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...

Governor Names Nies to California Student Aid Commission

UC Merced’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Charles Nies has been appointed to the California Student Aid Commission by Gov. Jerry Brown. The commission is tasked with making education...

Chancellor Talks Downtown with Business Owners

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland welcomed downtown business owners and members of the Merced Main Street Association for coffee and a chat at the new Downtown Campus Center on Friday. “We...

Jonathan Grady oversees UC Merced’s Office of Student Life, Calvin E. Bright Success Center and the Student Response Team.

Campus Voices: Positioning Students as Architects of Social Change

Working in education over the years, I have learned to never let inhospitable and toxic circumstances destroy one’s soul, but to use education as a way to empower, transform, radically heal and...

The campus is preparing for the largest graduating class of roughly 1,200 candidates who are eligible to participate in the weekend’s ceremonies.

CNN Contributor Maria Cardona, Civic Leader Lenny Mendonca to Speak at UC Merced’s Largest Commencement Ceremonies

The University of California, Merced, has selected political commentator and public affairs professional Maria Cardona and civic leader and entrepreneur Lenny Mendonca to deliver keynote addresses at...

Campus Voices: Join Us in Advocacy for Humanities Research Funding

Besides being a groundbreaking research powerhouse, the University of California is an economic engine for California and the nation, providing an educated workforce and generating new knowledge,...

Local Ghost Town’s Past on Display in New Collaborative Exhibit

Driving past Merced Falls on the way to Lake McClure doesn’t usually inspire thoughts of a bustling mini-metropolis with its own movie theater. But a new exhibit opening at the Merced County...

A portrait of a smiling professor, Juan Meza, in front of a gray background.

NSF Taps Former Dean Juan Meza to Lead Division of Mathematical Sciences

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that they have selected former Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Applied Mathematics Professor Juan Meza as the new Division Director for the...

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...

Professor Sandra A. Brown in her office in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Pellissier Speaker to Discuss Substance Abuse and the Adolescent Brain

California’s recent legalization of recreational marijuana and the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis have many parents worried that their own teenagers might succumb to the temptations of...