Kenneth Mashinchi

One of UC Merced’s core values is sustainability and that extends to food waste.

The fastest-growing public research university in the nation is the fastest-rising university in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings.

UC Merced has been recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) as having the most sustainable buildings in higher education throughout the world.

UC Merced has made its way into another top 10 in national rankings, this time jumping up to No. 6 in the Sierra Club’s 2019 “Cool Schools” list. The university jumped 44 spots from its previous high, No. 50 in 2017.

As UC Merced’s mission of food rescue continues to expand in the community, a new program will make sure food isn’t wasted on campus as well.

The No Food Left Behind initiative aims to reduce food insecurity and waste on campus by connecting the campus community to Lakeside catered events that have food left over. When ordering in CaterTrax, there is now an option to donate leftover food, and, if selected, the event will be registered as a No Food Left Behind event.

UC Merced moved into the top 10 in the country in first-generation student performance in the Washington Monthly 2019 College Guide and Rankings released last week. The university — with more than 73 percent of the undergraduate student population being first generation, double the national average and the highest percentage in the UC system — ranked No. 8, jumping five spots from No. 13 in the 2018 rankings.

With a new academic year underway, first-year students are transitioning to university life. In an effort to help these students integrate into the environment — while cultivating meaningful academic, social, wellness and leadership experiences — UC Merced’s Office of Student Life has created the Bobcat Compass program.

UC Merced welcomed the largest incoming class to campus over the past week, as more than 2,000 first-year and transfer students took part in Welcome Week festivities.

Throughout the weekend, families from across the state made their way to Merced to move in their new Bobcat. Among those moving in was Interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom, who will live on campus during his time at UC Merced.

Two simple words, “Leland Legacy,” captured the significance of Wednesday’s opening event for the second phase of the Merced 2020 Project, an event that doubled as a goodbye and thank you to outgoing Chancellor Dorothy Leland.

The message graced a wall of the new Sustainability Research and Engineering Building in large white block letters, a nod to Leland’s tireless effort and motivation to lead the award-winning expansion project.

UC Merced continues to be recognized as one of the top universities in the country, and the campus received another notable accolade Tuesday, making its first appearance in The Princeton Review’s “Best 385 Colleges” guide.

The 2020 edition was formulated through surveys of 140,000 students from across the country. The 84-question survey touches on a school’s academics, administration, campus community and personal experience. The 385 schools are not ranked in numerical order.