UC Merced celebrates 20th anniversary with $5 million gift

MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – UC Merced marked two full decades as a campus with a night of food trucks, soccer, and a $5 million gift Friday night.

The night marked the 20th anniversary of UC Merced welcoming its first undergraduate students to the campus.

In celebrating the past, the school also celebrated its present and future as well, with the night also marking the women’s soccer team’s first home game since Bobcat Athletics advanced to NCAA Division II.

At halftime, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz announced a “transformative” $5 million dollar gift from the Campos Foundation, one of UC Merced’s most dedicated supporters and partners.

“The Campos Foundation’s mission is to elevate underrepresented minority and female students through STEM education initiatives,” said Deanna Campos-Miller, the president of the Campos Foundation. “We are delighted to partner with UC Merced in supporting future generations of scientific and engineering leaders as well as promising scholar-athletes.”

The contribution is to help fund the development of a state-of-the-art track and field facility, which the university will name Campos Field, in honor of the generous gift from the Campos Foundation.

Festivities for the night included a pre-game tailgate featuring food trucks, a student-athlete meet-and-greet, and a Fiat Lux Drone Show to conclude the night.