History
As the San Joaquin Valley was the state's largest and most populous region without a UC campus, on May 19, 1988, the Regents of the University of California voted to begin planning for a campus in the region, in response to increasing enrollment and growth constraints at existing UC campuses. On May 19, 1995, the Regents selected the Merced site, mid-way between Fresno and Modesto, as the location for the University of California's tenth campus. The campus groundbreaking ceremony was held October 25, 2002, and the first day of class was September 6, 2005.
On May 16, 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama gave the commencement address for the university's first full graduating class.
In 2010 the United States Census Bureau made UC Merced its own separate census-designated place. Unlike the other campuses in the UC system, UC Merced was built in a rural, unincorporated area outside the boundaries of the City of Merced or any other existing city or community. Mail to the campus, however, is addressed "Merced, CA".
In fall 2010 the new student housing facilities, The Summits, opened to provide two new residential halls for incoming students. The two, four-story buildings, Tenaya Hall and Cathedral Hall, are reserved primarily for incoming freshmen students.
Read more about this topic: University Of California, Merced
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