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History

University Friends Circle (UFC) was the inspiration of Chancellor Steve Kang's Associate, Mia Kang. In 2008 she formed an organizing group that consisted of community leaders, business people and UC Merced staff and faculty to begin the process of designing and defining the goals and objectives of UFC.

All University of California campuses have groups that are analogous to UFC. What makes UFC unique is that it welcomes all interested parties, who share the common mission of UFC. There is no requirement to have a college degree, it's not exclusive to faculty and staff spouses and it specifically seeks membership from all members of the Central Valley communities.

Chancellor and Mia Kang also endowed the UFC Scholarship fund with a very generous initial donation. Membership fees and other donations continue to grow the scholarship fund and in 2009 the first awards were made. Annual scholarships continue to be awarded.

During the 2017 -2018 academic year, the Board of Directors established a new fund called the Student Impact Fund. The objective of this new fund is to support projects and student organizations that significantly contribute to UC Merced student success. The hope is to endow the fund so that students will benefit in perpetuity.

Past Presidents

2009 – 2010
Jennifer West

2010 – 2011
Peggy Biddison

2011 – 2012
Judy Pfitzer-Boyer

2012 – 2013
Kathy Hansen

2013 – 2014
Gaye Riggs

2014 – 2015
Carole Whitehill

2015 – 2016
Ann Andersen

2016 – 2017
Judy Edwina Smith

2017 – 2018
Gaye Riggs

2018 – 2019
Mindy Broadley

2019 – 2020
Rich Gibson

2020 – 2021
Mike Cuchna

2021 – 2022
Judy Pfitzer-Boyer

Founding Members

Teri Albrecht
Ann Andersen
Kathy Andrade
Norman B. Andrade
Shirley Baltazar
Vicki Bandoni
Theresa Bazacos
Gail Benedict
Michael L. Biddison
Peggy Biddison
Inger Bjornsson
Joy Blaylock
Sandee J. Boese
Anna L. Bolling
Stephanie A. Botsford
Belinda Braunstein
Nancy M. Brawley
Constance J. Brons
Ronald E. Brons
Joanna Browning
Kathleen M. Caligiuri
John Carlisle
Veronica Carlisle
Suzanne Carpenter
Kay Chapman
Caren D. Col-Hamm
Nanci P. Corzine
Susan Coston
Bert S. Crane
Nancy Crane
Kathleen Crookham
Kenneth Crow
Lillian Dalporto
Joanne S. Dodge
Barbara Dompe
Carolene S. Drury
Carol Dunham
Karen Dunn-Haley
Keith Ensminger
Helen B. Evans
Donna Evans
Louise Farley
Erica Fernandez
Roberta Flanagan
Kay Flanagan-Spinelli
Josephine A. Fox
Joy Freeman
Urla E. Garland
Loren Gonella
Thomas C. Grave
Carol Greenberg

Victoria A. Gresham
Patricia Grossman
Jane M. Guerra
Rachel Hadley
Kristine Keennon Hansen
Glenna Havercroft
Heather Hennagan
Christie Hendricks
Barbara J. Hoffman
Nancy B. Holmes
Susan Hoogendam
Betty A. Hoyt
Betty Hunt
Berent Isenberg
Marilynne Isenberg
Barbara Jamison
Patricia Jones
Artikas Kamangar
Sung-Mo Kang
Myoung-A Kang
Patricia R. Keennon
Hwacha Christine Kim
Charles Konopka
Peggy Kroll
Sarah P. Landels
Pope Lawrence
Carol A. Linneman
Nelson H. Loaiza
Christine Long
David Long
Michael E. Malone
Jim Marks
Marian Mason
Arlene Maxwell
Culley Maxwell
Guy Maxwell
Dorothy Mays
Carole L. McCoy
Christine B. McFadden
Maryann McKissick
Jan Mendenhall
Elisabeth Merrill
Karen Merritt
Kara Middlebrooks
Mary E. Miller
Richard E. Miller
Monika Modest
Kristine Nagle
Richard Nagle
Caroline Nakashima
Oliver Nandkishore

Renuka Nandkishore
Michael G. Nelson
Jerald R. O’Banion
David M. Olsen
Muriel J. Olsen
Shirley J. Olson
Tim O’Neill
Marlene Paladini
Lavina Palmberg
Rosemary Parga-Duran
Sonja Perret
Judy Pfitzer-Boyer
Yolanda Pineda
Cathy Pope
Nanette Rahilly
Mary-Michal Rawling
Stuart C. Rawling
Billie Razzari
Curtis Riggs
Gaye Riggs
Phyllis Rodgers
Kimber Rogina
Patricia Rodrigues
Ellen Rowan
Bob Rucker
Marcee Samberg
Penny Sawyer
Adam Saxon
Marilynn Shannon
Leone Sherwin
Judy Edwina Smith
Kathleen Stefani
Betty Stewart
Andrea Stewart Sofranek
Linda Tatum
Cynthia Temple
Sharon D. Terry
Diana Thompson
Joan Tinetti
Marilyn Tinetti
Peter Tinetti
Stephen Tinetti
Carolyn Vara
Jennifer West
Carole Whitehill
Chi Chi Wood
Roger Wood
Bette Woolstenhulme
Ellie Wooten
Nancy Young-Bergman
Kathleen Zizza