U.S. News Places UC Merced Among Top 30 Public Schools

September 24, 2024

By cvv news

The University of California, Merced, climbed once again in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges report, rising to the 26th best public school in the nation. Among all universities, UC Merced came in at No. 58 in the 2024-25 rankings released today — continued improvement over last year’s report when it cracked the Top 60 for the first time.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal placed UC Merced in the No.18 position overall and No. 5 among public institutions in its listing of the nation’s best colleges. That report also named the university the No. 1 school in the nation for social mobility, which measures how well schools serve disadvantaged students and sets them up for success. U.S. News slotted UC Merced at No. 3 for social mobility, up one spot from last year.

“Once again, UC Merced is being recognized as a leader in charting its own path — buoyed by a quest for knowledge and innovation that are hallmarks of the UC system as well as its mission of facilitating access and opportunity for historically underserved populations,” said UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz.

Now in its 40th year, the U.S. News rankings evaluate nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on 17 measures of academic quality. UC Merced continues to benefit from the revamped methodology that was implemented last year to better reflect student outcomes. Specifically, more weight has been placed on measurements such as social mobility, graduation rates, manageable debt and post-graduate success.

A particularly strong point for UC Merced is the comparison of graduation rates between the university’s Pell Grant recipients and non-Pell Grant recipients. The closer these two percentages got to being equal, the more a school was rewarded in this report. UC Merced is one of only four universities in the Top 100 that has a Pell-eligible graduate rate higher than that of the non-Pell group.

UC Merced also scored high marks in the “graduation rate performance” category. To calculate this, U.S. News compares its predicted graduation rate for a cohort of students with the actual graduation rate. The predicted rate is based on myriad factors including the percentages of the cohort that is Pell-eligible and in the top 10% of their high schools. The more the actual rate exceeds the predicted rate, the better the score, and UC Merced’s graduation rate surpassed the predicted rate by an eye-opening 26 percentage points.

“A culture of student success has taken root here, and as the first research university built in the 21st century, UC Merced continues to redefine what postsecondary opportunity and excellence looks like,” Muñoz said.

This scholarship is shaping careers for Valley nursing students. Here’s how to apply

by Vivienne Aguilar l February 20, 2024

Modesto Junior College nursing student Jennifer Fatima Seymore had been debating pausing her studies last year to support a family of six.

Then one day an email arrived, congratulating her for winning a $5,000 scholarship. Seymour was justifiably suspicious until she was able to confirm the message’s authenticity. 

“I thought it was spam, so I ignored it for a week,” Seymour said after receiving the news that she was chosen for Flora R. Martinez Nursing Scholarship last year. 

“My husband couldn’t believe it…It came just at the right time.”

Funds put to good use

She and her husband were looking for ways to support their household in Fremont while she attended school full-time in Modesto. 

Initially, she had saved a lump-sum to support them while she worked through the MJC nursing program, but expenses ate away at her savings faster than anticipated.

Because of the Golden Health Centers’ annual nursing scholarship, she was able to continue her studies and plans to graduate later this fall. 

Seymour used the funds for school supplies like scrubs, digital reference materials, textbooks and bills. Seymour said she plans to apply again before the application closes March 31. 

Golden Valley Health Centers opened its Flora R. Martinez Nursing Scholarship to local students in Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties earlier this year. The organization gives a total of $25,000 to five nursing students annually in honor of Martinez, a founder and former board member of the organization.

“The first thing that drew my attention was the purpose of the scholarship,” Seymore said. “That it’s meant to support more Hispanic health care, minority health care and nursing. Those are all things that are totally aligned with all of the things that I’m in process with now.”

The scholarship awards $5,000 to five students enrolled in or attending classes for licensed vocational nursing, registered nursing or bachelor of science in nursing programs. 

Applicants are asked to describe why they are pursuing nursing and how they will further Martinez’s ideals, especially in terms of meeting healthcare needs for underserved populations in the San Joaquin Valley. 

Former winners, like Seymore, are able to re-apply for one additional year of support. 

