Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to a new academic year and a new era at UC Merced!

The dynamics of positive transformation always are powerful at the University of California system's youngest campus, but these forces are stronger than ever as we embark on the 2019-20 year.

In August, we bid farewell to Chancellor Dorothy Leland, who is retiring after eight years of extraordinary leadership. In a smooth transition, the university welcomed UC Chief Financial Officer Nathan Brostrom, a familiar face here, as interim chancellor. There will be a nationwide search for a permanent chancellor, with the goal of the UC Board of Regents approving a selection in May 2020.

On Chancellor Leland’s final day, we celebrated her leadership and a major milestone in the Merced 2020 Project: the on-schedule opening of its second phase, which adds laboratory and classroom space, student housing, roads and infrastructure. The 2020 Project, championed and shepherded by Chancellor Leland, is the most ambitious reshaping of a higher education campus in the United States.

The third and final stage of the expansion project will unfold before our eyes this academic year, with completion scheduled for fall 2020.

In this quarterly update, we get you up to speed on what the university is doing to develop and manage the resources needed to fulfill UC Merced's mission of teaching, research and public service. You will:

• Discover how we've streamlined and optimized the organization of auxiliary services such as the Campus Store, student housing, dining and transportation.
• Learn more about Interim Chancellor Brostrom and the search process for a permanent chancellor.
• Get an update on Workforce Adminstration, a new system that will track employees from hire to retire.

Again, welcome to all. The journey continues.

We are UC Merced!

Michael Riley

Interim Vice Chancellor and CFO

Division of Finance and Administration