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 see our staff, faculty, and students create a truly memorable experience for future Bobcats and their families. I want to again express my gratitude to the various divisions and departments, schools and research units, clubs and organizations that made this year’s Bobcat Day so special. I hope you will join us for the next campus community celebration and “Beam Signing” on May 2 for the Medical Education Building.
Yesterday, the Carnegie Classification for Institutions of Higher Education released the new Student Access and Earnings designation list. UC Merced was named to the small group of Opportunity Colleges and Universities denoting both high access for brilliant students and higher earnings for our graduates. Out of nearly 4000 schools across the country, less than 200 in the nation, and only three R1 public universities in California earned this distinction. It speaks to the mission and values we uphold as a student-centered, academically rigorous research institution.
This week, I joined more than 250 higher education leaders from across the nation in endorsing a letter issued by the American Association of Colleges and Universities titled A Call for Constructive Engagement. In a unified statement, the association of campuses affirmed: “We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.” The full statement can be viewed at the link above.
This action comes on the heels of last week’s news of the termination of National Science Foundation awards that were said to be “not in alignment with [their] priorities.” UC Merced has received a few termination notices that we are currently evaluating. I urge any members of our research community who have received a notice to contact campus administration at spo@ucmerced.edu. We are directly involved with those currently impacted.
The actions related to NSF grants followed similar efforts by the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy. We take none of these lightly. Each affected grant carries not only personal ramifications for the principal investigators and their teams who face disrupted research and financial uncertainty, but also broader consequences for scientific progress, economic vitality, student learning, and public well-being.
We are members of the University of California and are categorically committed to defending the principles of academic freedom, academic inquiry and academic independence.
As we head into the weekend, I'd like to close with a passage from a message shared by UC President Michael Drake this week:
“We are a community with the shared vision of a brighter future for all. We are a community that treasures academic and research excellence, integrity, inclusion, collaboration, and the free exchange of varied viewpoints and ideas. These ideals are the foundation of our success. During turbulent times, we remain grounded in our values and fully committed to supporting our students, faculty and staff as they pursue the work that defines us.”
Let us hold fast to those principles as we navigate the road ahead, steadfast in our mission, united in our purpose and unwavering in our defense of the values that define and guide us.
Fiat Lux,
Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D.
Chancellor
