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University Of California, Merced





Information

  name University of California, Merced
  motto Fiat lux (Let There Be Light)
  established 2005
  type Public
  faculty 58
  chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey
  undergrad 850
  postgrad 50
  city Merced
  state California
  campus Rural , 910 acres (37 km&sup2)
  website wwwucmercededu


The University of California, Merced ('''UC Merced'''), located in the San Joaquin Valley at Merced, California (), 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 .


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE

UC Merced is headed by a Chancellor . The position has been held by Carol Tomlinson-Keasey since 1999. She will resign as Chancellor on August 31, 2006, and plans to return to teaching and research in psychology in 2007. {Link without Title}

Although UC Merced is located in a rural area associated with agriculture, it emphasizes cutting edge interdisciplinary research grounded in natural science, math, 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. It also benefits from proximity to Silicon Valley and other major universities.

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.


ACADEMICS


It has three schools:
# School of Engineering
# School of Natural Sciences
# School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts

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 (emphasis in cognitive science, economics, psychology, or public policy)

  • World Cultures and History (emphasis in history or literature)


The undergraduate minors that are offered include:

  • American Studies

  • Arts

  • Cognitive Science

  • Economics

  • History

  • Philosophy

  • Psychology

  • Services Science

  • Spanish

  • Writing


The Graduate Programs that are offered include:
  • Quantitative and Systems Biology

  • Environmental Systems

  • Atomic and Molecular Science and Engineering

  • World Cultures and History

  • Social and Cognitive Sciences

  • Computer and Information Systems

  • Applied Mathematics



RESEARCH INSTITUTES

  • The Sierra Nevada Research Institute

  • The World Cultures Institute


Planned Institutes
  • MERI (Merced Energy Research Institute)

  • The Systems Biology Institute



CAMPUS LAYOUT

The campus is bounded by Lake Yosemite on one side and two canals run through the campus. The buildings will be grouped into "neighborhoods" by academic discipline, much in the manner of the Irvine campus. The campus master plan, as well as its first buildings, were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill .


ATHLETICS

Unlike other UC campuses, UC Merced does not have any official athletic teams.


STUDENT LIFE


Unlike other UC campuses, UC Merced does not yet have any year-round housing on campus. The campus is 4.2 miles away from the city of 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 , and 0.7% Native American . The remaining students declined to specify their ethnicity.

The campus is not as established as UC Riverside, and the city is not as active as Fresno, so there is a limited amount of activites to do off-campus around the Merced area. The university attempts to engage students in on-campus activities like dances and movie nights. Many students go to Lake Yosemite which is 50 yards away from the main campus. Students can walk, jog, picnic, barbeque, and swim at the lake. Merced has several artistic venues which host plays, concerts, and art shows. They include the Mainzer Theater, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, and Playhouse Merced. Castle Air Museum is within close driving distance from Merced. Merced is known as the "Gateway to Yosemite" and it is common for students to take day trips to Yosemite where they can hike, rock climb, and camp overnight.

Student publications include "The Prodigy" newspaper as well as the unofficial release "The Fury Shrimp Times".


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/.


NOTABLE FACULTY



CLUBS

  • American Medical Student Association

  • UCM FLO

  • UCM Jazz Band

  • The Jewish Student Union

  • Meat Club

  • Muslim Student Association

  • The Nonexistent Philosophy Club

  • NORML

  • Pakistani Student Association

  • UCM Republican Club

  • Ski and Snowboard

  • Vanguard

  • Martial Arts Club



REFERENCES



EXTERNAL LINKS