Thank You for a Year of Impact, Partnership, and Promise

Dear Campus Community,

As we approach the end of the year and look ahead to the holidays and a new chapter, I want to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together and why it matters far beyond our campus.

Just two weeks ago, we held a beam signing for the new Promise Housing facilities, a milestone that underscores UC Merced’s commitment to access and affordability. It reflects our belief that education does not exist in isolation; it is deeply connected to housing stability, community, well-being, and economic opportunity.

That commitment has been reinforced this year through extraordinary philanthropic recognition of our work, including a $5M gift from the Campos Foundation earlier this fall to the more recent $38M transformative gift from MacKenzie Scott. These investments in UC Merced are a powerful affirmation of our mission, rooted in equity, impact, and public good. They recognize not only what we do for our students, but also the leadership role this campus plays in shaping outcomes for communities across California. As we head into the new year, I will be consulting with a number of academic, staff, and student leadership groups as to the most prudent strategies for the continued use and allocation of these funds.

As a member of the state’s Strategic Growth Council, I recently participated in votes approving nearly $1 billion in affordable housing grants and agricultural land preservation awards statewide. These are decisions that will influence the lives of tens of thousands of low-income Californians, and this work reflects the values that define this university: a belief that institutions like ours can and should help solve society’s most pressing challenges.

Those values are also reflected in our recent Gobble and Gather on the Go, a turkey giveaway to low-income seniors who live in our neighboring community of Planada, as well as in our growing partnerships with Merced College and the City of Merced. As I presented to the Merced City Council at their most recent meeting, I am reminded that UC Merced’s impact is strongest here and across the region when we work together – aligning higher education, local government, and community organizations around shared goals.

As we close out the year, I am deeply grateful to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and campus partners. Your dedication and belief in UC Merced’s mission make this work possible. Together, we are expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and demonstrating how a public research university can improve lives well beyond its classrooms and labs.

I wish you and your loved ones a restful holiday season and a hopeful start to the new year. I look forward to all we will continue to build in 2026 and beyond.

With gratitude and optimism,

Juan Sánchez Muñoz

Chancellor