The University of California, Merced (also referred to as UC Merced or UCM), is the tenth and newest of the University of California campuses. Located in the San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated Merced County, California, near Merced, UC Merced was the first American research university to be built in the 21st century.[5] The University is also a census-designated place (CDP),[6] that was uninhabited at the 2010 census.[7]
As the San Joaquin Valley was the state's largest and most populous region without a UC campus, on May 19, 1988, the Regents of the University of California voted to begin planning for a campus in the region, in response to increasing enrollment and growth constraints at existing UC campuses.[8] On May 19, 1995, the Regents selected the Merced site, mid-way between Fresno and Modesto, as the location for the University of California's tenth campus.[9] The campus groundbreaking ceremony was held October 25, 2002, and the first day of class was September 6, 2005.
On May 16, 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama gave the commencement address for the university's first full graduating class.[10]
In 2010 the United States Census Bureau made UC Merced its own separate census-designated place.[6] Unlike the other campuses in the UC system, UC Merced was built in a rural, unincorporated area outside the boundaries of the City of Merced or any other existing city or community. Mail to the campus, however, is addressed "Merced, CA".
In fall 2010 the new student housing facilities, The Summits, opened to provide two new residential halls for incoming students. The two, four-story buildings, Tenaya Hall and Cathedral Hall, are reserved primarily for incoming freshmen students.[11]
UC Merced is headed by a chancellor. After a nation-wide search, on May 24, 2011, the Regents of the University of California named Dorothy Leland, President of Georgia College & State University, to be the university's newest chancellor. Sung-Mo (Steve) Kang, Dean of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Baskin School of Engineering held the position immediately prior, from 2006 to 2011, and stepped down so he could return to research and teaching. Carol Tomlinson-Keasey held the position from 1999 until she resigned on August 31, 2006. She returned to teaching and research in psychology in 2007 and later died of breast cancer in 2009.[12] [13] On September 21, 2006, the Regents named Roderic B. Park, a former interim chancellor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, as the acting chancellor for UC Merced.[14] Park remained acting chancellor until Kang took office in early March 2007.
Although UC Merced is located in a rural area associated with agriculture, it emphasizes cutting edge interdisciplinary research grounded in natural science, math, engineering and social sciences. The campus takes advantage of the surrounding environment by investigating issues relating to environmental systems of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, and of its youth by having programs in genetic research conducted in state-of-the-art research labs. It also benefits from proximity to Silicon Valley and other major universities. Research in fields like language acquisition and cultural issues is facilitated by the highly diverse ethnic makeup of the Central Valley.
UC Merced operates on a semester basis rather than the quarter system for its academic term. The Berkeley campus is the only other UC campus on a semester system.
The Science and Engineering Building.
UC Merced has 3 schools offering 19 undergraduate majors and 22 minors:[15][16]
- School of Engineering
- School of Natural Sciences
- School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
The site for the Science and Engineering Building 2 was recently dedicated.[17]
For graduate-level study, UC Merced Graduate Division offers programs in 11 emphases: applied mathematics, biological engineering and small-scale technologies, cognitive and information sciences, electrical engineering and computer science, environmental systems, mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, physics and chemistry, psychology, quantitative and systems biology, social and cognitive sciences, and world cultures.[18] The various programs within the Graduate Division have produced PhDs and Masters-level graduates. Some have found work in faculty positions at different colleges and universities, while others have chosen to enter government service.[19]
In 2011, the campus was granted accreditation by WASC.[20]
UC Merced's Central Plant
- Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI)
In 2007, UC Merced researchers obtained nearly $7 million in funding from the National Science Foundation.[21]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 1.126 square miles (2.916 km²), all of it land.
The campus is bounded by Lake Yosemite on one side, and two irrigation canals run through the campus. The campus master plan was developed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, its initial infrastructure by Arup, and its first buildings were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Thomas Hacker and Associates, and EHDD Architecture. The library and central power plant have been classified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold structures in terms of their high energy efficiency and low environmental impact.[22] The campus is located about seven miles (11 km) north of downtown Merced in the middle of a cattle ranch.[23]
Rather than build on 40 acres (16 ha) of protected land east of Lake Yosemite, where endangered fairy shrimp hatch in vernal pools, the school will build on a 230-acre (93 ha) parcel of grazing land south of campus, under a revised layout. The fledgling campus will cover a total of 810 acres (330 ha), rather than the 910 acres (370 ha) proposed in 2000.[24] The new design will impact a total of 81 acres (33 ha) of native wetlands in the region compared to the 121 acres (49 ha) forecast in the 2000 footprint.[25]
The library was the first building to open on campus. During the Fall 2005 semester, while construction on the Classroom and Science/Engineering buildings was still going on, all academic courses were conducted in the library. Its official motto is "Not what other research libraries are, what they will be."
