UC Merced's first four-year graduating class made national news with its successful campaign to bring First Lady Michelle Obama to campus as commencement speaker.

Less well-known is the incredible behind-the-scenes effort from employees that helped make her visit - and the resulting swell in guests -- possible. Prior to Obama's decision to speak at the ceremony, the campus planned for about 5,000 guests; more than 12,000 attended.

"We're a small campus and staff, and we really pulled together," said Mark Lutz, who led the team of electricians, carpenters, grounds crew and outside contractors that turned a terraced "bowl" of bare earth and weeds into a lush outdoor amphitheatre complete, with temporary access road and a ramp for disabled access.

Working seven days a week over the course of five weeks, the crew also built three temporary parking lots, a helipad and a bridge over a canal so the First Lady and UC Merced graduates would have a more direct path to the stage.

"We had to start from scratch," said Tom Atkins, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, "We don't yet have all the facilities an older, more established university would have."

Facilities construction was not the only way Merced faculty and staff contributed to the historic commencement. In all, about 600 staff and faculty volunteered during the event, according to Sonia Johnston, Vice Chancellor of Administration, who coordinated volunteers. Volunteers worked at information booths, served as parking attendants and ushers, handed out programs and bottled water, led campus tours and more.

Then they came back early Sunday and cleaned up. On Monday morning when Mark Lutz returned to work, only the chairs and the stage remained. There wasn't a water bottle, leftover program or piece of trash to be found. Everyone from vice chancellors and their spouses to administrative assistants pitched in on the clean up.

The positive impact of the event lives on. Atkins points out that a previously unused and unsightly area of the campus is now available for student activities such as concerts, movies and small sporting events.

Even more important, he says, is the team spirit it created on campus. "It has been wonderful to see my staff come to appreciate one another and build their own team."

The event gave Lutz and his coworkers a new sense of pride: "For such a small university, we pulled off something historically large."