Re: A New Designation for UC Merced
To: All campus
Nov. 17, 2022
To the campus community,
UC Merced has been named an Agricultural Experiment Station by the University of California — the first time in more than half a century that a campus has been so designated.
This new designation by President Drake — in which UC Merced was joined by UC Santa Cruz — is the culmination of efforts led by university leadership, former Vice Chancellor of Research Marjorie Zatz, and our allies — and speaks to the respect that our campus and its research has earned. Specifically, our expertise in precision agriculture — driven by our faculty’s passionate pursuit of new knowledge and inspired by our location in the Central Valley — has positioned UC Merced to make even greater strides in agricultural discovery and innovations in the years ahead.
The designation itself is an impressive seal of approval. Moreover, it carries with it access to future university and extramural funding to promote one of our core research agendas, strengthen our collaborations with other university partners and indeed, influence the future of agriculture here in America’s breadbasket.
We applaud all those involved in bringing this designation to UC Merced, and in particular the faculty, staff and students whose brilliant and ongoing research continue to make our university a center of excellence in the world.
Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Gillian Wilson, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development
