Alyssa Johansen

Fueled by a $38 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — her second to UC Merced and the largest single philanthropic gift in the university's history — and the sustained generosity of the Bobcat community, 2025-26 was UC Merced's strongest fundraising year on record. 

The campus raised more than $68 million during the fiscal year, pushing Boldly Forward: The Campaign for UC Merced to nearly $180 million. The milestone nearly doubled the prior fundraising record of $36 million, set in 2022-23. 

Five faculty members in the UC Merced School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts have been appointed to endowed chairs, recognizing their scholarship and contributions to research that serve underrepresented communities, advance human rights and shape the future of communications.

"These works are a tribute to nature, to culture, and to time itself." 

That's how UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz described "Four Seasons of Yosemite" during a reception at the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, where campus leaders and community members, donors and the artist himself gathered to celebrate the university's milestone acquisition of the four monumental stained-glass murals. 

David Zwart hadn't even finished introducing himself as the keynote speaker for "The Dutch -American Story in the San Joaquin Valley" at the UC Merced event on July 14 before he'd found a connection in the audience. 

"Any connections?" the historian and associate professor at Grand Valley State University asked, rattling off the years he'd spent teaching in nearby Visalia in the late 1990s. An audience member called out a name he recognized. It's a parlor game Zwart calls "Dutch Bingo," a version of six degrees of separation that, among Dutch Americans, usually takes one or two. 

Bruce Lee's favorite dish was oyster sauce beef, and on the evening of May 7 it was on the menu at UC Merced, alongside a conversation about who Lee really was, why he still matters and what his story says about America.

Jeff Chang, cultural historian and author of “Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America,” was on campus as  the featured guest of two events: UC Merced Dining’s Food for Thought Speaker Series and "Storytelling with Jeff Chang"  at the Leo & Dottie Kolligian Library.

UC Merced will celebrate the Class of 2026 with three inspiring alumni returning to campus as keynote speakers for commencement ceremonies May 15-17.

Emily Reed, ’07, ’13, a tenured biology professor at Merced College, will share her story with more than 100 master’s and doctoral degree candidates and their guests at the Graduate Division ceremony on May 15.

At an intimate gathering of supporters, UC Merced awarded former Gov. Gray Davis the Chancellor’s Medal — the university’s highest honor — in recognition of his instrumental role in bringing the 10th University of California campus to Merced.

The medal was presented recently during a special evening marking UC Merced’s 20th anniversary year, celebrating two decades since the campus opened its doors to undergraduate students.

Female high school student-athletes are invited to the UC Merced campus on March 8 for Together We Will, a first-of-its-kind conference designed to inspire connection, confidence and leadership.

The one-day event will bring together speakers, mentors and health experts to provide a platform for young women to build skills for success in both competition and life.

Black History Month often honors familiar names, leaders whose courage and determination changed the course of a nation. But many others have made groundbreaking contributions that exposed injustice, advanced civil rights, reshaped American culture and revolutionized technology. Their achievements and efforts were met with threats, ignorance and suppression. Some had soaring potential cut short by mortal illness.

From open farmland in California’s Central Valley to a global model for sustainable design, UC Merced’s architectural story is currently on view as part of a special exhibit at UC Berkeley’s Bauer Wurster Hall.

Located in one of Berkeley’s most iconic Brutalist buildings and the home of the College of Environmental Design, “From the Ground Up: Building UC Merced” features oversized photographs, architectural models and sketches that trace Merced’s ambitious growth while creating a visual and conceptual bridge between the University of California’s first and newest campuses.