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research at UC Merced

Goals, Objectives, and Measures

The strategic plan outlines three overarching and interlocking campus goals. As outlined below, each goal is defined by a set of related objectives. Each objective has its own targets that will allow the campus to track progress towards that objective. For each objective, the plan also includes examples of initiatives to demonstrate the kinds of efforts that will support each objective. Initiatives will be refined as the plan is implemented. Likewise, in 2024-25, nearly half-way through our plan, the campus also plans to revisit the targets for each strategic plan measure.

GOAL 1: Engage Our World and Region Through Discovery and the Advancement of Knowledge

We are a young campus already recognized for the unparalleled trajectory and quality of our research. As we move toward joining the select number of campuses at the very high research classification (R1), we will continue to establish ourselves as a national hub for interdisciplinary and transformational research that supports equity and prosperity globally and locally, with particular sensitivity for the San Joaquin Valley. Research experiences, a hallmark of our educational programs, will provide fertile ground for our undergraduate and graduate students to develop the 21st century skills and knowledge essential to creating and leading positive change at global, national, and local levels.

1.1 Expand the public and scholarly influence of the campus’s research at regional, national, and international levels.

Measure 1.1.1: Number of Citations per Senate Faculty per Year

Measure 1.1.2: Number of Citations per Publication 

Measure 1.1.3: Average Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) per Senate Faculty

Measure 1.1.4: Number of Books Published in University Presses

Measure 1.1.5: Number of Association Fellowships and Awards

1.2 Grow UC-quality research and creative activities by strengthening the infrastructure for, and levels of, extramural funding.

Measure 1.2.1: Total Research and Development Expenditures*

Measure 1.2.2: Research and Development Expenditures per Capita (Senate Faculty FTE)

Measure 1.2.3: Percentage of Research and Development Expenditures by Source

Measure 1.2.4: Indirect Cost - Share of R&D Expenditures

Measure 1.2.5: Total Number of U.S. Patents

Measure 1.2.6: Percentage of Doctoral Students Supported by GSR

Meausre 1.2.7: Faculty/Staff Assessment of Internal Research Administratoin Processes

 

 

1.3 Increase the contributions of students and staff to research and creative activities.

Measure 1.3.1: Number of Doctoral Degrees Conferred

Measure 1.3.2: Percentage of Graduating Seniors Who Report Conducting Research or Creative Project with Faculty

Measure 1.3.3: Number of Applications for Doctoral Progams

Measure 1.3.4: Percentage of Undergraduate Alumni who Pursue and Receive a Graduate or Professional Degree

 

GOAL 2: Develop Future Scholars and Leaders

As our campus continues to grow, we will provide our students with the personal and academic support to succeed through world-class educational experiences delivered by outstanding educators and researchers. Honoring our students’ experiences as strengths upon which to build, our offerings will develop lifelong learners empowered by the habits of mind and tools of a researcher and address whole-student development, lead to career readiness, and encourage and enable civic engagement. Through a supportive community and educational experiences that are inclusive, high-impact, experiential, and research-based, we will foster the intellectual and personal development of diverse scholars and leaders. Our students will leave our campus recognizing the importance of global and local community and having contributed to the San Joaquin Valley. They will be prepared to be the next generation of diverse scholars, leaders, and agents of change.

2.1 Grow and diversify UC-quality educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and the public.

Measure 2.1.1: Total Campus Enrollment (Undergraduate, Graduate, International, New Freshman Enrolled Through MAAP)

Measure 2.1.2: Undergraduate Student-to-Senate Faculty Ratios

Measure 2.1.3: Student Credit Hours Delivered per FTE (Senate Research, Senate Teaching, Lecturers)

2.2 Broaden and deepen students’ academic, personal, and career-related experience and preparation.

Measure 2.2.1: Average Debt at Graduation for Financially Underserved Students (Freshman Entrants and CCC Transfer Entrants)

Measure 2.2.2: Percentage of Students with No Debt at Graduation

Measure 2.2.3: Percentage of Seniors Reporting Involvement with Student Organizations (UCUES)

Measure 2.2.4: Percentage of Seniors Reporting Participation in Community Service (UCUES)

Measure 2.2.5: Percentage of Graduate Students Satisfied with Program Mentorship and Advising

Measure 2.2.6: Percentage of Students Satisfied with Quality of Academic Advising

2.3 Increase degree completion rates, while maintaining equity in achievement.

Measure 2.3.1: Graduation Rates (Freshman Four-Year, Freshman Six-Year, Transfer Two-Year, Transfer Four-Year)

Measure 2.3.2: Freshman First-Year Student Retention Rates

Measure 2.3.3: Average Time to Degree for Doctoral Students

GOAL 3: Cultivate a Culture of Dignity and Respect for Our Community

Bold scholarship requires us to dismantle long-standing exclusionary practices in higher education. We aim to adopt research-grounded practices that drive our campus toward inclusive excellence. To do so, we will invest in the resources, and cultivate the skills, knowledge, and comprehensively inclusive and anti-racist attitudes necessary to ensure that each unit, department, division, and stakeholder clearly demonstrates their contribution to our Principles of Community.

3.1 Grow our academic and administrative staff demographic composition to be more representative of the state, as research shows that students succeed when they can see themselves in the institution.

Measure 3.1.1: UCM Undergraduate Student Demographics Relative to California, disaggregated by different lived experiences and social identities9

Measure 3.1.2: Faculty Demographics Relative to Undergraduate Students

3.2 Transform campus culture by ensuring that all members of the community thrive as their authentic selves through equitable and inclusive structures, policies, and practices.

Measure 3.2.1: Students Feel Comfortable with the Climate for Diversity and Inclusion

Measure 3.2.2: Students Feel They Belong at UC Merced

Measure 3.2.3: Undergraduate and Graduate Student Retention Rates, Disaggregated by Different Lived Experiences and Social Identities

Measure 3.2.4: Ratio of Hires to Separations (Senate Faculty)

Measure 3.2.5: Staff Perceive Opportunities for Professional Growth Promotions within UC Merced

Measure 3.2.6: Percentage of the University's Annual Electricity Consumption Supplied by Renewable Sources

3.3 Build our collective capacity to remove structural barriers negatively impacting success through equity-informed administrative and educational decision-making.

Measure 3.3.1: Number of High School Graduates from Nearby Counties Meeting UC/CSU Requirements

Measure 3.3.2: Number of Transfer Students from Nearby Counties

Measure 3.3.3: Number of High School Graduates from Nearby Counties Enrolled at a UC

Measure 3.3.4: Percentage of Students Experiencing Food Insecurity

3.4 Deepen our collective appreciation to community life-long learning and impact

Measure 3.4.1: Annual Enrollment of Continuing Education Learners

Measure 3.4.2: Number of High School Graduates from Nearby Counties Enrolled at UC Merced