UC Merced
The Central Valley of California is "the other California", which even most Californians know as the flat space that you drive through to go from SF to LA, or on the way to the Sierras. My family and I spent three years in Merced -- between Modesto and Fresno on Hwy 99 -- helping get UC Merced up and running. UC Merced is the 10th campus of the University of California, and was purposefully located in the Central Valley to help serve this area of California with one of the lowest enrollment in the UC system. UC Merced opened its doors to 875 students in Fall, 2005. I had the opportunity to work with an amazingly dedicated start-up team of administrators and faculty, and spent 2003-2006 as the founding Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. Most of the time was spent recruiting faculty and students and developing the initial academic programs, but it was typical start-up work, i.e., lots of "other duties as assigned". The main value for me was getting to know the Central Valley and its people. It is a region where much population growth is anticipated, but where social and economic transformation is especially tied to successful public policy, planning, and education.
Readings about the Central Valley