UC Merced is being recognized from coast to coast as an institution that “redefines academic excellence, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said Wednesday in the annual State of the University address.
“As chancellor of this magnificent institution, I tell you that the state of our university is strong, and growing stronger year after year,” Muñoz said.
Speaking before an audience of faculty, staff, benefactors, Bobcat student athletes, and members of the university’s Board of Trustees, Muñoz said the University of California’s youngest campus is more than fulfilling its mission of research, teaching and community service.
“Academic excellence is about exceeding the national average in student graduation rates and minimizing the costs of education. It is about enrolling and graduating a large proportion of students from lower-income families,” Munoz said.
Muñoz noted that:
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The Wall Street Journal ranked the university No. 1 for social mobility — how well colleges and universities attract students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and help them complete degrees and graduate into promising careers. “As someone who was a member of that economically disadvantaged community, what an amazing legacy for this campus,” Muñoz said. “And let me tell you, it’s nice to be number one.”
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UC Merced enrolled more than 2,300 first-year or transfer students for the fall semester, bringing the total student body to more than 9,100.
