University of California, Merced

Motto	Fiat Lux (Latin, "Let There Be Light")
Established	2005
School type	Public
Chancellor	Carol Tomlinson-Keasey
Location	Merced, California, USA
Enrollment	950 undergraduate, 50 graduate
Faculty	58
Endowment	$ USD
Campus	Suburban, 910 acres (3.7 km²) under construction
Sports teams	-
Website	www.ucmerced.edu

The University of California, Merced (UC Merced), located in the San Joaquin Valley at Merced, California (37.365° N 120.432° W), is the tenth University of California campus. The campus groundbreaking ceremony was held October 25, 2002, and the first day of classes was September 6, 2005. UC Merced is the first American research university built in the 21st century.

1 Organization and Governance
2 Academics
3 Research Institutes
4 Student Life
5 Student Government
6 Notable Faculty
7 Clubs
8 References
9 External links

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Organization and Governance

Like all UC campuses, UC Merced is headed by a Chancellor. The position has been held by Carol Tomlinson-Keasey since it was created in 1999.

Although located in a rustic area, Merced has focused on math, science, and engineering. The campus takes advantage of the surrounding environment by investigating issues relating to environmental systems of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, and of its youth by having programs in genetic research conducted in state of the art research labs.

Of note is that Merced operates on a semester basis rather than the quarter system for its academic term. The Berkeley campus is the only other UC campus on a semester system.

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Academics

The Science and Engineering Building, under construction as of January, 2006.

It has three schools:

Some classes are taught via remote broadcast from other UC campuses.

The undergraduate majors that are offered include:

Applied Mathematical Sciences
Bioengineering
Biological Sciences (Fall 2006)
Chemical Sciences (Fall 2006)
Computer Science and Engineering
Earth System Science
Environmental Engineering
Human Biology
Management
Material Sciences and Engineering (Fall 2006)
Mechanical Engineering (Fall 2006)
Physics (Fall 2006)
Social and Cognitive Sciences
World Cultures and History (or Literature emphasis)

The Graduate Programs that are offered include:

Quantitative and Systems Biology
Environmental Systems
Atomic and Molecular Science and Engineering
World Cultures
Social and Cognitive Sciences
Computer and Information Systems

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Research Institutes

The Sierra Nevada Research Institute
The World Cultures Institute

Planned Institutions

The Energy Institute
The Systems Biology Institute

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Student Life

Unlike other UC campuses, UC Merced does not have any year-round housing within walking distance of the campus. The on-campus housing system locks out all students for three weeks during winter break. The campus is several miles away from off-campus housing in Merced.

Also, the on-campus housing system does not have kitchens for student use. The dining halls are closed during Thanksgiving weekend, Spring Break, Veterans' Day, Presidents' Day, and Cesar Chavez Day.

The campus diversity in its first year: 37% Asian American, 25% Latino, 25% Caucasian, 6% African American, 0.7% American Indian, and 0.24% Afghan. The remaining students declined to specify their ethnicity.

Though the campus is not as established as UC Berkeley, and the city is not as active as Los Angeles, there are still several things to do off-campus. The university tries to engage students in on-campus activites like dances and movie nights. Lake Yosemite is only 50 yards away. Students can walk, jog, picnic, barbeque, and swim at the lake. Merced has several entertainment venues. They include the Mainzer Theater, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, and Playhouse Merced. Castle Air Museum is within bicycling distance. Merced is known as the "Gateway to Yosemite". It is common for students to take day trips to Yosemite where they can hike, rock climb, camp overnight, and enjoy the scenery.

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Student Government

The students of UC Merced are currently without a student government. Therefore, the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws was established in fall 2005 and is responsible for writing the constitution for the Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM).

On Tuesday, November 1, 2005 the committee ratified the constitution by a vote of 17 YES and 4 NO.

However, after receiving feedback from UCM Administration, UC Student Association, and students, the committee determined it was necessary to revise the constitution.

Currently, the Committee is in the process of revising the constitution and the deadline to complete the revision is Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Elections for the ratification of the constitution is scheduled for mid-April 2006. If the constitution is approved by a majority of the student body, then it will officially establish ASUCM and it will serve as the official representative and voice of students at UC Merced.

For more information about the committee, visit http://www.asucm.org/.

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