Scholarship named for longtime community advocate

The organization honors Flora R. Martinez, who served as a GVHC board member for 43 years, according to the scholarship application. She died in 2014 at 90 years old in Merced, and left behind a legacy of community advocacy and self-determination.

She is well-known for her work in the Merced and Planada communities.

When Martinez came to the area as a farm worker in the 1940s, she spoke very little English. Over time, she dedicated herself to learning the language and naturally fell into the role of translator for women at work, as she noticed them struggling to access basic healthcare resources.

During her final semesters, Seymore is able to intern at the Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center and Doctors Behavioral Health Center in Modesto.

While attending to the mental health and physical needs of patients, Seymore said she also feels the growing need for interpreters within hospitals and clinics. It’s an important issue to her as she speaks Spanish, Tagalog, Hindi and English, and is sometimes the only person able to translate.

Seymore always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. She has also served as a chronic disease management coordinator at a Stanford medical facility. 

As she gets closer to finishing her associate nursing degree and makes plans to transfer to a university, Seymore said the main issues patients in Modesto face stem from socioeconomic barriers. 

“In Modesto, (many) people don’t speak English. People are very strained with resources. They don’t know where to go. They don’t have regular health care,” she said. Seymore said other patients don’t have primary care doctors and need help better understanding their medical conditions.

A desire to serve others

While nursing requires medical and technical knowledge, when Seymore serves the San Joaquin Valley, she finds herself helping people set themselves up with day-to-day resources, like arranging Dial-a-ride transportation services to get to appointments.

Seymore said she puts herself in positions to assist patients who fear going to a doctor’s office. For example, she’s heard some patients tell her they fear accessing health care will get them deported. Others say they’ve been prescribed medications but don’t understand why. 

Like Martinez, Seymore dedicates her life to educating herself in an effort to set an example for both her children and the community. 

Seymore said people who are thinking of applying shouldn’t question themselves. 

“Don’t let the numbers or the oddities discourage you from doing it,” she said. “Just try because that area really needs the help. The cause and the greater purpose of it is huge. It could make a huge impact. There’s so many people that need help.”

You can learn more about the eligibility requirements for the Flora R. Martinez Nursing Scholarship by visiting https://www.gvhc.org/foundation/scholarships/. 

Vivienne Aguilar is the health equity reporter for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom in collaboration with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF). 

Merced County approved some employee raises, healthcare relief. But many say it’s not enough.

By BRIANNA VACCARI

brianna@cvlocaljournalism.org

December 15, 2023

(CVJC) During its last meeting of the year, the Merced County Board of Supervisors honored veteran employees in the stately historic Merced Courthouse Museum, surrounded by Christmas trees adorned with twinkling lights and garlands topped with red bows.

A few minutes later, during public comment, family services representative Marta Echevarria said she declined being honored during the ceremony for her 20 years of service to the county.

“I chose not to receive it because I don’t need an award to know that I am an asset to the agency that I work for,” she said. “I’m an excellent worker with my clients, but they are all suffering because I have not been able to do my work because of the lack of staff support. 

“We are missing so many workers in our agency because they are leaving your county to go to work somewhere else. We are trying to pick up that slack, and it is near to impossible,” she told the supervisors.

Echevarria was one of many Merced County employees across departments who addressed the board, expressing frustration over low pay, rising healthcare costs and staffing shortages as their colleagues leave for better jobs nearby.

“We are in need of workers, and we cannot retain the workers with the pay that we are receiving and the high (healthcare) premiums that we’re going to be paying starting in January,” Echevarria said. 

“I let you guys know that as of next month, I may be homeless. … Appreciating me, or giving me an award for working 20 years for Merced County – to be homeless is not an appreciation. It’s not an award that I see fitting for somebody who works very hard for you and who works very hard for their clients.”

The supervisors on Tuesday approved two items to provide some relief. The board unanimously passed a temporary 10% healthcare cap adjustment for all employees beginning in January, when the premium increase takes effect, as well as an 8% wage increase for sheriff’s sergeants.

