Alumni News

Men's hoops: Slugs take down Whittier Poets

After a tough defeat to Whitworth College, the UCSC men's basketball team rallied back to defeat the Whittier Poets 53-47 on Saturday, December 11.

History graduate heading to Scotland on prestigious Marshall Scholarship

Five months after she graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in history, Cynthia Thickpenny has won a Marshall Scholarship--one of the most prestigious awards that American undergraduates can receive.

UCSC celebrates its 45th anniversary with 45+5 Prominent and Influential Alumni

In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the arrival of the first students at UC Santa Cruz, the campus is showcasing 45 highly accomplished graduates and five younger alumni of promise.

Slug men's water polo wins championship

UCSC's men's water polo team recently won the Division III National Collegiate Club Championship.

United Way kicks off area fundraising campaign

UCSC faculty and staff are longtime supporters of United Way of Santa Cruz County, which has kicked off its 2010-11 fundraising drive.

KZSC named one of the top college radio stations in the country

The Huffington Post, an enormously popular media blog, has just named KZSC one of the top five college radio stations in America.

Ethics lecture examines moral boundaries of scientific research

"Advances in Biotechnology and Medicine: Stretching the Moral Boundaries" is just the beginning of a new series of ethics lectures that will be presented by the UCSC Humanities Division.

Humanities Division honors freshman writing students with new award

After more than three decades of guiding teachers and teaching college students, senior lecturer emeritus in writing Don Rothman has established an endowment to honor exceptional freshman students and their writing teachers.

Jean-Michel Cousteau: 'I am convinced we can change'

Ocean environmentalist Cousteau expresses both concern and hope for the future of the world's oceans in a discussion of the BP oil spill with alum and NPR science correspondent Richard Harris

Founders Day Dinner honors achievement, UCSC's roots

The fourth annual campus signature event drew a black-tie crowd to the Cocoanut Grove to commemorate UCSC's founding, recognize outstanding achievement

"MIXED NUTZ" returns for holiday shows: Nov. 19-Dec. 5

“MIXED NUTZ! The Nutcracker REMixed”--a fun and magical twist on the story of ‘The Nutcracker’ featuring live music by vocalists SoVoSó with Lori Rivera

Digital media pros advise young alumni at Silicon Valley networking event

A panel of four highly accomplished UCSC alumni with expertise in digital media shared their insights and experience with an eager crowd of younger alumni at a recent networking event held at the Google campus in Mountain View.

UC Santa Cruz Literature professor nominated for National Book Award

Karen Tei Yamashita, professor of literature and co-director of the Creative Writing Program at UC Santa Cruz, has been nominated for a 2010 National Book Award.

Provocative works by extraordinary artists reveal ‘Human Conditions’

Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Vito Acconci, Robert Rauschenberg…these are just a few of the extraordinary artists that will be featured in Human Conditions, a new exhibition running through November 20 at UCSC’s Sesnon Gallery.

Netflix CEO: Luck, 'maniacal determination' played into company's success

Speaking to a crowd of 400 at Tuesday's What's Next lecture co-sponsored by UCSC, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings shared success tales and early horror stories.

Acclaimed author and journalist Gurcharan Das to deliver 2010 Maitra Lecture at UCSC on Oct. 17

The UC Santa Cruz Foundation presents the 10th annual Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lecture--featuring acclaimed Indian author and columnist Gurcharan Das--on Sunday, October 17, at 3 p.m. in the UCSC Music Center Recital Hall.

Funding boost for hay barn restoration project

The UC Santa Cruz Foundation and the Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District is gaining momentum in its efforts to preserve the sprawling, fast deteriorating hay barn near the base of campus.

Sam Farr to speak at UCSC reception for exhibit on sustainable agriculture and organic farming

U.S. Representative Sam Farr will be the guest speaker at a reception to be held on Thursday, October 14, from 4 to 6 pm at the UCSC Science and Engineering Library’s Current Periodicals Room.

Arboretum's fall sale October 9 features wide variety of plants

The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum will hold its annual Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, October 9, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Eucalyptus Grove on High Street.

Newly discovered planet may be first truly habitable exoplanet

A team of planet hunters has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's "habitable zone."

Award-winning UCSC alumna gaining recognition for second novel

In 2007, UC Santa Cruz alumna Reyna Grande (creative writing/film & video ’99) received an American Book award for her debut novel, Across a Hundred Mountains.Her sophomore novel, Dancing with Butterflies--a story of four women in a Los Angeles-based folklorico group--has been steadily garnering acclaim.

