Awards

Former Gov. Gray Davis Awarded Chancellor’s Medal for Transformative Leadership in Bringing UC Merced to the Central Valley

February 24, 2026

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sanchez Munoz and Governor Gray Davis pose with the Chancellor's Medal

At an intimate gathering of supporters, UC Merced awarded former Gov. Gray Davis the Chancellor’s Medal — the university’s highest honor — in recognition of his instrumental role in bringing the 10th University of California campus to Merced. The medal was presented...

Event Celebrates Generosity of Donors

Campus friends and supporters were recognized for their charitable spirit at UC Merced’s third annual Celebration of Philanthropic Leaders event, held on campus March 25. During a reception on the...

New Classroom Building Earns Campus’ 17th LEED Certification

Ten years after receiving its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), UC Merced has earned platinum certification for...

UC Merced Celebrates Pride Week

Lambda Alliance, in collaboration with other campus units, offices and departments, will host UC Merced’s annual Pride Week program celebrating LGBTQ+ identity and culture. From April 3-9, students...

Cognitive Scientist Earns Early Career Impact Award

UC Merced Professor Rick Dale is a recipient of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) Early Career Impact Award from the Society for Computers in Psychology. Dale...

Student Health and Counseling Services Receive National Accreditation

UC Merced’s H. Rajender Reddy Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Health Promotion received accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (...

Campus to Celebrate Spendlove Winner Anita Hill

UC Merced will honor Anita Hill as the 10th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance in an Oct. 24 ceremony at the Art Kamangar Center at the...

$3.6 Million Grant Funding Helps Valley Students Realize Educational Dreams

Three grants totaling more than $3.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education will help UC Merced’s Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP) continue its Talent Search program, which...

Poetry Prize Recognizes Instructor’s Accomplishments, Potential

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences has awarded its prestigious May Sarton Prize for Poetry to Vanesha Pravin, a lecturer in UC Merced’s Merritt Writing Program. The award, considered one of...

Bioengineering Student Wins Strauss Scholarship to Help Visually Impaired

Harkanwalpreet Sodhi, a third-year bioengineering student, won a $10,000 Donald A. Strauss Foundation scholarship to help visually impaired people in Merced. The scholarship will help Sodhi start a...