At an intimate gathering of supporters, UC Merced awarded former Gov. Gray Davis the Chancellor’s Medal — the university’s highest honor — in recognition of his instrumental role in bringing the 10th University of California campus to Merced.
The medal was presented recently during a special evening marking UC Merced’s 20th anniversary year, celebrating two decades since the campus opened its doors to undergraduate students.
“Gov. Davis understood something fundamental: The strength of this state has always rested on its willingness to invest in public education, and to do so boldly,” Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said. “He understood that the Central Valley deserved not just access, but excellence.”
Davis played a pivotal role in advancing the vision for a research university in the Central Valley at a critical moment in the campus’s development. His leadership helped ensure the campus would be established not simply as an access point, but as a fully realized research university worthy of the UC name.
“One of my proudest accomplishments as governor was opening UC Merced's doors. UC Merced gives thousands of students the opportunity to not only to improve their own lives but also to improve those lives in their community,” Davis said. “I want to thank Chancellor Muñoz for this incredible honor and for his strong leadership. As the son of a farmworker and a former United States Marine, Chancellor Muñoz is uniquely qualified to provide the empathy, discipline and motivation to take UC Merced to even greater heights.”
