Reflection on UC Merced a Beautiful Work in Progress

I recently finished day two of the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies meeting at UC Merced. In this room with 20 plus colleagues from throughout the UC System, I always feel energized and inspired. Within this space, a room full of leaders dedicated and committed to advocating for their campus constituents as well as the staff at the other nine campuses spend hours in a conference room listening to representatives from executive leadership at the host campus as well as from the Office of the President. Our role is to listen to the presentations, interpret what we hear, ask the proper questions and relay information to our respective campuses in a way that is meaningful to them.

This meeting was far different from the previous CUCSA meetings I have attended. in this case, the location brought a very different energy. The excitement of being on a campus that is less than 10 years old and understanding the opportunity to leverage new philosophies and technologies to serve their stakeholders as the first public research university to be launched in the 21st century was not just at the table, but all around us.

These people are establishing policies and a culture that will set the tone for what is to come for their institution. I imagine what it must be like to be in their position. I admire the fact that the majority of their students are underrepresented and/or first generation college students. The economics of the Merced community present a unique opportunity to demonstrate how a university can contribute to the surrounding community. I look forward to visiting their campus again in the future to see how they've come along. I imagine what it would be like to work there after I finish my academic program. I can't help but wonder what ways I could contribute to shaping the future of this 21st century UC campus.