UC Merced marked its 20th anniversary since the start of undergraduate instruction with a State of the University address delivered by Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. The event brought together campus and community leaders, as well as members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees.
Chancellor Muñoz reflected on the university’s early days in 2005, recalling that only a few buildings were complete and most classes took place in the library. He referenced founding Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey’s opening day remarks: “UC Merced resolved to reach the high standards for education and innovation set by the University of California’s previous nine campuses. 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.”
Muñoz announced a significant new endowment from Keith Alley, UC Merced’s first vice chancellor for research and graduate dean, and his wife Jill. They pledged up to $2 million in ongoing support for undergraduate student research.
The chancellor highlighted several milestones from UC Merced’s two decades:
A recent study found that UC Merced generates an annual economic impact of $1 billion in Merced County and nearly $1.4 billion across California. According to a soon-to-be-released report by Beacon Economics commissioned by the university, UC Merced supports one out of every 15 jobs in Merced County and over 8,600 jobs statewide. Its research activities alone contribute $158 million in economic output within California.
UC Merced has moved up in national rankings; U.S. News & World Report placed it 25th among public universities while The Wall Street Journal ranked it 14th among all universities nationally. Both outlets listed UC Merced third for social mobility—a measure reflecting how students’ economic and social standing improves through education.
The majority of students are Californians—over 95 percent—with nearly 40 percent coming from the Central Valley region. This semester, about 65 percent of new students are first-generation college attendees.
The university’s streamlined admissions initiative—the Merced Automatic Admissions Program (MAAP)—now includes Fresno Unified School District as its latest participant among roughly 40 districts statewide.
Earlier this year, UC Merced received R1 classification from the Carnegie Foundation—signifying top-tier status among public research universities—and also earned Carnegie’s “opportunity” status for providing access to underrepresented or low-income students whose graduates exceed expected earnings outcomes. Only three universities in California hold both distinctions.
Other developments mentioned include growth at the Agricultural Experiment Station; construction projects such as the new Education Building and Promise Housing for transfer students; and progress on PRIME+, a pathway program designed to train physicians with roots in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
In closing his address, Muñoz cited Tomlinson-Keasey again: “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.”
