A reunion luncheon, distinguished faculty lecture, alumni panel discussion, and wine tasting are just a few of the events on the crowded schedule for Banana Slug Spring Fair, April 22-23.
The annual alumni weekend will also include plenty of opportunities to reconnect with old friends at an array of reunions based on fields of study, graduation year, and affinity groups.
The first of Saturday's major events will be a panel discussion featuring distinguished campus graduates reflecting on how UCSC changed their world, and how they are changing the world today. Participants are George Perkovich, author of India's Nuclear Bomb; Emmy Award-winners Chuck Ranberg and Anne Flett-Giordano; and Ellen Chu, a senior editor with the Government Accountability Office.
Following the discussion, alumni will have a chance to reunite with classmates and favorite faculty members at the All-Alumni Reunion Luncheon. Special recognition will be given to alumni celebrating 5- to 35-year reunions.
The Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Financial Crises Around the World" by Michael Hutchison (Merrill '76, B.S. economics), will immediately follow the luncheon. Hutchison, professor of economics and interim dean of social sciences, joined the faculty at UCSC in 1985. He is one of the world's leading experts in international finance and the Japanese economy, and frequently consults with central banks around the world.
The Humanities Division will offer "Classes Without Quizzes" on Saturday afternoon. The 45-minute classes promise to "reignite your intellectual passion, recharge your mental batteries, reconnect with some of the greatest minds on the planet."
For the first time, the Alumni Association's popular annual Alumni Vintners Wine Tasting, which in the past has been held during the summer, will take place during Banana Slug Spring Fair. The event will feature gourmet food, select wines, and music-all by alumni.
A complete schedule of Banana Slug Spring Fair events is available online at
