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Remarks and Writings

Spring Greeting to Students

January 22, 2013
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 my leadership team: Provost Tom Peterson, our chief academic officer, and Dan Feitelberg, the... Read More

Release of Urban Land Institute Report

January 7, 2013
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 the most cost-efficient and programmatically effective means of expanding the campus’s... Read More

Update on Campus Planning

January 7, 2013
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 effective means of expanding our physical space to accommodate as many as 10,000 students within the... Read More

Chancellor Leland’s Campus Update

December 3, 2012
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 President Mark Yudof. First, please join me in welcoming Tom Peterson as provost and... Read More

Post-Election Message from Chancellor Leland

November 7, 2012
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—to participate in an election with national and statewide import. On the state level,... Read More

Founders Day Remarks -- It Takes a Village: UC Merced from Vision to Reality

October 27, 2012
[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 deeply into the fabric of this campus. And this gives me great hope that we can continue to... Read More

Campus Update from Chancellor Leland

October 22, 2012
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 historic campus groundbreaking in October 2002 and the investiture of UC Merced’s first... Read More

Urban Land Institute Campus Visit

September 17, 2012
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 uncertainty at the state level. (The ULI is a nonprofit land-use and planning organization.) We... Read More

Welcome to New Academic Year

August 23, 2012
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 reinvigorate the spirit that drives and sustains you. We begin the new year with some important... Read More

New Provost and EVC at UC Merced

August 15, 2012
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 of Arizona College of Engineering, to the position of provost and executive vice chancellor... Read More

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