Gifts

UC Merced Receives Transformational $38 Million Gift from MacKenzie Scott

December 8, 2025

The University of California, Merced today announced the largest philanthropic gift in its history, an extraordinary new commitment from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This transformational investment, Ms. Scott’s second major gift to UC Merced, underscores growing national recognition of UC...

Pellissier Lecture: Spreading Excellence on a Larger Scale

Bestselling author and Stanford University Professor Robert Sutton will share principles and examples of “Scaling Up Excellence,” the title of his presentation as this year’s Vital...

Guatemalan Nobelist Announced as This Year’s Spendlove Prize Recipient

Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, recognized for her work in social and ethno-cultural reform, has been selected to receive the 2018 Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice...

Vice Chancellor Ed Klotzbier, Monique de Villa (’16), Danielle Armedilla (’12), and Chancellor Dorothy Leland

Alumnae Staff Members Honor Family With Endowed Scholarships

In creating scholarships to help future generations of Bobcats succeed, UC Merced staff members and alumnae Monique de Villa (’16) and Danielle Armedilla (’12) are cementing the legacy...

New Endowment Enhances Alumni Association’s Initiatives

Last month, the UC Merced Alumni Association (UCMAA) established the UC Merced Alumni Association Journey Endowment with $25,000 it collected through fundraising efforts to support initiatives...

Nathan Parmeter, Arlene Kranich, Melissa Becerra and Haipeng Li

New Scholarship Pays Homage to Persistence and Research

A generous gift from the grandmother of a UC Merced alumna and current staff member is benefitting two undergraduate students who put the UC Merced Library to good use. Melissa Becerra, a third-...

Local Homebuilder Donates to UC Merced Women’s Volleyball

UC Merced Athletics received a generous donation from longtime campus supporter Greg Hostetler, owner of Stonefield Home of Los Banos. The gift recognizes and supports two student-athletes from...

After Nearly Two Decades, Associate Vice Chancellor to Retire

After nearly 20 years, Jan Mendenhall has announced her retirement from UC Merced. Mendenhall, who currently serves as Associate Vice Chancellor for Development and Executive Director for the UC...

Four students stand in front of a poster explaining their Innovate to Grow capstone project.

Wells Fargo Gift Helps ‘Innovate to Grow’ Continue Fall Expansion

Innovate to Grow (I2G), the School of Engineering’s showcase for senior capstone projects and student ingenuity in engineering and entrepreneurship, is emerging as a twice-a-year event, thanks...

6 adults in business suits holding a large honorary check in the amount of $125,000

Wells Fargo: Partners in Education and Economic Growth

UC Merced is distinguished by its trailblazing ethos, and the university has pushed the boundaries of innovation in ways that impact both the campus and the wider community. This is due in large part...