Rep. Jim Costa: Building on UC Merced’s success is good for the Valley

As the grandson of immigrants and a lifelong resident of the San Joaquin Valley, I feel a deep connection with the students who will graduate this month from the University of California, Merced.

Like many of these students, I came from a humble, hardworking immigrant family. My parents dreamed that a good education would help me achieve a better future. I used the educational opportunities the Valley offered to achieve success and give back to our Valley and nation.

Today, UC Merced is building on that opportunity by expanding access to a UC-quality education to thousands of young Californians. Many of its students, who are a part of historically underrepresented groups, are the hope and future of our region and our state.

But while the university has succeeded brilliantly in fulfilling its mission, its ability to reach its potential – for students and the economic growth of this region – is at risk. In just 10 years, the campus has already reached capacity for this phase of its growth and it cannot rely on the help of state funding to continue to grow as other UC campuses did during the previous century.

This is why I support investing in the continued development of UC Merced, which has been subjected to significant budget cuts. In a period of uncertain state funding, UC Merced must remain on track to grow and serve the region and the state. This is why the campus is looking at creative ways to add critically needed classrooms, research labs and housing as rapidly and cost-effectively as possible, leveraging state support with private-sector resources in a way that promises to reduce both the time and expense of development. This innovative approach will make UC Merced a model for innovation.

This public-private partnership is good for our young people, it is good for the region and it is good for the state. As America’s first research university of the 21st century, UC Merced is a gem of the San Joaquin Valley, which is working so hard to overcome high rates of poverty and unemployment.

Consider the facts:

A full 97 percent of UC Merced’s undergraduates are Californians, and more than one-third are Valley residents. Sixty-two percent are the first in their families to attend a four-year institution, and 60 percent come from low-income families that receive federal Pell grants. No other university in the UC system can claim that kind of leadership in expanding access to our historically underrepresented youths.

One of the outstanding Valley students I have recently learned of is Emily Wilson, who is in a Ph.D. program in which she is conducting high-level research directly with her professors. A Ph.D. candidate in Quantitative and Systems Biology, Wilson recognizes the opportunity to conduct research on a UC campus in her own backyard is a life-changing experience, and wants future students to have similar opportunities.

Since UC Merced opened in 2005, its student body has grown to more than 6,700, and, based on its record number of applications, it is showing no signs of slowing. This year, nearly 20,000 students applied for a spot, though the university had space for fewer than 1,700 freshmen. This fall, the number of applicants increased by 14 percent – the largest of any campus in the UC system.

Economically, UC Merced has brought only good news to our region. Since its founding, it has invested more than $1.1 billion in the San Joaquin Valley economy. The campus has also become one of the largest employers in the county, with more than 1,300 faculty and staff. Statewide, its direct investment exceeds $2.2 billion.

In addition, UC Merced, which has eight active patents and 13 pending patent applications, is conducting vital research that directly affects our region. Their researchers are at the forefront of the state’s water issues, studying topics such as optimizing runoff from the Sierra Nevada, how moving levees helps recharge groundwater resources in floodplains and developing a sensor network that could serve as a statewide, unified water-monitoring system to give resource managers accurate, real-time information.

As someone born and raised in our Valley, I am proud we have a university of the stature of UC Merced, and I am deeply encouraged by the opportunities it offers today’s deserving young people. I have no doubt many have parents who, as mine once did, dream of a better future for their children through education. Let’s place no limits on their – and our – success.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Rep. Jim Costa: Building on UC Merced’s success is good for the Valley."