UC Merced chancellor touts rise in rankings, enrollment at ‘State of the University’ speech

UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz delivered his state of the university address Wednesday, touting the university’s increased enrollment, research funding and recent climb in rankings among national institutions.

Speaking to the UC Merced Foundation, campus leadership and local dignitaries, Munoz heralded work done by staff and students at the school.

He said the total enrollment of more than 9,100 students this fall is the highest in the history of the university.

“This is even more remarkable when one looks at the broader context,” Muñoz said. “Enrollment in U.S. higher education has been declining since 2010. This year there are almost 300,000 fewer students enrolled nationally than just 2021.”

“Unlike last year, we were able to accommodate all who wanted to live on our campus and we hope that this is always something that we’re able to do,” Muñoz added.

For the third year in a row UC Merced, which opened in 2005, was ranked among the top 100 institutions by U.S. News & World Report and the university was ranked in the top 50 by Washington Monthly.

The Association for the Advanced Sustainability in High Education ranks UC Merced as a platinum university, ranking it tied for No. 1 for its research on sustainability.

“This is a very good report card for any 17 year old,” Muñoz joked. “I always say we don’t do what we do to chase rankings, rather we pursue excellence and the world takes notice.”

Muñoz applauded the $100 million allocated to UC Merced by the state budget in July that will help fund campus expansion, climate-related initiatives, the university’s Community and Labor Center and a potential housing partnership with Merced College.

He also displayed an artists’ rendering of UC Merced’s new medical education building.

UC Merced’s proposed Health, Behavioral Sciences and Medical Education Building will house the Departments of Psychological Sciences and Public Health, a medical education program, and Health Sciences Research Institute.

UCSF’s regional hospital and clinical program in Fresno will work in partnership with UC Merced’s new medical program.

“Next fall we will enroll our first cohort of the BS to MD scholars from the Valley,” Muñoz said.

“These are students from the Valley who will start here in Merced, their first years as students — undergraduates, baccalaureate students — and then complete their medical education — after years one and two in this building — with our partners at UC San Francisco and Fresno.”

“This is unprecedented and this will provide a pipeline of medical professionals indefinitely here in the Valley,” Muñoz added.

Muñoz said the final Board of Regents approval for the medical buildings is expected in early spring with groundbreaking on the new buildings soon thereafter.

He spoke about the automatic admissions program which was launched in 2021 with Merced Union High School District that grants automatic entry to UC Merced for local students who meet UC level criteria in high school.

“Its popularity has proven so great that we launched the automatic admission program this year alone with five more districts, including Dinuba, Cutler Orosi, Chowchilla, Los Banos and (Modesto),” he said.

Muñoz says the automatic admissions program for local students fulfills a promise made early when UC Merced was built “to provide an opportunity and access to the highest caliber of higher education for students from the Valley and we anticipate many more agreements to be signed.”

“What we do here every day in teaching and research and creating a supportive community is being noticed throughout California and indeed throughout the country,” he added.