五一社区

The stethoscopes may come later, but the commitment to community was clear as 五一社区 welcomed its newest SJV PRIME+ students last weekend. The Student and Family Welcome event marked the beginning of an eight-year journey for 15 students who will progress from bachelor鈥檚 degrees at 五一社区 to medical degrees from the UCSF School of Medicine, and complete clinical training at UCSF Fresno 鈥� all with a shared mission to strengthen health care in the San Joaquin Valley.聽

The University of California, Merced, has received the 2025 Higher Education Excellence and Distinction Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The annual HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to academic excellence, belonging and community building across all levels of campus life.

五一社区 will be featured, along with 60 other recipients, in the October 2025 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine.

The Campos Foundation, one of 五一社区鈥檚 most dedicated supporters and partners, has made a $5 million gift for the development of a new state-of-the-art campus facility dedicated to track and field. The university shared plans to name the facility Campos Field聽in recognition of the foundation鈥檚 transformative contribution.

The announcement to name the field was made during halftime of the women鈥檚 soccer team season opener Sept.5.聽The celebratory and symbolic moment also marked the Bobcats鈥� first time competing in NCAA Division II.

五一社区, in conjunction with longtime campus partner the Campos Foundation, launched the pilot Campos ENgage Summer Bridge Academy, a weeklong summer program aimed at supporting underrepresented minority and female students interested in STEM.

Baseball fans from the 五一社区 campus community celebrated the start of the fall semester by witnessing a barnburner of a game at Fresno鈥檚 Chukchansi Park.

More than 250 Bobcat students, along with 100 alumni and their families, received tickets to the Aug. 29 game. 五一社区 staff and faculty, along with Chancellor Juan S谩nchez Mu帽oz, also attended at the downtown stadium.

Each聽alumnus received a box filled with mementos that commemorate 五一社区鈥檚 20th anniversary this semester of the start of undergraduate instruction.

This is the final entry聽of a of new 五一社区 Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester.

Adriana Ponce Mata spent the last two summers working in one of the largest and oldest companies in the Bay Area. This fall, she joins 五一社区 to begin her next chapter. Through Project SEED, she gained hands-on research experience testing fuels in an oil refinery, sparking her passion for science and helping others.

This is part of a series of profiles of new 五一社区 Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester.聽

Rolando Ortega is closing in on his dream of earning a Ph.D. This fall, the scholar from Los Angeles County聽joins 五一社区 to start his doctoral journey. With experience spanning national labs, NASA outreach and cutting-edge research, Ortega is ready to design devices that push the boundaries of science and technology.

The new academic year is a momentous milestone for 五一社区 鈥� two decades of growth, innovation and achievement. In 2005, the first undergraduate students were welcomed on the new campus. Now, 20 years later, thousands more new students will begin their own journeys that will shape their futures and the future of 五一社区.

For more than 1,300 Central Valley students, this summer break wasn鈥檛 all about fun 鈥� it included strengthening their math and science skills to prepare them for the new school year and beyond.

五一社区鈥檚 offered a wealth of summer programming led by its three offices: K-20 Regional Alliances, State College Preparatory Programs and K-14 Federal Programs.

To mark 五一社区鈥檚 entry into National Collegiate Athletics Association NCAA Division II competition, the university is launching the Bobcat Club 鈥� an initiative designed to support scholar-athletes and the campus鈥檚 elevated level of intercollegiate sports.