³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ

Hermione Isakow loved the outdoors and the arts, and she instilled in her four sons a deep appreciation for education, discipline and family.After living most of her life in South Africa, Isakow and her husband Leiz moved to Merced in 2010 to be closer to their eldest son Isaac and his family, and she grew to love the town. Sadly her golden years were clouded by a long bout with amyloidosis, a difficult and painful disease that forced her into chemotherapy and other difficult treatments, and she died in 2020.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ's Hospitality Career Academy (HCA), a new and innovative partnership between the college and JdV by Hyatt, held its inaugural graduation ceremony on Dec. 6 at the Mainzer in downtown Merced.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ invites all Los Banos and Dos Palos residents, along with supporters from throughout Merced County, to the Los Banos Campus's 50th Anniversary Celebration on Nov. 5.

The annual State of the College event at ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ returns next month for the first time since 2019, with both an in-person event at the college's amphitheater and a virtual option for individuals and groups to watch via livestream.

Longtime Merced County law enforcement veteran Jeffrey Horn is the new police chief at ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ, effective Sept. 1.Horn brings over 24 years of experience to his new position, having worked most recently with the Merced Police Department. In his role as the administration sergeant, Horn's duties included overseeing all department training, recruiting, hiring and background checks, and investigating claims of officer misconduct. He will continue to serve as the department's rangemaster and oversee firearms training.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ will celebrate its new men's and women's soccer programs, which will compete in the California Community Colleges Athletics Association, with a home doubleheader on Sept. 7.

Merced-area residents can pursue careers in hospitality and customer service while earning college credits, thanks to a new and innovative partnership between ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ and downtown Merced's new El Capitan, a JdV by Hyatt hotel, and Mainzer.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ last week was awarded a $3 million construction renovation grant from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA). The grant, along with the last of the 2002 Measure H Bond funds, will provide over $9 million to renovate and modernize the Vocational Building near the center of the Merced campus.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is open and ready to serve the community, with some classes and operations returning to campus for the Summer 2021 term that began today (June 21). Most classes and many support services remain online, but more and more are being offered in person, and employees are beginning to return to campus.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ will break ground May 26 on the 29,000-square-foot Raj Kahlon Agriculture and Industrial Technology Complex, kicking off construction of the first new building on campus in more than a decade.