Creation of Strategic Plan Enters New Phase
Imagine 2030, the initiative to create a university-wide strategic plan that will serve as UC Merced’s “North Star” for the next decade, has entered its next phase.
Stakeholder engagement concluded in late January, with hundreds of people sharing suggestions through Zoom meetings and the Imagine 2030 website about what UC Merced should aspire to be by 2030 – the university's 25th year of operation. The next step: drafting a plan for the campus community’s review in late spring, with the goal of having the plan in place in the fall.
While the immediate work on the strategic plan will include sharpening of language and timelines, Imagine 2030 already has broad goals, including:
Cultivate a diverse culture of dignity and respect across the campus community.
Transform the Central Valley and the world through knowledge driven by UC-quality scholarly and creative activity, along with increased research and development.
Develop the next generation of scholars and leaders by expanding UC-quality educational opportunities and student success, including doctoral degree conferrals.
Please visit the initiative’s website and stay tuned as Imagine 2030 becomes a reality.
Campus Reaches Carbon Neutrality Ahead of Schedule
For a university that stakes its reputation in part on sustainable practices, the Dec. 3 announcement was huge: UC Merced was the nation’s first public university to achieve carbon neutrality, and it did it two years ahead of schedule.
Carbon neutrality refers to achieving zero net carbon dioxide emissions. That means any carbon emissions are offset by removal or elimination of emissions elsewhere. UC Merced’s achievement put it on The Princeton Review’s Green College Honor Roll and placed it fifth on the Sierra Club Cool Schools list.
“We are proud of our many achievements in reducing our impact on the environment, and this recognition of our carbon neutrality stands among the most meaningful we have yet received,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said.
The campus actually achieved carbon neutrality in 2018, but official verification takes time. UC Merced retained a third-party verifier to review and audit inventories of greenhouse gas emissions from onsite fossil fuel combustion and purchased electricity. The university has maintained stringent sustainability standards. It is green from the ground up, with every campus building LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
ECEC TO RESUME SERVICE IN SPRING SEMESTER
The Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will soon welcome Bobcat Kittens back to campus within the next month. The center, which closed in March 2020 because of the pandemic, is scheduled to resume operations for spring semester.
Responding to the wishes of parents and supporters, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz announced in December that the ECEC will reopen. In concert with this resumption, there is a need to determine how to reduce the center’s dependence on the university for financial support. This will be a priority over the next two years.
The center has welcomed toddlers and preschoolers to its vibrant learning environment since 2009. All recommended mitigation measures against COVID-19 will be in place.
The ECEC has limited capacity and enrollment must be for full-time attendance. For more information, please go to the center’s website.
FALL COMMENCMENT: VIRTUAL MEMORIES
UC Merced upped its game for Fall Commencement 2020, the second virtual graduation ceremony held amid the pandemic. The Dec. 19 event featured three videos live-streaming simultaneously, one for each school.
“You have persevered through challenges and overcome obstacles, never before so than this year of the pandemic,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz told graduates, “and you leave UC Merced more prepared than ever to succeed in your career and your lives.”
More than 550 bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. graduates were mailed commencement swag that included a cap and tassel, diploma cover, alumni license plate frame and lapel pin, business socks and a letter from the chancellor.
On top of that, External Relations created an online memory book, the Commencement Chronicle, that contains videos, messages to the graduates, and a searchable archive of each grad’s announcement slide.
“Congratulations, Bobcats,” said Ish Verduzco (Class of 2014), the alumni speaker. “I’m super-proud of all of you and can’t wait to see how you will take on the world.
“Let’s get it.”
Full Education in One City? That’s a Merced Promise
Higher education in Merced has a sleek, new pipeline. In November, UC Merced and Merced College unveiled a program that eases the transfer process and allows for cross-enrollment between the two institutions. UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and Merced College President Chris Vitelli signed a memorandum of understanding for the program, called the Merced Promise.
The program will:
- Develop an online “Program Mapper” that will help students accelerate progress toward degrees.
- Give Merced College students opportunities to participate in undergraduate research and attend courses at UC Merced.
- Allow undergraduate students from either institution to cross-enroll in one course per semester.
- Raise funds for Merced Promise scholarships, with guaranteed admission to UC Merced for students who complete all requirements.
[The program] is our promise to the Merced community that if a student is qualified and committed to their education, we will work together to ensure they achieve their goals.
Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz
Muñoz said the program “is our promise to the Merced community that if a student is qualified and committed to their education, we will work together to ensure they achieve their goals.”
Vitelli added: “It is impossible to overstate the significance of this partnership and the impact it will have on Merced and residents of this community.”
Spreading the News With Video Ads
We’re spreading the good word about UC Merced with video advertising. In the Fresno metro area, promotional ads are running on television station KFSN (ABC 30) and on video screens at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. The spots were developed by the Marketing Department’s video team.
WELCOME NEW STAFF
NOVEMBER 1, 2020 – JANUARY 31, 2021
- Kyle Catino
- Mayra Franco
- Meghan Graves
- Mari Harris
- Cristina Lomeli
- Marissa Lopez
- John Mathews
- Alexandra Navarro
- Bryan O’Neil
- Chris Rothermel
- Kristynn Sackett
- Judy Salas
