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Our past has been remarkable, and we know our future is brighter still.

 

UC Merced Chancellor, Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz

Dr. Juan Sánchez Muñoz assumed his role as UC Merced’s fourth chancellor on July 1, 2020, coming to UC from the University of Houston-Downtown, where he served as president since 2017. Having achieved his Bachelor's in Psychology at UC Santa Barbara and his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at UCLA, Muñoz’s move to UC Merced is a return to his California upbringing and academic roots. 

During his first year as chancellor, Muñoz has set the university's course for the next decade with an ambitious strategic plan that focuses on growth, impact and equity and justice. Muñoz was named the recipient of the 2020 Cesar Estrada Chavez Award from the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity for leadership on workers' rights and humanitarian issues, and in December 2020, Muñoz was appointed to the California Strategic Growth Council and currently serves with his wife, Dr. Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz, as a council member for the Yosemite Conservancy.

chancellor munoz headshot

Chancellor's Priorities

Writing and Remarks

May 9, 2025

Federal Update

Re: Federal Update To: All faculty and staff   Dear Campus Community,  Last week, I had the privilege of representing UC Merced in Washington, D... Read More

April 25, 2025

Federal Update

Dear Colleagues,   Last weekend, more than 5000 prospective students and their families visited campus for Bobcat Day. It was a tremendous show of campus spirit to... Read More

News

A large group of UC Merced Extension students holding up their certificates is pictured.
July 28, 2025

The region has nearly 170 newly certified community health workers after the first cohort completed a specialized training program at UC Merced. Graduates of the training, offered through the...

A sign posted on a tree in Eastern Europe warns of active land mines.
July 24, 2025

More than 100 million land mines remain buried around the world, posing a threat in approximately 70 countries and territories, and killing or injuring about 5,000 people, most of them civilians,...

Interdisciplinary Humanities Ph.D. graduate Nicolette Lecy and her 4-year-old son, Alejandro
July 24, 2025

When Nicolette Lecy began her graduate studies at UC Merced, life was anything but typical. It was August 2020, in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lecy’s classes were held remotely, and she had...

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