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Remarks and Writings

Messages to Campus
Aug 29	2013	Fall Greeting for Faculty and Staff Dear faculty and staff: Welcome to the new academic year! I hope you were able to catch up on rest and relaxation during the summer months, even as many folks continued conducting research, teaching and performing important administrative duties...
Jun 12	2013	A Budget Update from Chancellor Leland Dear Colleague, I am very pleased to share some good news regarding the state budget with implications for the University of California and for our campus as it relates to the planned Classroom and Academic Office Building (CAOB). Over the past...
May 15	2013	An update on 2020 Project Dear Colleagues: I am very pleased to report that the UC Board of Regents’ Committee on Grounds and Buildings approved our proposed amendment to the UC Merced 2009 Long-Range Development Plan at its meeting in Sacramento today....
Apr 24	2013	A Campus Update from Chancellor Leland Dear Colleagues, How time flies! Another semester is almost over and soon we will be saying our goodbyes to graduating students. We will be having two commencement ceremonies this year as a consequence of the steadily increasing...
Mar 14	2013	Update on 2020 Project As mentioned in my most-recent campus update (Feb. 25), I requested a spot on the agenda of the UC Board of Regents meeting yesterday to make the regents aware of the urgent space needs of our growing campus and outline a path forward based on the...
Feb 25	2013	Campus Update from Chancellor Leland Dear Colleagues, I hope the spring semester is proving to be an eventful and productive time for you. The University of California—and indeed public higher education in general—is off to a good start in 2013 thanks to the passage of...
Jan 22	2013	Spring Greeting to Students Welcome back from the winter break! I hope each of you is returning invigorated and ready for an eventful semester. Most administrators have been at work since early January while you were away. I have been busy with transitioning two new members of...
Jan 07	2013	Release of Urban Land Institute Report Urban Land Institute issues set of recommendations to guide expansion of UC Merced’s much-needed physical capacity over the next eight to 10 years As announced in September, 2012, UC Merced retained the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to help identify...
Jan 07	2013	Update on Campus Planning Dear Colleagues: In my last campus-wide letter (Dec. 3), I mentioned that the final report from the Urban Land Institute would be available soon. As you’ll recall, we asked ULI to help us identify the most cost-efficient and programmatically...
Dec 03	2012	Chancellor Leland’s Campus Update Dear Colleagues: As the end of the semester draws near, I have several updates to share with you regarding administrative appointments, the budget outlook for the University of California and our campus, and the two-year goals I submitted recently to UC...
Nov 07	2012	Post-Election Message from Chancellor Leland Dear UC Merced Community, Thanks to our student leaders and the staff who supported them, UC Merced had a very successful get-out-the-vote effort yesterday. Many students, faculty and staff stopped by the campus polling site—2,000 at last count...
Oct 22	2012	Campus Update from Chancellor Leland Dear Colleagues, With the 10th anniversary of Founders Day just around the corner, I want to take a few moments to provide you with an update on various matters. But first, allow me to say a few words about Founders Day. This is the name given to the...
Sep 17	2012	Urban Land Institute Campus Visit Dear Colleagues: As you may recall, UC Merced recently retained the Urban Land Institute to help us determine the most cost-effective and programmatically viable alternatives for expanding our physical capacity during a period of ongoing financial...
Aug 23	2012	Welcome to New Academic Year Dear UC Merced Colleagues: It is a pleasure to welcome you back for the 2012-2013 academic year. I hope the summer months afforded you a chance to travel, explore, stretch your minds, spend time with family and friends or otherwise renew and...
Jul 31	2012	Campus Update from Chancellor Leland Dear UC Merced Colleagues: The summer months are quickly drawing to their end. Although summer typically brings a smaller number of students to campus, the work we do to advance the mission of UC Merced continues full steam. I hope you have found some...
Jun 22	2012	Appointment of Interim Provost Dear Colleagues: As I mentioned in my last update to the campus community, I have identified a strong, widely respected member of the UC Merced faculty to serve as interim provost upon the retirement June 30 of Keith Alley, who has served as executive...
Jun 01	2012	A Campus Update from Chancellor Leland Dear Colleagues: The academic year is finally over, culminating in the annual commencement exercise that celebrates the academic achievements of our students. Over the years, each one of you contributed in a multitude of different ways to making that...

Announcements
Apr 21	2013	San Francisco Chronicle: UC Merced goes from shunned to popular Sunday, April 21, 2013 San Francisco Chronicle UC Merced goes from shunned to popular Once-shunned campus now can’t expand fast enough to meet demand By Nanette Asimov Merced --- Change is tough. People resist unfamiliar ideas...
Jan 22	2013	New Leadership Council (for managers and supervisors) Colleagues: If you have attended any of the open forums I host regularly or read my periodic campus updates, you know my firm belief that communicating about our work with our colleagues is one of the most important responsibilities each of us has....
Aug 15	2012	New Provost and EVC at UC Merced Dear UC Merced Colleagues: Following an extensive nationwide search, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas W. Peterson, assistant director of the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation and former dean of the University...
Jun 19	2012	New Campus Ombudsperson Dear UC Merced Colleagues: I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Deidre "De" Acker as the campus ombudsperson, effective July 16, 2012. The position — a new one at our campus — will report to the Office of the Chancellor...

Remarks and Addresses
Oct 27	2012	Founders Day Remarks -- It Takes a Village: UC Merced from Vision to Reality [As prepared for delivery] On behalf UC Merced students, faculty, and staff, I want to again thank the remarkable individuals recognized tonight with Founders Day medals. The “can do” spirit you’ve demonstrated over the years is woven...