At UC Merced, we believe that our differences — of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, socioeconomic status, abilities, experience, geographic region and more — enhance our ability to achieve the university’s primary mission of research, teaching and public service.
We welcome students and faculty and staff members from all backgrounds, and our goal is that everyone here feels respected and valued. That philosophy is at the core of what we do.
UC Merced has a compelling interest to ensure people from all walks of life understand that access to the university is possible and strongly promoted. The campus community has undertaken numerous activities and initiatives to enhance and improve an already strong culture of inclusion.
Diversity enriches our research and academic missions. Our academic and research programs promote an interdisciplinary approach that encourages collaboration across fields of study, strengthening our ability to help solve society’s complex problems.
The Office of Campus Climate and Compliance provides direction, guidance and resources to assist the campus in creating and maintaining a positive and healthy learning, working and living environment. The office is committed to enhancing campus climate, encouraging inclusion, fostering respect and promoting community while fulfilling UC Merced’s mission of research, teaching and service in an ethical and compliant manner.
As a workplace, UC Merced hires, promotes, compensates and retains employees only on the basis of their qualifications and performance and the campus’s business and educational needs. Our Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action unit within the office of Human Resources upholds the campus’s policy to provide employment, training, compensation and other conditions or opportunities associated with employment in compliance with the law.
The Faculty Welfare and Academic Freedom (FWAF) Committee and the Academic Personnel Office sponsor a Faculty Mentoring Program that supports faculty members by providing resources and tools that provide plans toward career advancement, improved recruitment and retention.
The chancellor’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion evaluates campus climate conditions, practices and policies, and suggests measures to support the goals of inclusion and community. The group recently updated UC Merced’s Principles of Community, which serve as a guide for individual and collective behaviors of students, faculty and staff. The Principles of Community aim to strengthen the concepts related to tolerance and acceptance of diversity in cultures, lifestyles and expression.
UC Merced proudly serves the most ethnically and culturally diverse student body among all University of California campuses. The Office of Student Life co-sponsors more than 500 programs annually and has nine programmatic focus areas, including social justice initiatives, civic leadership, clubs and organizations, women’s programs, judicial affairs, as well as others that support students’ experiences.
