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Background Papers Educational
Access
Educational
Access The area has a critical need for expanded higher educational and economic opportunities, and UC Merced will play an important role in helping the region provide these new opportunities for its people. In addition, the population of California is growing rapidly: The University of California system will need to absorb an additional 54,000 students by the year 2010. UC Merced is part of the University’s response to the population growth: The new campus must serve the first 1,000 students in fall 2004, and will grow to several thousand students within a few years. At full build-out sometime after 2035, UC Merced will host 25,000 students. Economic
Engine The San Joaquin Valley is renowned as a highly productive agricultural center, but the region lags far behind coastal California in living standards. Per capita personal income for Valley counties ranges from $6,000 to $12,000 – below the statewide median of $26,314. The poverty level in the San Joaquin Valley varies by county from 21 to 27 percent, while the statewide average is 16 percent. In January, 2001, the state’s unemployment rate hit a 30-year low of 4.5 percent; at the same time, it was announced that Merced County had the state’s third highest rate of unemployment by county, at 17.4 percent. Serving
Students Today, almost 70 UC Merced staff members are hard at work creating the academic and technological infrastructure to build the first new major research university of the 21st Century. Many exciting programs are being created, and these high-quality academic programs will maximize use of technology and break new ground for both academic research and teaching. UC Merced will open the university in 2004 with programs in Engineering, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Computer Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Arts, and World Cultures. Some courses are already being offered; last summer, UC students took part in three courses through our distributed learning center in Fresno. More courses are planned for next summer. Outreach UC Merced and the UC system are working hard to change this. Last fall, UC Merced administrators visited 144 high schools throughout the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere. In addition, UC Merced is currently sponsoring online advanced placement courses for high school students who have not traditionally had such access. The University has also established professional development programs for K-12 teachers in every Valley county to help ensure that students get access to the advanced courses in math, science, and writing that prepare them for college. The University’s collaborative agreements with the Community College system will strengthen the important transfer pathway to the UC system. Thanks to efforts by UC Merced staff, CC transfers to the UC system were up 13% this year over last year’s figure. UC Merced is also offering many new programs through its Division of Professional Studies that provide working professionals in the area with enhanced skills. San
Joaquin Valley Centers UC Merced currently has a center serving the needs of Fresno area residents. UC will open another such center in Bakersfield by summer 2001. The Modesto facility will open this summer, as well. These centers will provide alternative ways for some students to begin their coursework in preparation for coming to the main Merced campus. In addition, the University currently operates a joint center with CSU Stanislaus and Merced College, the Tri-College Center, in Merced. Federal
Agency Interaction The sites being analyzed include several configurations on the Virginia Smith Trust lands near Lake Yosemite, as well as others such as Castle Airport and Aviation Center and Bellevue Ranch that have been suggested by interested parties, including agencies and groups that have voiced environmental concerns. The Draft Comprehensive Alternatives Analysis indicated that siting the 2,000-acre campus on the southwest corner of the Virginia Smith Trust lands, with an adjacent community to the south, would strike the best balance between environmental concerns, agricultural conservation and protection, practicability, and the University’s mission to serve students. After interaction with the Corps and EPA on the draft proposal, UC Merced and the County will later file a formal permit application. A public comment phase on the formal application will be conducted by the Corps. The
UC and County Environmental The notice initiated the process to study the environmental effects of creating the new campus in the southwest alternative identified under the federal process, including the Merced Hills Golf Course, and creation of the new planned community to the south of the golf course and extending southward to Merced's Yosemite Avenue. This process will continue in coming months with preparation of environmental impact reports [EIRs] that will study the effects of building the full campus and community as described in the Long Range Development Plan [LRDP] being prepared by the University and a University Community Plan being prepared by the County. Both the UC and County reviews will provide extensive assessments and documentation for the full development of the UC Merced campus and the University Community over the next several decades. Completion of the EIRs for the LRDP and the University Community Plan are key steps in ensuring that construction of Phase I of the campus can begin on the golf course area as early as next year. Governor's
Budget FY2001/02: $30
Million Habitat Conservation Area Proposal UC
Merced: The Environmental Campus
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