University of California-Merced

of a substantial increase in student demand. In 1989, the Regents further authorized then UC President David P. Gardner to begin the planning process for up to three new campuses to meet these educational demands. Attention quickly turned toward California's Central Valley, which, despite its size and significance, had yet to be served by a UC institution.
A wide range of expert consultant teams comprising biologists, engineers, economists, cultural resource analysts, and academic planners were assembled to analyze the eight Preferred sites. This phase of the review also included major public forums organized by the UC Site Selection Task Force, held in key cities such as Bakersfield, Fresno, and Modesto. Hundreds of stakeholders, including community leaders, local residents, and elected officials, attended these meetings to express their opinions and discuss how the campus would impact their region. By 1992, the field was narrowed once more, this time to three final contenders: Fresno, Madera, and Merced. However, …