UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business

Big congratulations to the Class of 2026! Our official UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business merchandise store is now open. 💙

Shop exclusive apparel and gear designed for students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the Merage community.

Place your orders by Monday, June 22nd: https://ucirvinepaulmerageschoolofbusiness.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Paige Strauss Flex MBA'26 always had a drive to learn more and better herself. As a life-long Anteater, graduating from School of Humanities at UC Irvine in 2021 and working at UCI Health since 2022, the Merage School was the obvious choice for her graduate education. 💙💛

Serving as co-section rep for the 27A cohort while working full-time and planning a wedding, Paige's tenacity has gotten her very far. Some of her favorite memories are the MBA International Residential to South Korea, where her mom and grandmother are from, and the Closing Residential at Lake Arrowhead.

Aside from being able to immerse herself in Merage's business and social culture, she will always cherish the fun memories with her classmates-turned-close friends (Nadine, Matt and Ryan — the Zot Zot Gurls). After graduation, Paige plans to continue growing her career at UCI Health as well as leaving on her long-awaited and MUCH-needed honeymoon vacation. to Costa Rica! 🎓

Congratulations to Professor Devin Shanthikumar on receiving the 2026 Exceptional Service Award! 🌟

Recognized at the Merage School's Annual Faculty and Senior Staff Dinner, this honor celebrates outstanding service and contributions to our school community. We are grateful for Professor Shanthikumar's leadership, dedication, and lasting impact on students, and at the Paul Merage School of Business. 💼

Congratulations to Professor Connie Pechmann and Dr. Ian Harris on receiving a $49,777 pilot grant from the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, funded by the UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge. 🙌

Their project, "Development of an Intelligent Chatbot to Aid Quit-Smoking Support Groups: Effective Response Generation," explains how AI can enhance smoking cessation support and improve health outcomes.

This award reflects the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the impact of community-driven philanthropy in advancing innovative cancer prevention research. We are proud to see Merage faculty leveraging emerging technologies in order to address critical public health challenges.

Join Team Merage at this year's UCI Anti-Cancer Challenge and help drive the next generation of life-changing discoveries. 💼 💡

Join us as we celebrate Irvine's 54th Anniversary at the Celebrate Irvine event on June 11th!

We're proud to see Dean Ian O. Williamson featured among the distinguished speakers as they discuss Irvine's future and the opportunities that lie ahead.

🗓️ When: June 11th 2026
📍 Where: Irvine Marriott

Merage School economics professor Edward Coulson was recently featured in the Orange County Business Journal highlighting the growing barriers to homeownership across Southern California. 📉

Coulson attributes the low homeownership numbers in Orange and Los Angeles counties to rising home prices and the increasing challenge of saving for a down payment.

“It takes a lot to be able to put together a down payment, and that’s increasingly difficult for young people who don’t have a third party able to help,” Coulson said.

Read the full article 📲 https://bit.ly/4tGoSxM

Young adults own just 11% of Los Angeles-OC homes, a national low Instead of buying, a new survey says, they are choosing to either rent or live with family or friends.

Apply Now! 3 Paid Micro-Internships ⭐️

Help to support UC Irvine's submission to the Princeton Review Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Rankings while gaining experience in research, data collection, and innovation ecosystem mapping.

Each position is 25 hours of remote work & $450 paid 💼

Opportunities include:
Academic Entrepreneurship Data Intern
Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs Intern
Alumni Startups & Funding Intern

Perfect for students interested in entrepreneurship, research, innovation, startups, business, and higher education.

📲 Apply by signing in or signing up on our micro-internship platform

Today, the Paul Merage School of Business honors and remembers the courageous service members who gave their lives in service to our country this . 🇺🇸

We reflect with gratitude on their sacrifice, bravery, and enduring legacy.

Today, the Paul Merage School of Business celebrates ! 🌈

His advocacy for equality, inclusion, and representation continues to inspire meaningful change in workplaces, communities, and beyond. We proudly recognize the impact of LGBTQ+ voices and the importance of creating spaces where everyone can thrive. 👏

Tonight, ten student entrepreneur teams pitched their startups to a panel of judges at the 22nd Stella Zhang New Venture Competition finale and awards ceremony, hosted by the Merage School’s Beall Center for Innovation and Excellence. The competition is an opportunity for students to create their own startup and compete over a seven month period for $100,000 in prizes.

Congratulations to all ten teams for making it to the competition finale. Most notably, congratulations to our competition winners!

Our first-place winner is Pipeline! Pipeline helps community college students transfer to four-year universities through personalized course planning.

Our second-place winner is NeuroStrat! NeuroStrat uses cognitive games to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s, leading to early intervention.

A huge thank you to Stella Zhang for her generosity and commitment to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Thank you also to our panel of judges; Isabelle Bart, Scott Joslyn, Jasmine Jiang, Matt Sand, and Charla Triplett.