[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 19894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED CAMPUS

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the opening of 
the University of California, Merced, the first new University of 
California campus in 40 years.
  The University of California, Merced is the 10th campus in the 
University of California system, widely renowned as one of the finest 
public university systems in the world. Merced, located in the heart of 
the San Joaquin Valley in Central California, was selected as the site 
of the new campus in 1995 after a thorough and competitive screening 
process that took 7 years and involved more than 80 different 
locations.
  The 1,000 students in the inaugural 2005 class are a shining example 
of the diversity that is a great strength of California. Students from 
Del Norte to San Diego, and from the Pacific Coast to the Sierra 
Nevada, make up the diverse student body population. A significant 
number of the students are the first in their families to attend 
college and come from underrepresented ethnic or racial minority groups 
in the Central Valley.
  The University of California, Merced will grow steadily in the coming 
years. Initially, the university will offer major degrees in nine 
different majors from three disciplines: engineering, natural sciences, 
and social sciences, arts and humanities. Graduate degrees in the three 
major disciplines will also be available. Total enrollment is expected 
to reach 5,000 in 5 years and reach 25,000 in 2035. The number of 
academic programs and degree offerings will increase accordingly as the 
university grows.
  The students, faculty, and staff of the inaugural UC Merced class 
deserve special praise for their vision as they take on the 
responsibility of building and expanding the 10th University of 
California to one that will some day be steep in tradition, history, 
and excellence. In due time, the students, faculty, and the staff of 
the first UC Merced class will be rightfully seen as pioneers to those 
who will follow in their path in the years and decades to come.
  The opening of the University of California, Merced is made possible 
by the tireless work and dedication of scores of committed public 
officials, hard-working professionals, and determined citizens. Every 
person who has lent a helping hand to the UC Merced campus can take 
great pride in knowing that their hard work has resulted in greater 
opportunities for future generations of California students.
  I congratulate the University of California, Merced on its opening, 
and wish its faculty, students and the community a bright future as 
they help make the Central Valley and California an even better place 
to live.

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