Last month I took a long drive to attend the University Friends Circle (UFC) Intercampus Event at UC Merced. This is an annual event, and the Friends Groups from UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley rotate the hosting of this event.
The program began with a welcome from Mike Cuchina, President of UFC who was our moderator throughout the day. We were treated to a slide presentation of the building of the UC Merced Campus along with historic views of the UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UCLA in their infancy. This was presented by Donald Barclay, Retired Deputy Librarian and UFC Board Member. He also showed the long, groundbreaking process to completion of their library from 2020 to 2022.
Next Dr. Brandi McKuin, Project Scientist at UC Merced shared plans for implementation of solar panels that will create a water-energy-climate nexus. Her project has received grants to establish a pilot model for the State of California using solar panels installed over the entire network of water channels (4,000 miles are open). These solar panels will reduce evaporation and produce energy in this first pilot program of its nature in the USA.
We were then treated to an enthusiastic student panel moderated by Alan Goldman, Assistant Director of Annual Giving in External Affairs, where the three students interviewed expressed their path to UC Merced, their goals for completion, and their dreams.
At lunchtime the UFC planners of his event, Gaye Riggs and Judy Pfitzer-Boyer, Past Presidents and current UFC Board members gave us a history of UFC. They thanked UCSC for our help when they were starting 10 years ago. They now have 140 members. Similar to Community Connections (CC), they hold six general speaker meetings a year and they have an endowed scholarship fund ($512,000) which has offered $81,000 to 40 students to date over the past 10 years. Something different from CC is a Student Impact Fund that offers Community Service Awards, Guardian Awards, Snacks for Scholars and several new projects that transport volunteer students off campus to provide service to the community.
With great pep and enthusiasm Charles Nies, UC Merced’s Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs talked of the Futures in Global Conservation. As young as this campus is, he said they are in the top 100 for research institutes in the country, and they are becoming a premier research institute in the world. Their campus is in top 5 for social mobility and top 25 for education and innovation.
The last speaker of the day was Steven J. Shackelton, Director of the National Parks Institute (NPI), UC Merced School of Engineering. His main emphasis was on the NPI which involves a veterans education program, UC Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center, and Yosemite National Park. These programs provide wilderness education, seminars and leadership programs.
Overall it was a very enlightening experience with lots of praise from their members to us for attempting the trip with the unsettled weather. Since a big storm came right about the time for the tours, all of the outdoor tours were cancelled. Due to the weather I left at that time, about 1:30 pm and finally arrived home at 5:30 pm after a difficult travel on Highway 129 through Aromas and Watsonville with lots of slides, a tree in the road, and muddy water holes. Despite these challenges, the trip was worth it, and I look forward to helping sponsor our 2025 Intercampus Event here at UCSC.
