Teacher Development
About UC Merced
The tenth UC campus, opened in September 2005 as the first 21st-century research university, offering student-centered educational opportunities.
- UC Merced students are vital to the university's mission of education, research, and public service. Majority of UC Merced students are low-income, underrepresented (and underserved) minorities, and the first in their families to attend college.
- We serve students who are undocumented and some who are battling mental and/or physical health challenges.
- Check out this video for perspectives on the first-generation experience.
Principles of Community
UC Merced is a public land-grant university dedicated to education, research, and service, fostering access, inclusion, and lifelong learning.
- Celebrate community identities, dignity, and mutual respect
- Support free expression, collaboration, and innovation
- Foster excellence through open exchange and community engagement
- Promote civic responsibility, environmental care, and practical learning
- Build and sustain a culture of unity and respect
- UC Merced Principles of Community were developed by the Chancellor’s Advisory Council with campus input in pursuit of these principles. Download the Principles of Community
Instructor Policies and Expectations
As educators, we promote learning, uphold standards, respect students, guide them, and protect their academic freedom.
- Faculty Code of Conduct (APM-015) outlines faculty rights, responsibilities, and standards for academic freedom and conduct.
- Instructors should hold regular classes, office hours, conduct exams, and grade promptly.
- As per the NonSenate Instructional Unit (MOU), full-time lecturers teach 6 instructional workload courses (IWCs) over 2 semesters. Course load for writing or foreign language is capped at 5 IWCs over 2 semesters.
- Committed to the highest ethical standards in teaching, research, and public service; see the UCOP Statement of Ethics.
Campus Compliance, Advocacy, & Climate
Indigenous peoples inhabited the land of UC Merced, and we embrace diversity while upholding the UC Diversity Statement.
- The Diversity Statement highlights our commitment to foster a diverse campus that reflects all experiences and backgrounds
- The CARE Office at UC Merced provides prevention education and confidential support for violence victims; visit CARE for more information
- The Office of Ethics, Compliance, Audit, and Risk promotes an ethical and safe environment; for more information, visit the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.
- The California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (“CANRA”) requires UC Mandated Reporters to report abuse and urges community members to report as well.
Academic Honesty, Conduct, and Reporting
At UC Merced, students must uphold high standards of honesty and respect in all activities.
- UC Merced students must uphold honesty and respect in all activities, following the University's conduct standards; see UC Merced's full policy on student code of conduct for more information
- Academic integrity is essential, and misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, and other violations; see UC Merced's full policy on Academic Honesty and Misconduct for more information
- To report misconduct, file an Information & Incident Report; for academic integrity tips, visit OSRR
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
To access student records, you must review the material here, as confidentiality is required by law.
- FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) grants students four key rights over their educational records. Test your knowledge by taking the online FERPA quiz
- Student records are confidential and may only be released with consent, except for Directory Information
- Student records are confidential and may only be released with consent, except for Directory Information. Read more about the UC systemwide FERPA policy
- Questions about these rights should be referred to the Office of the Registrar at UC Merced at 209-228-7178 or by emailing registrar@ucmerced.edu
