Staff & Faculty News

For the First Time, All Avian Evolutionary Relationships Revealed Through Collaboration

April 29, 2025

Professor Emily Jane McTavish and colleagues at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have mapped the evolution of every known bird species. They created a complete evolutionary tree of bird species by combining data on 9,239 species published in nearly 300 studies between 1990 and 2024 and...

UC Merced employees Rachel Seymour and Amy Moffat pose together outdoors at UC Merced.

Mentoring Program Helps Employees Plan Their Career Path

Curriculum specialist Rachel Seymour was two years into her time at UC Merced when she applied for the university’s Career Advancement Mentorship Program (CAMP), in which staff members...

Berhe Selected by National Academies to Serve as “New Voice” for Science

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) just announced that they’ve selected Professor Asmeret Asefaw Berhe to serve as an inaugural member of the Academies’...

Jessica "JaeJae" Julian ('10) poses with two awards from District VII of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

UC Merced Strikes ‘Grand Gold’ for Alumni Chat Series

In 2013, UC Merced’s Alumni Relations staff proposed an idea: Invite alumni back to campus to talk to current students about their post-graduation careers and experiences. That idea became...

Workshops to Inform Staff on New GE Program

This fall, UC Merced launches a new undergraduate education program that fully supports students in achieving the Hallmarks of the Baccalaureate Degree at UC Merced. The program nurtures a spirit...

Several hundred UC Merced staff members, seated at tables outdoors, enjoy lunch during Staff Appreciation Week.

News and Notes: Staff Had ‘Rad’ Time During ’80s-Themed Appreciation Week

UC Merced staff members got the time to enjoy the company of their colleagues while being saluted for the tireless work they do to support students, faculty members and the university’s mission...

Craig Harmelin and Suki Spencer are among the first staff members on campus to receive Fulbright awards

New Fulbright Awards Strengthen Campus Study-Abroad Initiatives

Two staff members in UC Merced’s Office of International Affairs have earned prestigious Fulbright awards that will help the campus expand and develop study-abroad opportunities for students...

Coty Ventura steams a graduation gown while her daughter Bobbi assists.

Volunteers Help Make Commencement Memorable for Grads, Families

Early on Mother’s Day morning, Coty Ventura and her daughters Bobbi and Jessica headed to UC Merced to do their part to help make the day special for hundreds of UC Merced graduates and their...

Staff members do the Electric Slide during last year's Staff Appreciation Week picnic.

Party Like It’s the 1980s During Staff Appreciation Week

Get ready to break out your “Flashdance” leg warmers and wear your sunglasses at night: Staff Appreciation Week (SAW) is here, and it’s taking UC Merced back to the ‘80s...

Professor’s Fellowship Allows Renewed Focus on Sociology of Race in South Africa

Professor Whitney Pirtle recently became the first researcher to win the prestigious Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship while employed at UC Merced — a grant that will help her finish...

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