Diversity

New Alumni-Funded Endowment to Champion LGBTQ+ Initiatives at UC Merced

July 29, 2025

A group of dedicated UC Merced alumni have come together to launch an endowed fund focused on supporting LGBTQ+ student initiatives, programs and priorities. Spearheaded by University of California Regent Emeritus Keith Ellis ’12, the LGBTQ+ Lambda Student Engagement Endowment was created...

Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky speaking with students.

Berkeley Law Dean Speaks Up for Free Speech

People on college campuses hold a wide range of views, and the First Amendment gives everyone the right to express their opinions. But restricting speech at a public institution — even when...

Berkeley Law Dean to Visit Campus for Talk on Free Speech

When does freedom of speech cross the line and become hate speech? What’s considered protected speech? And, how do universities strike the delicate balance between allowing individuals or...

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham meets with graduate student Boe Mendewala and Chancellor Dorothy Leland.

Chancellor Leland Visits D.C. to Urge Congress to Protect Dreamers

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland united with members of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration in Washington, D.C., earlier this week to call on Congress to pass a...

Event to Address Race Issues on Campus, in the Community

As part of an ongoing community and campus dialog about race, the Graduate Students of Color Coalition at UC Merced presents “Addressing Race in Our Community: Unifying Against Bigotry,”...

Workshop to Focus on Diversity, African Studies

Everyone is invited to a special event featuring UCLA Professor Jemima Pierre, speaking on “Africa and the Project of Black Studies” as part of a workshop entitled “The Critical...

Record-Breaking Class Pushes UC Merced Enrollment Near 8,000

The University of California, Merced, received the largest incoming class of students in its 13-year history this semester, as total enrollment neared 8,000 for the first time. The fastest-growing...

U.S. flag flies in front of UC Merced students

Statement From Chancellor Leland on DACA

The decision to end DACA is a cruel bait-and-switch for the many young adults who are living, learning, and working here under its protections. Congress must now step up and pass legislation that...

Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe stands in front of a wall wearing a light blue lab coat and holding a tray of cake tins filled with soil samples.

Earth Scientist Targets Sexual Harassment With NSF Grant

Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe is a biogeochemist who studies the impact of climate change on Sierra Nevada soils. She’s also active in efforts to recruit and retain women in science,...

‘Swarmathon’ Robotics Team Competes at Cape Canaveral

Manuel Meraz transferred to UC Merced with a mission: to revive what had once been an award-winning, student-led robotics scene on campus. Meraz had just completed a robotics internship at the...