Community Service

Student Philanthropy Month Returns to UC Merced with Focus on Service and Giving

March 11, 2026

Six UC Merced students pose in front of a University of California, Merced backdrop, smiling and holding blue-and-gold pennants that read “UC Merced Alumni” and “UC Merced.”

Student Philanthropy Month, now in its fifth consecutive year, gives students opportunities throughout March to better understand philanthropy and its impact on the university, the community and beyond. UC Merced Alumni Relations, in partnership with the UC Merced Student Alumni Association, is...

Peter Sou ('22) helps a student program a drone to fly a pattern at the Tri Valley Innovation Fair

UC Merced’s Mobile Maker Lab Brings Education to Community Fair

A team of UC Merced engineering students brought hands-on lessons on drones and robotics to hundreds of children and families at the recent Tri-Valley Innovation Fair. “Drones and robots are...

Keith Ellis '12 will be the first UC Merced representative to serve as Alumni Regent.

Campus Appoints First Representative to Serve as Alumni Regent

For the first time, a UC Merced alumnus will serve on the UC Board of Regents. Keith Ellis, who received his bachelor’s degree from UC Merced in 2012, will serve a two-year term beginning in...

Bobcats Help Beautify Community

Alumni Relations and the Community Engagement Center (CEC) hosted Bobcats Give Back: Day of Service at Lake Yosemite as part of Student Philanthropy Month. Nearly 70 students, alumni and staff...

UC Merced Celebrates 10 Years of Helping Feed the Community

The Bobcat community understands the importance of giving back. This month, UC Merced celebrates 10 years of helping feed those in need in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

A $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will enable a new project at UC Merced to create an integrated program to develop multi-faceted pathways to climate-smart agriculture solutions.

New Climate-focused Agriculture Program Aims to Train Students, Professionals and Farmers

California is the largest and the most diverse agricultural economy in the nation with revenue exceeding $50 billion — larger than the combined agricultural economies of the other 10 western...

Survey: Fresno Voters Concerned with Pandemic, Spending Priorities, Basic Needs

A representative sample survey of Fresno voters, now in its second year, is giving area policymakers insight into the opinions and concerns of the people they represent. The UC Merced Community...

Professor Joshua Viers stands near a canal on the UC Merced campus.

UC Merced Leads Innovative Effort to Secure Water for Agriculture and Ecosystems

UC Merced’s largest research grant in its 16-year history aims to improve agricultural and environmental water resilience. The new $10 million collaborative focuses on water banking, trading...

Dr. Thelma Hurd has been appointed the inaugural Thondapu Family Endowed Chair in Medical Education.

UC Merced Names First Endowed Chair in Medical Education

Distinguished UC Merced Director of Medical Education and public health Professor Dr. Thelma Hurd has been appointed the inaugural Thondapu Family Endowed Chair in Medical Education. “I am...

UC Merced Launches Initiative to Aid Fleeing Afghan Scholars

The recent takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban forces has caused many Afghans to flee their homes searching for asylum. Responding to the urgency of the current situation in Afghanistan, UC Merced...