Chancellor

UC Merced Achieves R1: Highest Tier of Research Classification

February 13, 2025

UC Merced has assumed its place in the top echelon of research institutions in the nation by earning R1 status from Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The announcement was made Thursday morning by the American Council on Education and comes less than 20 years after the...

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham meets with graduate student Boe Mendewala and Chancellor Dorothy Leland.

Chancellor Leland Visits D.C. to Urge Congress to Protect Dreamers

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland united with members of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration in Washington, D.C., earlier this week to call on Congress to pass a...

A woman seated, behind the alumna keynote speaker at fall commencement, smiles.

Campus Hosts First-Ever Fall Commencement

More than 80 undergraduate and graduate students gathered in downtown Merced on Dec. 16 for UC Merced’s first-ever Fall Commencement. Graduates — along with their family and friends,...

Alumna Shavone Charles heads global music and youth culture communications at Instagram.

Shavone Charles is First Alum Chosen for Commencement Keynote

UC Merced is welcoming back its first alumni keynote speaker, Shavone Charles, to address December 2017 graduates at its first Fall Commencement ceremony on Dec. 16. Charles received her bachelor...

More than 2,000 people were on campus for Homecoming events Oct. 20-22.

Homecoming Unites Campus With Community

Traditional UC Merced events — Homecoming, Preview Day and Family Weekend, plus the Chancellor’s Scholars recognition ceremony — came together for a first-of-its-kind bundle of...

Homecoming Oct. 20-22 is slated to be a lively weekend joining past, present and future Bobcats, families and the local community.

Campus Celebrates Community at Homecoming

UC Merced’s Homecoming Oct. 20-22 will draw students, staff, faculty, alumni, family and friends together for a weekend of activities that highlight the campus and the community. For the first...

Merced 2020 Project Wins Gold for Social Infrastructure

The Merced 2020 Project earned two more awards this week, claiming the top prize for Best Social Infrastructure Project at the P3 Awards in Washington, D.C. UC Merced earned the Gold Award for...

Record-Breaking Class Pushes UC Merced Enrollment Near 8,000

The University of California, Merced, received the largest incoming class of students in its 13-year history this semester, as total enrollment neared 8,000 for the first time. The fastest-growing...

Chancellor First in Speaker Series Promoting UC Merced Women

Chancellor Dorothy Leland will be the first speaker in a new series, “Women We Admire,” which features women who work on campus. The series, presented by The Chancellor’s Advisory...

U.S. flag flies in front of UC Merced students

Statement From Chancellor Leland on DACA

The decision to end DACA is a cruel bait-and-switch for the many young adults who are living, learning, and working here under its protections. Congress must now step up and pass legislation that...