In The Community

UC Merced Injects Over $1 Billion in Economic Vitality into San Joaquin Valley, State

January 20, 2026

UC Merced, a beacon of academic achievement in the San Joaquin Valley, is also a powerful driver of economic growth and prosperity in the region it was created to serve. UC Merced generates $1.12 billion in economic production per year in the Valley, according to an...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service: A Day On, Not a Day Off

UC Merced will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting a day of action, inviting the campus and community to serve together on Monday, Jan. 19. In keeping with King’s call to...

Old Friends and Bold Art Inspire UC Merced Professor’s Latest Film

They are longtime friends, united by a passion for art and a stubborn determination not to compromise their unconventional styles. Their brushes paint scenes of fieldhands and crops coalescing in...

United for Education: Merced Institutions Forge a Stronger Future Together at UC Merced Summit

In an unprecedented show of unity, leaders from Merced City School District, Merced Union High School District, Merced College and UC Merced came together to discuss how continued collaboration can...

Three-year Grant Lifts Joy Provided by UC Merced Children’s Opera

UC Merced Children’s Opera, a performance that delights and enlightens thousands of schoolchildren a year while giving Bobcat students experience in theater, has received support from a...

UC Merced to Host Stargazing Night with Director of UC Observatories

UC Merced invites the public to an evening of cosmic discovery on Thursday, Oct. 23, featuring a free lecture by Bruce Macintosh, director of the University of California Observatories, followed by...

UC Merced Launches Distinguished Speaker Series with World-Renowned Bioengineer David Kaplan

The Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI) at UC Merced is preparing to launch its long-envisioned distinguished speaker series on Oct. 6 with a visit from David Kaplan, a Tufts University...

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

Founding UC Merced Staffer Wraps Up 45 Years in Law Enforcement

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,...

Hmong American Celebration Honors UC Merced Pioneers

UC Merced’s campus community was represented at Merced County’s Hmong American Day, which celebrated a people’s 50-year journey from war and oppression to acceptance and achievement...

UC Merced Project Aims to Strengthen Heat Relief in Kern County

In California’s Kern County, nearly 925,000 people live in oppressive heat 125 days per year. Several types of relief are offered. Residents can get breaks on energy bills bloated by air...