Marine experts to discuss a decade of ocean discoveries in annual Norris Lecture on Thursday, October 7

A panel of four UCSC marine scientists will discuss a decade of ocean discoveries in the annual Ken Norris Memorial Lecture at the Seymour Center on Thursday, October 7.

Staying connected: UCSC launches iPhone app

Busy, multi-tasking students can now keep up with life at UC Santa Cruz, thanks to a new free iPhone app with regularly updated campus news, videos, photos, events and even an emergency feed.

Proud Slug parents defy Empty Nest Syndrome stereotypes

According to popular wisdom, Empty Nest Syndrome sufferers become unhinged when their kids move out. But the truth is more complex.

Alison Galloway named campus provost at UCSC

The University of California Regents today (Thursday, September 16, 2010) approved the appointment of Alison Galloway as campus provost/executive vice chancellor (CP/EVC) of UC Santa Cruz. The appointment is effective immediately.

UCSC lecturer releases new CD showcasing music of Thomas Jefferson

When most people think about the life of Thomas Jefferson, the subject of music rarely comes up. So it might come as a bit of a surprise to learn that our third president was an accomplished--and self-taught--classical violinist, who also had an unusual interest in traditional folk tunes...

In Memoriam: George Hitchcock

George Hitchcock, poet, painter, publisher, and UCSC lecturer emeritus in Creative Writing (Literature), died on August 27 at the age of 96.

Astronomer Sandra Faber profiled on KTEH

KTEH, the San Jose public television station, profiles astronomer Sandra Faber in a new episode of the program "This Is Us" that will air on September 8.

UC Santa Cruz professor one of top academic experts on Honduras

In late June, UC Santa Cruz history professor Dana Frank traveled to Honduras to observe the one-year anniversary of the country’s 2009 military coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya. Frank is one of the top academic experts on Honduras in the United States

Chancellor helps fund Olive Tree Initiative

Two UCSC politics majors want to understand the Arab-Israeli conflict, but they refuse to put their blind trust in TV, blogs, and newspaper coverage.

Professors to present New Orleans lecture on anniversary of Katrina

August 29 marks the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Crescent City.

Campus gets high honors in Sierra Club Coolest Schools rankings

UC Santa Cruz students throw pizza crusts into compost containers, scribble notes on recycled paper, and drink mass quantities of shade-grown organic cafeteria coffee during finals week.

A new economy for Santa Cruz?

Former Santa Cruz Sentinel editor Tom Honig writes in an op-ed for the Santa Cruz Good Times that UCSC is a driver of the local economy, and that a growing campus could result in more private sector jobs in a rapidly changing economy.

Authors of new book about Grateful Dead's marketing approach to donate one fourth of advance and royalties to UC Santa Cruz

Inspired by a thought-provoking feature article by Joshua Green in the March issue of <i>Atlantic</i> magazine titled <i>Management Secrets of the Grateful Dead</i>, Boston writers David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan have just published a new book rele

Cannibal galaxies and chemical abundances: high school physical science interns explore the universe

Fifteen brainy, super-motivated high school students are taking part in a UC Santa Cruz summer program that helps young people delve deeply into research in the physical sciences with professional mentors to guide them.

Student orientation draws a crowd of 6,800: excitement, nervousness, and high expectations during campus visit

More than 6,800 parents and students attended Student Orientation. Many guests were from Northern California, but parents and students showed up from throughout the state and across the nation.

UC Santa Cruz professor co-authors landmark book to commemorate 100th anniversary of Angel Island Immigration Station

A new book co-authored by UC Santa Cruz professor emerita of American Studies Judy Yung provides the first comprehensive history of the Angel Island Immigration station in San Francisco Bay--known as "the Ellis Island of the West."

Shakespeare Santa Cruz exposed: hard work brings productions and stage sets to life in the festival glen

Anyone who has seen Shakespeare Santa Cruz knows it's a transporting experience, but the cast works hard to achieve the effect. When audiences finally see Love's Labor's Lost, they will see the end-product of endless adjustments, revisions, and changes of

Shakespeare Santa Cruz kicks off 2010 summer festival July 20

The 29th season of Shakespeare Santa Cruz opens July 20 with James Goldman's <i>The Lion In Winter</i>, directed by Richard E.T. White and starring SSC artistic director Marco Barricelli.

Deconstruction on campus: preservationists hope to tear down, rebuild historic barn

The Cowell Lime Works board hopes to save an historic hay barn on the base of campus, using an unusual rescue method: they want to have it taken down and put back together again.

UC Santa Cruz approves new major in Jewish Studies

Jewish Studies at UCSC had its origins in the mid-1980s after a campus visit by Schindler's List survivor Leopold Page--nearly a decade before Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning film.