The Library building is named for Leo and Dottie Kolligian. The first floor of the library was dedicated by Ed and Jeanne Kashian. The McFadden-Willis Reading Room is located on the fourth floor and named in honor of the McFadden and Willis children by Christine McFadden. The Library also has a technology classroom dedicated by Doris Gonella in honor of her late husband Louis, The Gonella Discovery Room.
There is a café located on the first floor, and doors roll up in good weather providing an indoor/outdoor feel. Currently, the electronic holdings are much greater than the size of the print holdings, consisting of about 20,000 online journals and 540,000 electronic books, compared to 70,000 print books.
UC Merced recently established an intercollegiate athletic program in hopes of joining the NCAA in the near future. In addition to having intramural team the university competes in 14 sports currently independent of the NCAA or other college athletic organizations. Current sport clubs include basketball, baseball, lacrosse, softball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball. The schedule for the new basketball team consists of a tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. Schedule.
On November 13, 2006, the University officially opened its gymnasium. The Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center, named after the rancher and dairy farmer who donated money for the facility's construction, features a "NCAA-sized basketball court, workout facilities, room for performances, wellness and fitness education and the Rajender Reddy Student Health Center".[26]
At the opening of the facility, UC Merced officials stated their intent to have competitive sports teams, starting with basketball, baseball, men's soccer and aquatics, and women's soccer and volleyball. The campus's goal is to compete at the NCAA Division II level as part of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
In November 2010 the university announced its intentions to join the NAIA for the 2011-2012 academic year.[27] The school intends to submit an official application to the NAIA in January 2011 and will know if they are accepted in early spring 2011. UCM plans to begin play in the NAIA's California Pacific Conference in men's basketball and women's women's volleyball in fall of 2011. The school also plans to eventually add men's volleyball and women's basketball. Long term plans include adding soccer and lacrosse after the university improves outdoor sport facilities and eventually move to the NCAA as the university and athletic programs expand.[27]
Approximately 1,600 students currently live on campus in the Valley and Sierra Terraces, 4.2 miles (6.8 km) away from the city of Merced. The most recent additions to Residence Housing are the Tuolumne (opened Spring 2007) and Mariposa (opened Fall 2008) Halls, which make up the two sections of the Sierra Terraces. Student housing, as well as the dining commons, are closed during winter break.[28] Much of the student life in the Residence Halls is run by the Resident Assistants (RAs) through various programs and activities.
The campus diversity in 2007–2008 was:
The remaining students were nonresident aliens or declined to specify their ethnicity.[29]
Due to the United States housing bubble, and high costs of bond-funded student housing ($13,720 on-campus compared to $7,000 off campus), many students choose to live in new housing subdivisions and McMansions outside of campus. The Cattracks transit system serves student-dense developments.[30]
The university attempts to engage students in on-campus activities like dances and movie nights. Additionally, many students go to Lake Yosemite which is near the main campus. Students can walk, jog, picnic, barbecue, and swim at the lake. Merced has several artistic venues which host plays, concerts, and art shows. They include The Mainzer Theater, The Partisan, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, and Playhouse Merced. Castle Air Museum is within close driving distance from Merced. Merced is known as the "Gateway to Yosemite" and it is common for students to take day trips to Yosemite National Park where they can hike, snowboard, rock climb, and camp overnight.
Student publications include the official student newspaper The Prodigy,[31] official radio station Bobcat Radio,[32] comedy newspaper The Other Child, the Democrats at UC Merced's newspaper The Donkey Press, the College Republicans' publication The Right Side and literary journals The Kumquat and Imagination Dead Imagine.
The student governments at UC Merced comprise the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the undergraduate body called the Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM).
The founding graduate students, who joined the Graduate School of UC Merced in early 2004, initiated the GSA in that year, before the university officially opened its doors to undergraduate students in the fall of 2005. The constitution and by-laws were prepared by them. They were then approved by all the graduate students.
The undergraduate students of UC Merced have initiated and established their student government. The Committee on Constitution and By-Laws was established in fall 2005 and was responsible for writing the constitution for the Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM).
Elections for the ratification of the constitution were held in April, 2006. The constitution was approved by a majority of the student body, officially establishing ASUCM, which serves as the official representative and voice of students at UC Merced.
There are approximately 113 student run clubs, including:Sports Shooting, Merced Pre-Law Society, Business Society, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), American Women Making A Difference, Black Student Union (BSU), Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Math Society, Amnesty International, American Medical Student Association, Chinese Student Association, Circle K International, Hermanas Unidas de UCM, Korean American Coalition, Hmong Student Association (HSA), Nikkei Student Union (NSU), Dance Coalition, Distinguished Ladies, Student Transfer Outreach and Mentor Program, Democrats at UC Merced, Bobcat Band, HHM (Hip Hop Movement), Society of Freethinkers, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Martial Arts Club, Muslim Student Association, NORML, Persian Student Association of UC Merced (PSAUCM), Pilipino American Alliance (PAA), Republicans at UC Merced, South Asian Student Association, Taekwondo (TKD), The Other Child, Rotaract, rock climbing, and bakery clubs.
