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Rankings Debut Makes Major Media Splash

September 21, 2016

UC Merced's debut in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings was no small feat for an 11-year-old university, and that achievement earned the campus some significant media coverage.

Most notably, the Los Angeles Times led its rankings story with UC Merced's accomplishment and interviewed Chancellor Dorothy Leland about what the news means for the young campus. The news was also covered extensively in the San Joaquin Valley, including articles by The Modesto Bee, Merced Sun-Star, Fresno Bee and Central Valley Business Journal.

Professor LeRoy Westerling earned some major media exposure of his own. He was quoted in an article about climate change and wildfires in the Palm Springs-based Desert Sun, and then that story was picked up and republished by USA Today.

And last week, the Modesto Bee and Merced Sun-Star published a special section called Eye on Education, which had a robust UC Merced presence. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Charles Nies penned an op-ed about the UC's place in California's educational landscape and UC Merced's importance to the Valley; Admissions and Outreach Director Encarnación "Chon" Ruiz and his passion for educating underserved students were on full display in this profile story; and UC Merced featured heavily in a brief explainer about the UC system.

Top Twitter Mentions

The Los Angeles Times gives a shout-out to UC Merced, and one of the paper's former reporters — who also worked in communications for the UC system — chimes in.