Windmills on the Wharf? A city landmark goes green

Electricity-generating wind turbines may soon take their place alongside the fishermen and flagpoles on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. A team of enterprising UC Santa Cruz engineering students is laying the groundwork for this ambitious $1 million projec

Shakespeare and the Music of the Spheres: Summer attractions on and off campus

UCSC does not slumber when most of the students clear out in June. Summer is a great time to explore the wooded, shady campus and off-campus facilities.

Athletes, math students, and cheerleaders converge at summer programs

Long after students vacate their dorms, the campus keeps buzzing with summer conferences.

Students celebrate and remember during 2010 commencement exercises

Friday's commencement ceremonies at East Field were a blend of jubilation, reflection, and relief as hundreds of scholars posed for photographs and capped off their studies at UC Santa Cruz.

Health sciences major awarded Sutter scholarship for medical school

Max Caccese, 23, was chosen to receive this year's Primary Care Physician Award. Caccese will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

Students win $25,500 in scholarship money to study abroad

Seven UCSC students who will be studying abroad in fall 2010 through the UC Education Abroad Program were awarded a total of $25,500 in scholarship money from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program.

Student Achievement Week honors outstanding scholars

The campus capped off its annual Student Achievement Week with a prestigious award ceremony recognizing the outstanding achievements of students and instructors.

Memorial Day ceremony highlights UCSC's dedication to veterans

UC Santa Cruz's fledgling veterans support network is promoting this hilly, wooded campus as a sanctuary for students transitioning out of or into military life.

Theater arts professor receives NEH fellowship plus UC President's grant for book on dance legend Martha Graham

UC Santa Cruz theater arts professor Mark Franko has received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to complete a book on legendary dancer, choreographer, and modern dance pioneer Martha Graham.

UCSC Opera Theater offers 'The Elixir of Love,' June 3-6

L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) will performed in the original Italian by a delightful student cast and the full UCSC Orchestra, June 3-6 at the Music Center Recital Hall.

Student Achievement Week at UC Santa Cruz

Outstanding visual artists, performers, researchers, and scholars will share the spotlight during Undergraduate Achievement Week, May 29 to June 4.

A Cappella Records wins top spot, $12,000 at UCSC Business Plan competition

A Cappella Records was the winner of the second-annual UC Santa Cruz Business Plan Competition, nabbing the top $12,000 prize, which also includes professional services and work space.

Health sciences student wins $10,000 award to support her work in Nigeria

Evelyn Castle received a $10,000 public service scholarship to support her efforts to improve health care in Nigeria.

UCTV show featuring UC Santa Cruz now available for viewing

The television magazine show "State of Minds" produced by UCTV and featuring several segments filmed last month on the UC Santa Cruz campus is now online and available for viewing.

UCSC showcases most promising artists in 2010 Irwin Scholar exhibition

Angry turkeys, space boats, floating pigs, and stoic football players are examples of objects that are violently mixed together in a splattered haze of bright colors and layered patterns.

UCSC music professor to be keynote speaker at UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education

UC Santa Cruz professor of music Hi Kyung Kim will be one of five keynote speakers at the second UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education--the largest global event in the field.

Two UCSC faculty win Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards

Two theater arts faculty members at UC Santa Cruz have been honored with 2009 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards.

UC Santa Cruz's Harry Berger Jr. honored with top UC award for emeriti faculty

The 2010 Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award, honoring emeriti professors in the University of California system, has been awarded to UC Santa Cruz professor emeritus of literature Harry Berger Jr.

Women's Club awards $20,000 in scholarships to re-entry students

The UCSC Women's Club, a campus Friends organization, awarded $20,000 in scholarships to re-entry students at UC Santa Cruz this year, a record for the club in terms of the number of scholarships awarded and the total amount of the awards.

Art professor's New Orleans photo makes opening credits of new HBO series

Tune into <i>Treme,</i> the new HBO television series by David Simon (<i>The Wire</i>) about post-Katrina New Orleans, and in the opening credits you will see a photograph taken by UCSC associate professor of art Lewis Watts.

UCSC graduate students to showcase digital art with social impact

Fourteen graduate students from UCSC's Digital Arts and New Media M.F.A. Program (DANM) will conclude two years of artistic study with "Things That Are Possible"--an exhibition of their work running April 30 through May 9 at the campus's new Digital Arts

Bratt brothers bring a little Hollywood to Santa Cruz

Alumnus and filmmaker Peter Bratt and his brother, TV and movie star Benjamin Bratt, were in town and on campus recently as part of the local premiere of <i>La Mission.</i>

Alumni speakers hopeful about the future

Three prominent UCSC alumni returned to campus April 17 for a lively exchange on what the future holds for the next generation of humanity.

