MARCH 2020
Pictured (clockwise from upper left): Mayor Villaraigosa and Chancellor Brostrom; view of campus from trustee Jack Oswald's plane; lobby of the new conference center; trustees Lesley Slaton Brown and Vishal Verma in the ballroom; tour of El Capitan hotel in downtown Merced.
Dear Trustees,

Thank you to all that were able to make it to Merced last week for our board of trustees activities. It was a productive day with fruitful discussions around the great progress and impact of our foundation board as well as the extensive development taking place both on campus with the 2020 Project and around the city of Merced. We were fortunate to welcome four trustees for their first board meeting: Kate Ecker, Yukiko Kojima, Parwinder Samran, and Antonio Villaraigosa. Many of you also joined for the “Future of Civic Engagement” Chancellor’s Speaker Series event the evening prior with Chancellor Nathan Brostrom and incoming trustee and former mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa.

Thank you for your engagement, leadership, and support of this great institution. We hope to see you at some of our upcoming events before the board reconvenes on Wednesday, June 17. 


Best,
E. Edw. Klotzbier
Vice Chancellor
President, UC Merced Foundation
FEATURED EVENTS
2020 UC MERCED DAY

If you are interested in participating in UC Merced Day 2020 in Sacramento, there are multiple ways to do so. Join us for a reception on Tuesday, April 14, 5:30pm – 7:30pm at Cafeteria 15L and meet our Sacramento-area alumni, legislators, and administration officials to kick off our annual advocacy event. If your schedule permits, please join the team to visit with legislators in the Capitol on Wednesday, April 15 to discuss UC Merced’s legislative and budget priorities. For more information, please contact Cori Lucero at clucero2@ucmerced.edu or (209) 631-4378.
VERNAL POOLS & GRASSLAND RESERVE
LUNCHEON & TOUR

As the Natural Reserve System team shared last week, we will be holding a special luncheon and tour of the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve this spring. If you are interested in attending, please look out for the email to register. Should you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to ucmfoundation@ucmerced.edu.
ALL EVENTS
Bobcat Athletics Schedule
MARCH
March 11: Pellissier Distinguished Speaker Series – Music of the Universe ft. Gabriela González
APRIL
April 9: Chancellor’s Speaker Series – Doug Brinkley

April 14 & 15: UC Merced Day in Sacramento

April 16: Grad Slam Campus Final Round

April 16: Building Future Champions Dinner and Auction

April 17: Ma Kelley Memorial Golf Tournament

April 18: Bobcat Day

April 24-26: Shakespeare in Yosemite – Love’s Labor’s Lost
MAY
2020 TRUSTEES' IMPACT FUND
Last week, the board voted to direct the 2020 Trustees’ Impact Fund to support the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve for a second year to continue taking advantage of the Proposition 68 match from the State of California. Thank you for your renewed support of this priority area and of our board’s goal of reaching 100% trustee participation in contributing to the impact fund. Please consider making your annual gift today and help the board reach their goal before the June 2020 meeting. Should you have any questions on your annual contribution, please contact Lisa Pollard Carlson at lpollard@ucmerced.edu or (209) 291-8169.
NOTABLE NEWS

The former mayor of Los Angeles visited UC Merced on Tuesday as part of the Chancellor’s Speaker Series and answered questions from the audience and from interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom.

Professor Sarah Kurtz has become the first UC Merced faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

UC Merced and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have teamed up to lay the groundwork for a direct pipeline between the two, opening a door to research collaborations as well as job and internship opportunities for students and alumni.

Psychology Professor Eric Walle’s research on how a child’s first steps are linked to language ability is featured in Netflix’s new docu-series, “Babies,” which explores the world of infant development.

UC Merced students will be able to earn money for college by helping Merced County kids become strong readers thanks to a pilot grant from the AmeriCorps Service Fellowship program.

Research Week, UC Merced’s annual celebration of the groundbreaking work being done by faculty and students, begins Monday. The campus community is invited to participate in the many events, talks and tours happening throughout the week.