Merrill College
Merrill College Administration Building
831-459-2144
https://merrill.ucsc.edu
Academic Emphasis
Merrill College was founded in 1968 with a generous gift from Charles E. Merrill, Jr. Since our inception, Merrill College has focused on the challenges posed by global inequality and on solutions that can be imagined when students transform themselves into producers of knowledge in their own right, through engagement with the world beyond the university campus.
The college theme is “Cultural Identities and Global Consciousness.” This pairing signals the college’s commitment to drawing on the funds of knowledge brought by individual college members to our community of scholars and a corresponding commitment to understanding questions of identity within a larger global context.
Orientation
All new first-year and transfer students who start fall quarter are required to enroll in one of two online orientation courses designed to prepare students for their studies at Merrill College and throughout their time at UC Santa Cruz. First-year students will enroll in MERR 1A, Merrill 1A:
Introduction to University Life and Learning. Transfer students will enroll in KRSG 1T, Kresge 1T: Introduction to Research Universities and the Liberal Arts. MERR 1A and KRSG 1T integrate introductions to academic skills with the online Slug Orientation process.
MERR 1A Introduction to University Life and Learning (1 credit)
Offered online in summer quarter
KRSG 1T Introduction to Research Universities and the Liberal Arts (1 credit)
Offered online in summer quarter
Core Course
MERR 1, Academic Literacy and Ethos: Reading Ourselves, Reading the World
MERR 1, also known as “Core,” empowers students to develop university-level critical thinking skills with a focus on reading. Students learn strategies for building relationships with professors and other instructors, staff people, and fellow students who are essential for success at our university and beyond. Readings illuminate the rich history of community and activism at Merrill College and raise urgent questions that matter to all students, regardless of major. Topics we will address include the purpose of higher education, global inequality, and climate change. Through active learning, students cultivate skills that enable us to analyze different forms of evidence, formulate arguments, work in collaboration with others, and enter into constructive dialogue with members of our university community and the wider world.
All students admitted as frosh are required to complete the core course. Students admitted as transfer students with sophomore standing (45 or more credits in transfer) are exempt from the core course requirement.
College Advising
Contact Information:
merrilladvising@ucsc.edu
Phone: 831-459-2144
Merrill College Administration Building
Merrill College advisors help students interpret academic policies and procedures and clarify educational goals. They provide support to students to ensure their academic success and progress toward their degree throughout their time at UC Santa Cruz. Advisors help students make informed decisions, develop resiliency, and develop the ability to take ownership of their academic choices. Advisors also connect students to resources that will enrich their academic experiences.
Other Academic Programs
A key characteristic of Merrill’s academic program from its founding has been the importance of experiencing the world, not just studying it. Merrill offers a field study practicum that teaches methods of responsible participant observation and helps students arrange internships in local agencies and organizations.
Pathways to Graduate School supports junior and senior Latinx and/or Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students on their journeys to graduate school, including support for creating successful applications and negotiating potential barriers to success. A series of leadership courses, open to students involved in any of UC Santa Cruz's registered student organizations, teaches of principles of critical engagement, collaboration, and organizational leadership for social change.
Merrill College offers several funding opportunities for experiential education. These include the Merrill Undergraduate Research Mentorships, which provide students with paid research internships. These internships provide invaluable research experience, personal and professional development, and prepare advanced undergraduates to pursue graduate studies. The Sandra Frausto Education Abroad Scholarship provides a scholarship to one qualified undergraduate annually to study in Latin America. Students may also apply for Merrill Special Project Funds and campus-backed research funds.