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

 

UC Alumnus named UC Merced Chancellor

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, 2023

UC Merced Ascends to New Heights

Re: UC Merced Ascends to New Heights To: All campus To the campus community, For years we have affirmed that UC Merced doesn’t do what it does for rankings... Read More

September 13, 2023

The Promise of a New Academic Year

Re: The Promise of a New Academic Year To: Faculty and staff To the campus community, We have embarked upon another academic year with hope, success, and the... Read More

News

Anne Zanzucchi leads a discussion of rhetoric in a writing class at UC Merced.
October 2, 2023

Writing is still the most important, and most-used, form of communication in the world. "Writing is crucial in that it's both a product and a process. It's in the fabric of what we do," said Paul...

The annual Shakespeare in Yosemite production is just one avenue for environmental humanities students to get involved.
September 28, 2023

Compelling storytelling is vital to ensuring the action needed to secure a habitable planet for future generations, according to an increasing amount of research. UC Merced is recruiting students now...

September 28, 2023

  More than half of UC Merced's population is made up of Hispanic/Latinx students. There is no shortage of ways for Bobcats to get in touch with their roots on campus, in the community and even...

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