UC Mercd Magazine-Volume XVI, Issue 2

As we were preparing this edition of UC Merced magazine in September, we achieved a number of significant milestones that had even the most animated Bobcat supporters stopping to catch their breath. We unveiled the university’s new branding program. We launched our first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, for $200 million — Boldly Forward. For the third year in a row, UC Merced has been named a top-100 institution by US News, and top 5 for creating social mobility for our students. And for the first time, Washington Monthly rated us among the top 50 schools in the country, based on social mobility criteria. Perhaps most significantly, the White House awarded a $65.1 million grant to a group of Central Valley institutions, including UC Merced: the Fresno-Merced Future of Food (F3) Innovation Coalition. This, the largest-ever federal grant awarded to the Valley, will help launch a state-of-the-art agricultural technology hub that will serve and FRQQHFW IDUPHUV DFURVV WKH 6DQ -RDTXLQ 9DOOH\ WR LQGXVWU\bDV ZHOO DV VSDUN D PRUH DGYDQFHG HUD LQ DJULFXOWXUH EDVHG technology in an effort to boost productivity, create jobs and build capacity for regional sustainability. $V ZH ORRN IRUZDUG WR WKH FRPLQJ \HDU Ǻ ZLWK RXU ODUJHVW IUHVKPDQ FODVV LQ KLVWRU\ D JURXQGEUHDNLQJ IRU RXU medical education building and the creation of our “smart farm” tied to the F3 grant — we see nothing but bright VNLHV IRU RXU XQLYHUVLW\ 2XU FRUH PLVVLRQ RI WHDFKLQJ UHVHDUFK DQG SXEOLF VHUYLFH LV JURZLQJ LQ VFRSH DQG VFDOH more students are drawn here to chart their course to future successes, greater research activity is expanding the ERXQGV RI NQRZOHGJH DQG LQFUHDVLQJO\ 8& 0HUFHG LV ORRNHG WR DV D FRQYHQLQJ DQG FRRUGLQDWLQJ LQVWLWXWLRQ LQ improving life in the Central Valley and beyond. :H DUH IXOILOOLQJ WKH KRSHV DQG WKHQ VRPH RI WKRVH ZKR EURNH JURXQG LQ 0HUFHG \HDUV DJR WR EXLOG WKH QHZHVW campus of the nation’s premier public university system. And everyone — students, faculty, staff, supporters, our QHLJKERUV DQG RXU IULHQGV ǺbKDV KDG D KDQG LQ WKLV VXFFHVV

I am proud to lead UC Merced, and proud of everyone in the Bobcat family.

Fiat Lux,

U C M E R C E D M A G A Z I N E / / U C M e r c e d . e d u