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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

Photo depicts Brittany Barreto Martinez pouring liquid into a test tube in a lab.
July 10, 2025

San Luis Reservoir in Merced County - one of California's largest artificial lakes - not only irrigates Central Valley farmland and supplies drinking water across Silicon Valley and the South Bay,...

Photo depicts a UC Merced student holding a 3D printer available for use at the university's Makerspace.
July 9, 2025

UC Merced's Makerspace lab has been living up to its name recently. The School of Engineering's lab, housed in the Sustainability Research and Engineering building, has been increasingly busy. The...

Graphic depicts a photo of Leslie Perez-Cruz with text reading
July 8, 2025

This is part of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Leslie Perez-Cruz will start at UC Merced with several accomplishments already under her belt - she...

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