Campus Community

Open Arms, Open Skies: Students Welcomed at Spirited, Soggy Scholars Bridge Crossing

August 26, 2025

Spirits were high and futures bright while all else was soaked in a summer storm that made Tuesday morning’s Scholars Bridge Crossing, UC Merced’s traditional greeting to new students, a welcome unlike any before. Call them Thunder ‘Cats. The ceremony embraced about 2,000...

Free Speech Week kicks off Monday, Feb. 22.

Inaugural Free Speech Week Kicks Off During Needed Time

When the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) began planning its first Free Speech Week a year ago, staff members couldn’t anticipate just how timely the event would be in 2021....

Celebrate Black History Month by learning about the good work being done on campus.

Eight Stories to Read for Black History Month

Black History Month may feel different this February, after a year of the coronavirus and historic protests for social justice. While coming together couldn’t be more important, under current...

UC Merced, in collaboration with Merced County Department of Public Health and UC Health, rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination program Feb. 5.

Campus Health Experts Answer Pressing Questions About COVID-19 Vaccinations

The United States is implementing COVID-19 vaccine programs across the nation bringing hope for brighter days ahead. However, it also brings many questions. UC Merced’s Director of Medical...

30,105 prospective students seek to become Bobcats in fall 2021.

UC Merced Receives Highest Number of Applications in Campus’s History

In a record year for applicants to the entire University of California system, UC Merced has received a total of 30,105 prospective student applications among freshman and transfer students into the...

Matlock Earns Prestigious Athena Award for Academic Leadership

Vice Provost for Academic Personnel Teenie Matlock has been honored with the Athena Award for Academic Leadership by the Women in Technology Initiative at the University of California. Matlock was...

Give to UC Merced 2020 draws 487 donors and raises $163,000 to support students and campus initiatives.

Month of Giving Surpasses Fundraising Goal

During December, the Give to UC Merced 2020 initiative tripled the campus’s goal of raising $50,000. The final tally: $163,000 raised for a variety of campus initiatives and programs. The...

2020 brought a wealth of challenges, but once again the Bobcat community proved its resilience, coming together to ensure the university’s mission of teaching, research and service would continue. Photo Credit: Dave Burk © SOM

UC Merced: Looking Back on 2020

There was an undeniable feeling of optimism and excitement in January 2020, as the calendar turned to a new year at the University of California, Merced. The university would be welcoming its fourth...

UC Merced is planning for a return to primarily in-person instruction starting in the fall.

UC Plans for Fall 2021 In-person Instruction Across Its 10 Campuses

The University of California announced today that it is planning for a return to primarily in-person instruction systemwide starting in fall 2021. The announcement is intended to provide prospective...

The scarcity of research on smoking rates among Arab Americans led Ph.D. student Sarah Alnahari to broaden her focus from minority and immigrant health to the social, historical and political contexts pertaining to tobacco control.

Fellowship Advances Student’s Research into Arab American Smoking Behaviors

Public Health doctoral student Sarah Alnahari was awarded a UC Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) Predoctoral Fellowship to continue her community-driven research examining tobacco use...