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Degrees, Cheers and a Record Number of Graduates Under the Open Sky

May 13, 2026

A graduate student eagerly anticipates her hooding ceremony.

UC Merced is abuzz with celebration as students, families, friends, staff and faculty finish last-minute preparations for the largest commencement in university history. Across three outdoor ceremonies, 1,649 undergraduates and 112 graduate students will walk the stage at Spring Commencement...

Participants in this year's production of "As You Like It" include: UC Merced student Angel Nunez, Yosemite Park Ranger Jess Rivas, local English teacher Bethy Harmelin, UC Merced faculty member Tawanda Chabikwa and UC Merced student Maria Nguyen-Cruz.

‘All the World’s a Stage’ with Shakespeare in Yosemite’s 3rd Annual Production

William Shakespeare’s plays are meant to be enjoyed by a live, theater audience and there is no better place to experience The Bard than Yosemite National Park. For the third year, UC Merced...

IH Grad Con to Showcase Student Presentations, Speakers and Interactive Sessions

The Interdisciplinary Humanities (IH) Graduate Group and UC Merced Graduate Division are co-hosting the sixth annual Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Student Conference (IH Grad Con) from April...

A group of people seated in a circle formation engage in discussion.

‘3 Practices’ Teaches How to Engage in Difficult but Respectful Dialogue

UC Merced staff members, students and alumni participated in an experiment to help people gain a better understanding of others’ opinions without abandoning their own viewpoint or values....

ice Provost and Graduate Dean Marjorie S. Zatz was selected as one of the Top 35 Women in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

‘Diverse’ Names Zatz One of the Nation’s Leading Women in Higher Ed

UC Merced’s Vice Provost and Graduate Dean Marjorie S. Zatz was selected as one of the Top 35 Women in Higher Education in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education’s eighth annual special...

Ph.D. students Craig Ennis and Vicky Espinoza visited Sacramento with Vice Provost and Graduate Dean Marjorie Zatz to speak with lawmakers about the contribution of graduate research to California's development.

Graduate Students Make a Case for Research at Capitol

Two UC Merced Ph.D. students took to the State Capitol yesterday with representatives from the other UC campuses to advocate for the importance of the research being done across California. Craig...

Alumna Kisha McGuire is a program counselor in the Fiat Lux Scholars Program within the campus’s Calvin E. Bright Success Center.

Alumna Staffer Pours Her Passion into Serving Students

Kisha McGuire has discovered an opportunity to do what she loves for an institution she’s grown to care deeply about. McGuire graduated from UC Merced in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree...

Employees that reached a service milestone were presented with this crystal award at the annual Celebrating Service breakfast this week.

Employees Celebrated for Service at Annual Event

UC Merced honored nearly 200 employees for their loyalty to the university and higher education at the annual Celebrating Service breakfast earlier this week. Those honored each received a crystal...

Graduate programs in engineering are included in the newest U.S. News rankings of Best Graduate Schools.

Engineering Grad Programs Ranked Among Best in the Nation

UC Merced’s graduate programs in engineering had a strong showing in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 edition of Best Graduate Schools, released today. Overall, UC Merced’s...

The Bobcat Eats Food Waste Awareness and Prevention Program has saved over 800,000 pounds of food since May.

Food Waste Prevention Program Saves Thousands of Pounds of Food in Merced County

With nearly a third of all food worldwide being wasted and millions of people going hungry every day, preventing food from going to waste is a crucial operation. The Bobcat Eats Food Waste...