We write as co-chairs of the 50th Anniversary Campus Coordinating Committee to update the campus community on planning for a season of celebrations in 2015 and to encourage ideas for events and projects. As you read ahead, please consider two things:
• Send a representative to a Brown Bag lunch session about the 50th on July 29.
• Think of ways your unit or program might help celebrate the 50th.
The Campus Coordinating Committee has been formed to help organize UCSC's 50th Anniversary, a celebration that will honor the campus' glorious past, its innovative present, and its exciting future. The official anniversary season runs from January 2015 through June 2016, under the banner of "50 Years of Innovation and Education for a Global Society." Our Annual Founder's Day Event in October 2015 will be a key focal point for the acknowledgement of our 50-year milestone.
Please join with us, by sharing information about campus events or activities you may already be planning during the celebration window that might be given an anniversary flavor. It's up to you (divisions, departments, programs, colleges, student organizations) to identify the special reasons and events for celebrating your program, but we are ready to help. Collaboration across units is especially welcome for our campus that has built a reputation for "interdisciplinary."
We have begun compiling a preliminary calendar of campus anniversaries within the 18-month timeframe, to give you an idea of the range of possibilities and to stimulate more ideas and suggestions for 50th Anniversary enhancements to current plans. We anticipate that some of these programs will want to celebrate their anniversary during this time period. If so, please share your prospective initiatives by visiting our website 50years.ucsc.edu and submitting the form on the link under "Getting Ready." We will update our events calendar as we hear from you.
We are also identifying a variety of ongoing campus events, such as Dean Lecture Series and the Faculty Research Lectures that could be specially adapted as occasions for celebrating the 50th. Our goal is to integrate the anniversary with events that are already part of the present fabric of the campus. Again, whether your event happens each year or will be developed especially for the 50th, please let us know about it by using this online form.
Finally, two events to watch for during the summer and early fall. First, we are holding an informal brown bag lunch on Monday, July 29, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge of the Graduate Student Commons Building (Quarry Plaza) to brainstorm with members of the campus community who are here over the summer. Please join us, hear more about current plans, and bring your ideas and questions. Second, this fall we will roll out an interactive timeline, putting UCSC history in its national and world context, along with a special section for user-generated content. Stay tuned for more information on when this interactive timeline will be shared.
We encourage every group on campus to use the umbrella of the 50th for a celebration that will inspire strong support for both our present and future. We look forward to hearing your plans and creating an outstanding season of celebration together!
