Only two decades after opening its doors to undergraduates, the University of California, Merced has become a significant force in academic research and regional economic development, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said during his annual State of the University address.
Addressing campus and community leaders as well as members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees, Muñoz reflected on the university’s growth since its grand opening in 2005. At that time, only a few buildings were completed and most classes took place in the library.
Muñoz recalled founding Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey’s words from opening day: “UC Merced resolved to reach the high standards for education and innovation set by the University of California’s previous nine campuses.” He added, “The chancellor knew then, as I do now, that the people assembled to learn, to teach, to work and inquire at UC Merced have indeed been and remain categorically up to the task.”
During his remarks, Muñoz announced a new endowment created by Keith Alley—UC Merced’s first vice chancellor for research and graduate dean—and his wife Jill. The endowment will provide ongoing funding with a pledge of up to $2 million for undergraduate student research. Keith Alley also served as provost from 2006 until his retirement in 2012.
According to a recent study commissioned by UC Merced and conducted by Beacon Economics, the university contributes approximately $1 billion annually to Merced County’s economy and nearly $1.4 billion statewide. The report indicates that UC Merced supports one out of every fifteen jobs in Merced County and more than 8,600 jobs across California. Its research activities alone generate $158 million in economic output within California.
In terms of academic recognition, U.S. News & World Report ranked UC Merced 25th among public universities nationwide while The Wall Street Journal placed it 14th among all universities. Both publications listed UC Merced third nationally for social mobility—a measure reflecting students’ ability to improve their economic status through higher education.
The university continues to draw heavily from within California; over 95 percent of students are state residents with nearly 40 percent coming from the Central Valley region. Sixty-five percent of new students this semester are first-generation college attendees.
To increase access for local students, UC Merced operates the Merced Automatic Admissions Program (MAAP), which streamlines applications for high schoolers meeting University of California requirements. Fresno Unified School District joined MAAP in September—adding one of about forty districts participating statewide.
Earlier this year, UC Merced achieved R1 classification from the Carnegie Foundation—the highest designation for public research universities—and was also awarded “opportunity” status for promoting access among underrepresented or low-income students while producing graduates who exceed expected earnings levels. Only twenty-one institutions nationwide—and three in California—hold both distinctions.
Other developments highlighted include expansion of the Agricultural Experiment Station; construction projects such as the new Education Building and Promise Housing for transfer students; and progress on training future physicians through San Joaquin Valley PRIME+, a pathway program designed for those with roots in the region.
Returning to Tomlinson-Keasey’s inaugural vision for UC Merced’s long-term growth, Muñoz concluded: “She said, ‘Our university will not be finished in 20 years, not in 50 years, not in many lifetimes. But let us begin.’ I am so very proud of what we have become at UC Merced. I am in awe of what we can be.
“As my predecessor said 20 years ago, I say again today: Let us begin.”