Still, employees who spoke during public comment at Tuesday’s board meeting said the adjusted healthcare cap will amount to $20 savings for some – not enough to make a meaningful difference. Meanwhile, bargaining units representing sheriff’s deputies and dispatchers rejected the 8% wage increase proposal accepted by the sergeants.

Board Chair Scott Silveira on Tuesday addressed the employees by pointing to the county’s budget and the current economic environment. Silveira – known for his mantra “Merced County is healthy, not wealthy” – stopped short of saying the county is unhealthy, but he did express concern.

“I’m concerned for our county. I’m concerned for our residents because they’re feeling the pinch every day, and the services that we provide them are getting tighter and tighter,” he said.

More than 2,200 people work for Merced County, one of the region’s largest employers, according to its website. County staff serve about 290,000 residents living in six different cities and almost a dozen unincorporated communities.

Tuesday’s meeting marked the first action the Board of Supervisors has taken since employees began speaking out. 

County employees in October began protesting the looming 12% increase in healthcare premiums and continue to speak during public comment at every Board of Supervisors meeting. At the same time, Sheriff Vern Warnke and his employees since summer have pleaded with the supervisors to act so the department stops hemorrhaging employees. 

The supervisors reassured employees they do care about their complaints and want to help, but they said they must consider a likely economic downturn, signaled by the county’s stagnant sales tax.

“I’m more worried about furloughs and layoffs in the future, and we’re sitting here arguing over raises and increases for healthcare,” Supervisor Daron McDaniel said Tuesday from the dais.

Sheriff says current raises not enough

Silveira on Tuesday opened his remarks about the sheriff’s employee wage proposals by saying the supervisors have demonstrated strong support for public safety. The challenges facing the Sheriff’s Office are consistent with the current national trend, he said.

The board heard the pleas for help from the sheriff and his employees, Silveira said, and that’s why the board offered raises six months before the county was obligated to negotiate new labor contracts.

The board appreciated the sergeants unit accepting the raise and was disappointed by the rejections from the other units, Silveira said.

“We stepped up to help them fight the recruitment and retention challenges they often highlight with the financial resources currently available to us,” he said. “They elected to not accept a sizable raise and healthcare cap increases, which only makes their challenges more challenging, and is counter to their stated narrative.”

The next opportunity for deputies and dispatchers to negotiate a raise won’t come until June, Silveira said, since the units did not counter the county’s proposal.

Warnke said 8% wasn’t enough and that all his employees need a 15% raise, at least. He also said the county’s proposals came with “strings attached” since they required a two-year contract term. The sergeants unit negotiated for a one-year term, which the board accepted.

“When they put the strings attached, the county proved that the employees don’t matter to them,” Warnke said. “If the employees mattered – I’m talking all employees, not just mine – they would really rethink this.”

Healthcare and staffing in other departments 

Earlier this year, the county learned their health plan rate is set to increase by 12% starting in January.

County supervisors on Tuesday approved a temporary increase to the amount the county contributes to healthcare premiums.

In 2017 the county and labor groups negotiated maximum county contributions both for employee and dependent premiums. Any amount over the maximum contribution is paid by the employee.

The item approved by the board increases the maximum county contribution by 10% for employees and dependents until bargaining for successor MOUs can begin in March.

County workers who have protested the increase said it exacerbated the existing issue of stagnant pay.

At Tuesday’s meeting, a paralegal who works in the District Attorney’s Office added her name to the list of county employees who said her department is losing coworkers to neighboring Stanislaus County for better pay.

Amanda Metz pointed to Merced Mayor Matt Serratto as an example of talent the county lost. Serratto recently took a new job working for the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office after working as District Attorney Nicole Silveira’s chief deputy DA.

“I myself take the bar in February, and if things don’t improve, I probably won’t be practicing in Merced County either,” Metz told the board.

Supervisor Rodrigo Espinoza thanked the employees who spoke, acknowledging it’s not easy to publicly ask for raises. 

“It’s so disheartening to listen to the comments, but I understand your comments,” he said. “I’m with you.”

Brianna Vaccari is the government accountability/watchdog reporter for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced.