its first 20 years.
“So what do we do with that momentum?” he continued. “‘Further’ is about being intentional in charting our path, making strategic choices that strengthen our community, that expand opportunity for our students, that deepen our research impact.”
The path to UC Merced's future is built from milestones and moments of the past year, Muñoz said, including:
Student surge: UC Merced welcomed the largest class in its history this fall. Enrollment topped 9,600, a one-year increase of nearly 8 percent. Forty-two percent of the new undergraduates are from the Central Valley, an increase of 13 percentage points since Muñoz arrived at UC Merced in 2020.
“We have been very deliberate and intentional about increasing the number of students from Valley communities,” he said.
National recognition: U.S. News & World Report ranked UC Merced 30th among public universities and fourth overall for social mobility. It is one of the first institutions to earn Carnegie’s new sustainability classification, adding to its Carnegie distinctions of top-tier R1 research, community engagement and opportunity. No other university in the nation holds all four.
Room to grow: The university’s physical expansion continues with the opening of two projects in the spring semester. The Medical Education Building symbolizes a new era in the studies of health and the development of future medical practitioners and professionals. Promise Housing is a 488-bed residence hall for Merced College and other transfer students. Another major project underway, Classroom and Office Building 3, is scheduled to be ready for use in spring 2028.
More power to discover: A new partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory expands joint work on research, energy security, and training for future scientists and engineers.
“I consider this one of the most exciting agreements of the last few years,” Muñoz said. “It's simply incalculable what could come out of this partnership.”
In addition, the Sierra Nevada Research Institute and the UC Merced Climate Institute have merged to form the UC Merced Earth Institute, which will focus on climate solutions and ecosystems in the Valley and beyond.
Artificial intelligence: An AI Advisory Council was formed this year to guide and support thoughtful use of the technology across the campus. Planning is underway for UC Merced to build a digital hub that connects the Valley to high-performance computing power.In addition, an undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence through the School of Engineering will debut in fall 2027.
“We need to lean into this,” Muñoz said of AI. “We need to master it in the way we have mastered other challenges, other technologies and other platforms.”
Fundraising and philanthropy: UC Merced raised a record $68 million in the last fiscal year, twice its previous one-year record, fueled by a $38 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest in university history.
Giving back: About 1,200 student volunteers totaled more than 94,000 hours of service with community agencies and partners in the 2025-26 academic year, managed by the university’s Community Engagement Center.
Academics: A business administration undergraduate degree that debuted this fall was an instant favorite, ranking in the top 25 percent of majors offered by the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. In addition, the first Summer Investment Academy taught first-year students about money management and personal finance, while UC Merced’s Honors Program for undergraduates grew to 250 students.
“Let us continue working together to realize the future of this remarkable university, in this magnificent Valley, in this Golden State,” Muñoz said. “Together, there is no limit to how much further we will go.”
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