I don't quite get...

...why the heezy they put a U.C. campus out in Merced, CA. I was out there today and it is a crazy place. Picture a dinky, central valley cow town, drive 10 minutes east out into the fields, then imagine a top notch research university. It is totally surreal. Here's a somewhat dated (year old) picture of the construction:



Couple more crazy things about UC Merced:

• Someone told me today that the library on campus will be the most technologically advanced library in the state
• The campus population right now is over 30% Asian, which isn't weird until you realize that the city of Merced is only just over 10% Asian
• The mascot is the Bobcat. Are there bobcats in the central valley at all? I've lived here for a year and a half and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any bobcats running around Clovis

Here's an artist's rendering of what's it's gonna look like someday (they are estimating eventually 20K students):



While we're at it, I humbly submit my ideas for future educational facilities in our fine central valley:

University of California at Earlimart
West Turlock Poly
The Lemoore School of Mines
Cal State Fowler
The Dunlap Institute of Technology
Reedley College (oh wait, they already have that one)