Greetings from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED. Seventeen years ago, the first classes were held at the nation’s first research university of the 21st century. UC Merced swiftly established a solid foundation for sustained excellence. We are proud to be designated Minority Serving Institution (MSI), Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). The university is in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s overall rankings and in the Top 40 of public universities. We also are No. 4 for supporting social mobility and No. 18 among universities with R2 research classification. The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts is UC Merced’s largest school, with 10 departments that contain 14 majors, 18 minors, the Merritt Writing Program, and 7 graduate programs. The School is exploring and explaining the past and present human condition as expressed through arts, culture, institutions, behaviors, and ideas. The School’s faculty members are dedicated to providing a vibrant education, especially to first-generation students and those from underrepresented communities. Faculty also conduct research on and around campus, in the nearby Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite National Park, throughout the San Joaquin Valley, around the state and across the globe. UC Merced is building the future in the heart of California, and the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts is proud to be part of UC Merced’s mission to build the future in the heart of California. I invite you to join us on our journey of knowledge and discovery.