UC Santa Cruz literature professor Nathaniel Mackey receives Guggenheim for poetry

UC Santa Cruz literature professor Nathaniel Mackey has been awarded a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship for poetry.

UC Santa Cruz grad Peter Bratt returns to premiere La Mission

Filmmaker Peter Bratt returns to UC Santa Cruz Friday as part of the local premiere of <i>La Mission</i>, his heartfelt portrait of San Francisco's Mission District, the neighborhood where he grew up.

UCSC community supports local charities even in tough times

The UC Santa Cruz community once again showed compassion and generosity during the campus's 2009 year-end fundraising drive.

UCSC to celebrate Grand Opening of Digital Arts Research Center on April 29

UC Santa Cruz will celebrate the arts and a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and community on Thursday, April 29, when the campus officially opens its new Digital Arts Research Center.

UCSC theater faculty up for eight Bay Area Critics Circle Awards

Theater Arts faculty at UC Santa Cruz have received eight nominations for the 2009 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards.

Tennis coach Bob Hansen consistently serves up national champs

Bob Hansen may just be the country's best-kept collegiate coaching secret.

Student profile: Christian Schwarz--a fascination with fungi

Christian Schwarz is a senior ecology and evolution major with a passion for all things that fly, swim, run, or grow--but his soft spot is fungi.

New York Times features story on historical impact of UCSC's Grateful Dead Archive

The front page of the March 11 Arts section of the New York Times featured a story by Larry Rohter about UCSC's Grateful Dead Archive and its historical impact and value.

Seymour Center honors alumna Kathryn Sullivan with Global Oceans Award

The Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory will honor former astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan at the Global Oceans Awards Gala.

First large exhibition of UCSC's Grateful Dead Archive opens in New York on March 5

The first large-scale exhibition of materials from the Grateful Dead Archive at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will be on display at the New-York Historical Society from March 5 through July 4.

Friends Group celebrates 25 years, receives major Osher grant

The Bernard Osher Foundation has awarded a $65,000 grant to UCSC Lifelong Learners and will give a like amount to the group next year. Lifelong Learners plans to increase its membership and expand its program; if it is successful, it will become eligible

UCSC featured in March issue of Atlantic magazine

The March issue of <i>The Atlantic</i> features a story by senior editor Joshua Green on the Library's Grateful Dead Archive.

UCSC Night at SAP Open sported stars, supported tennis

UCSC Night at the SAP Open Tennis Tournament on February 10 drew 275 alumni and friends to the HP Pavilion.

Anna Deavere Smith: Reignited imagination key to closing racial divide

To address the problems that arise over ongoing racial divides--gang violence, poverty, inequality--we need to look back to the lessons of Martin Luther King Jr. and reignite our collective imagination about what it's like to be the "other person."

Explore China through 'Legends of China' trip

UC Santa Cruz joins ranks of top large universities for Peace Corps

UC Santa Cruz ranks No. 21 on the annual list of "Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities," even after moving from the mid-size to the large university category because of increased enrollment.

UCSC Scholarship Benefit Dinner raises more than $160,000 to support students

More than 300 people turned out for the seventh annual UC Santa Cruz Scholarship Benefit Dinner that took place Saturday night at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose.

Haiti News & Information: Resources, including ways you can help

UC Santa Cruz has prepared a special web site in an effort to keep members of the campus community informed about the crisis in Haiti. This site includes information on just a few of the relief organizations working in the country that can benefit from yo

UC Santa Cruz lecturer named first Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County

UC Santa Cruz humanities lecturer Gary Young has been named the first-ever Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County.

7th annual Scholarship Benefit Dinner to support UCSC students--Feb. 6 at Tech Museum in San Jose

UCSC will host its seventh annual Scholarship Benefit Dinner on Saturday, February 6, at the Tech Museum in San Jose.

Award-winning women writers to be featured in UCSC's 2010 Living Writers Series

How do women writers view history differently than men? That's the key question posed by "Another Look: Women Writers Re-Vision History"--the winter installment of UCSC's annual Living Writers Series.

Proposed constitutional amendment would guarantee funds for UC

Vowing to protect higher education funding, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today revealed a bold proposal to amend the state constitution to shift money from prisons to higher education.

Literature professor's book makes Choice magazine's list of Outstanding Academic Titles for 2009

Literature professor Rob Wilson's book "Be Always Converting, Be Always Converted: An American Poetics" (Harvard University Press) has been selected as one of Choice magazine's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2009.