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UC Merced

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
5200 North Lake Road
Merced, California 95343
Phone
(209) 228-4400
Email address
admissions@ucmerced.edu
School Information
"UC Merced opened Sept. 5, 2005, as the newest campus in the University of California system and the first American research university of the 21st century. Situated near Yosemite National Park, the campus significantly expands access to the UC system for students throughout the state, with a special mission to increase college-going rates among students in the San Joaquin Valley. It also serves as a major base of advanced research, a model of sustainable design and construction, and a stimulus to economic growth and diversification throughout the region." UC Merced has more than 8,800 students, 250 tenure-track faculty members, and 200 clubs and organizations. (Source: https://www.ucmerced.edu/about).
General Information
UC Merced has an Inclusive Excellence Institute that gives faculty and staff DEI training. The university also hosts many teach-ins and has resources dedicated to promoting antiracism. See developments below:

Actions Taken

Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • UC Merced has a virtual discussion series called "Reflecting on Anti-Racist Pedagogy" with the aim of "[exploring] the intersection between anti-racist teaching and anti-racist pedagogy."
Program and Research Funding
  • $1,000 will be given to individuals and groups who have "dedicated their time and effort in championing equity and justice initiatives through the inclusive excellence framework" to assist with the implementation of their research/initiatives.
Resources
  • The UC Merced Black Alliance's mission is to "promote education and engagement with Black identified individuals on and off campus." For the 2022-23 school year, the alliance hosted several events, such as the "Race and Disability Panel."
  • The Inclusive Excellence Institute is a year-long, cohort-driven professional development experience centered around the tenets of equity, justice, and inclusive excellence. It draws from the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’s Strategic Framework and seeks to "develop equity-minded practitioners" amongst UC Merced's staff and faculty.
Symbolic Actions
  • Following the murder of George Floyd, the VBL Task Force was created to address the UC Mercer community's petitions and demands, with representation from all stakeholder groups across its five subcommittees. UC Mercer's Valuing Black Lives Initiative (VBL) is "rooted in the acknowledgment that anti-Blackness is detrimental to our mission as a public research university, which echoes the vision of people first and anti-oppression and liberation for all in the OEDI Strategic Framework."
  • UC Merced's Academic Senate has a Committee for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) that acts on all matters of equality and diversity and in particular in reference to underrepresented faculty populations.
  • On July 1, 2022, UC Merced's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion transitioned to the Division of Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE). With regards to the name change, Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer Delia Saenz said that "diversity" isn't going anywhere. Instead, the focus is shifting toward cultivating an environment where a diverse community can thrive.
  • On February 24-25, 2023, UC Merced hosted its first Global Africana Studies Research Conference titled “Being and Becoming: Blackness in Multiple Contexts.” The event was co-sponsored by the Academic Senate and the UC Merced Black Alliance and the subject was on Black consciousness and African freedom.
Last updated June 6th, 2023
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