There are currently seven social Greek organizations and four professional Greek organizations. The social Greek organizations are all governed by one council known as Fraternity Sorority Council. Collectively, fraternities and sororities constitute one of the largest student groups on campus.[citation needed] They are affiliated with large national organizations that are founded upon principles of leadership, scholarship, service and brotherhood or sisterhood.
- National Interfraternity Conference Fraternities
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- International Fraternities
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- Collegiate Panhellenic Sororities
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- Professional Co-ed Fraternities
- Notes
- ^ UC Annual Endowment Report Office of the Treasurer of The Regents'.' Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^ "Dorothy Leland named UC Merced Chancellor by regents". http://link.ucop.edu/2011/05/24/dorothy-leland-named-uc-merced-chancellor-by-regents. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ^ "UC Merced Begins Sixth Academic Year with High Hopes". Ucmerced.edu. 2010-08-24. http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/08242010_uc_merced_begins_sixth.asp. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ "UC Merced's Official Enrollment Tops 4,300". Ucmerced.edu. http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/09282010_uc_merced_s_official.asp. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ UC Merced - Mission Statement
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: University of California, Merced
- ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/California/.
- ^ Reinhold, Robert (November 26, 1988). "Battle for California Campus Waged Far From Urban Glow". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D81239F935A15752C1A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2008-01-27
- ^ "UC Merced Planning - Project Overview". www.ucmercedplanning.net. http://www.ucmercedplanning.net/projovrvw.html. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ^ See: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/474 (accessed 21 March 2012).
- ^ http://housing.ucmerced.edu/2.asp?uc=1&lvl2=6&lvl3=6&lvl4=177&contentid=162
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (October 13, 2009). "Carol Tomlinson-Keasey dies at 66; founding chancellor of UC Merced". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-carol-tomlinson-keasey13-2009oct13,0,6326141.story. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
- ^ U C Merced - UC President Appoints Roderic Park Acting Chancellor of UC Merced
- ^ [http://www.ucmerced.edu/academics UC Merced - Academics
- ^ UC Merced - Undergraduate Majors
- ^ See: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2011/01/15/1730536/new-science-building-site-dedicated.html (Accessed 26 March 2012)
- ^ UC Merced Graduate Division
- ^ See: http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/uc-merced-phd-lands-tenure-track-position-hydrology (accessed 21 March 2012); http://www.jessup.edu/about/personnel/faculty/richard-ravalli (accessed 21 March 2012); http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/01/31/2212952/uc-merced-connect-graduate-is.html (accessed 21 March 2012)
- ^ [2]
- ^ Doyle, Michael (October 13, 2007). "UC Merced leads research funds race". The Modesto Bee. http://www.modbee.com/local/story/92252.html. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
- ^ Boehland, Jessica (January, 2008). "Case study: University of California, Merced, Enlightening Sustainability: University research facility is a teaching tool for eco-minded students". GreenSource. http://greensource.construction.com/projects/0801_UniversityofCalifornia.asp. Retrieved 2008-03-03
- ^ McKinley, Jesse (July 26, 2006). "California's Newest State University Is Short of Students". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/17/education/17merced.html. Retrieved 2008-01-16
- ^ Trombley, William; Irving, Carl (Winter, 2001). "The Turbulent History of UC Merced. The University of California's proposed tenth campus encounters thorny environmental problems". National CrossTalk (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education) 9 (1). http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct0101/ucmerced.shtml. Retrieved 2008-03-11
- ^ "UC Merced changes expansion plans to protect sensitive wetlands". Mercury News. October 10, 2007. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7119471. Retrieved 2007-10-15. [dead link]
- ^ "U C Merced - Score! UC Merced Opens New Recreation Center, Launches Sports and Yosemite Leadership Programs". Ucmerced.edu. http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/11132006_score_uc_merced_opens.asp. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ^ a b Oppenheim, Jamie (November 17, 2010). "UC Merced ready to launch intercollegiate sports -- almost". Merced Sun-Star. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/11/17/1657000/uc-merced-ready-to-launch-intercollegiate.html. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ^ "Homework and Jacuzzis as Dorms Move to McMansions in California". The New York Times. November 12, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/us/homework-and-jacuzzis-as-dorms-move-to-mcmansions-in-california.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all.
- ^ "UC Merced - Fast Facts". http://www.ucmerced.edu/fastfacts/. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
- ^ "Homework and Jacuzzis as Dorms Move to McMansions in California". The New York Times. November 12, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/us/homework-and-jacuzzis-as-dorms-move-to-mcmansions-in-california.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all.
- ^ http://prodigy.ucmerced.edu/
- ^ http://bobcatradio.ucmerced.edu/
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