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

September 18, 2026

In Motion: Updates from the Chancellor - August/Sept. 2026

Dear UC Merced faculty and staff, As summer winds down and autumn draws near, I continue to be inspired by the many ways UC Merced is advancing our mission—through... Read More

June 15, 2026

In Motion: Updates from the Chancellor - May/June 2026

Dear Faculty and Staff, As we move into summer, I want to take a moment to reflect on a remarkable few weeks for our campus and to share a few highlights from recent... Read More

News

Student shakes hand of UC Merced Dean of Students Jose Leon on a sunny day on campus
September 21, 2026

UCLA was a huge change for Jose León. The college transfer student from a small town and a tight-knit extended family struggled to relate to classmates from bigger cities. Then, at a student resource...

Andres Arias standing in front of campus building
September 17, 2026

When farmworkers decide conditions are so harsh they have to leave the fields, the story doesn’t end there — it moves to another corner of the labor market. UC Merced Sociology Ph.D. candidate Andrés...

Students dressed in black shirts and pants perform mariachi music in the UC Merced Conference Center.
September 16, 2026

UC Merced's Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations got off to a lively, colorful start on Tuesday, with a performance by Mariachi Los Bobcats, food and tabling in the university's Conference Center...

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