Kenneth Mashinchi

As UC Merced continues to expand, it becomes harder to find quiet spaces on campus to read and tackle class work. UC Merced Library staff members made it their mission to find a solution.

A survey of undergraduate and graduate students conducted by the Office of Space Planning & Analysis last year revealed a great need for additional study spaces of all types, including quiet areas. After months of renovation, the newly designed fourth floor of the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library building was unveiled last month, providing an additional 232 seats for students to study.

Two simple words, “Leland Legacy,” captured the significance of Wednesday’s opening event for the second phase of the Merced 2020 Project, an event that doubled as a goodbye and thank you to outgoing Chancellor Dorothy Leland.

The message graced a wall of the new Sustainability Research and Engineering Building in large white block letters, a nod to Leland’s tireless effort and motivation to lead the award-winning expansion project.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are pillars of UC Merced’s mission to serve, teach and conduct research. After years of working to find a permanent support space for students of all demographics on campus, the campus unveiled its new Multicultural Center last month.