Featured News (gateway)

On Aug. 12, 2005, less than one month before UC Merced opened its doors to undergraduate students, Tamela Adkins joined the campus’s Police Department as support services manager.

Intially, her role included managing records and evidence, overseeing the police dispatch center and hiring. She later added responsibility for the administrative unit and a federally required annual report of security policy and crime statistics..

Tears filled her eyes as she expressed what the past 20 years have meant to her.

To mark UC Merced’s entry into National Collegiate Athletics Association NCAA Division II competition, the university is launching the Bobcat Club – an initiative designed to support scholar-athletes and the campus’s elevated level of intercollegiate sports.

Two UC Merced graduate students and an alum from the School of Natural Sciences were recently awarded fellowships from the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

This year, NSF awarded 1,000 GRFP fellowships compared to about 2,000 in previous years.

Give to UC Merced, the university’s annual year-end fundraising campaign, was the most successful of its 11-year history, garnering nearly $1.43 million from 647 donors. The tremendous show of generosity far exceeded the original goal of $250,000 from 500 donors.

Each year, the UC Merced campaign launches on Giving Tuesday, the worldwide day of charitable giving on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In 2020, the university’s fundraising effort was extended to encompass the month of December.

In March, UC Merced wrapped up another successful Student Philanthropy Month, an annual tradition led by the Student Alumni Association that inspires students to engage in the spirit of giving and service. The monthlong celebration offers students a deeper understanding of philanthropy and its impact on campus and beyond.

Temnee Wright (’08) has realized a successful career as legal counsel at several Silicon Valley companies. Her interest in law was forged at UC Merced, where she made the most out of being a student in the university’s first undergraduate class.

Wright is the senior commercial counsel for San Jose-based Astera Labs, a semiconductor company that develops connectivity solutions for AI and cloud infrastructures. She negotiates details of and drafts documents for things like software licenses, vendor contracts, real estate leases and strategic partnerships.

The University of California, Merced, will celebrate the accomplishments of more than 1,500 students during its Spring 2025 Commencement ceremonies, to be held May 16 -18 on the UC Merced Recreation Field. The ceremonies will recognize graduates from all academic schools over three days of celebration.

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 16, with the Graduate Division ceremony, honoring 120 students receiving master's and doctoral degrees.