College collage

Cowell College
Cowell College
Stevenson College

Stevenson College 

Merrill College

Merrill College

Crown College
Crown College
Porter College
Porter College
Kresge College
Kresge College
Oakes College
Oakes College
College Eight
College Eight
College Nine
College Nine
College Ten
College Ten (photos by Don Kenny, Tom Vandyke)

A roundup of the latest at the other colleges:

Crown College attracts academically focused students, especially in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas. New development: One of Crown's recent traditions is the popular Social Fiction Conference, a creative colloquium with a special focus on ethics and morality within the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and gaming. Goal: To establish a strong endowment to support the Crown Science Learning Community (SLC) and the Writing Initiative.

Porter College is known for its commitment to the arts and the dedication of its writing faculty to individualized instruction. New development: Partnerships with public schools that bring Porter students into local classrooms to share their expertise in the arts and connect the university and the community. Goal: To expand the range of these partnerships and foster greater collaboration among the arts, humanities, and sciences at the college.

College Eight features world-renowned environmental, ecological, and sustainability programs and initiatives. The college is gearing up to offer a minor in sustainability studies. New development: The college recently set up a sustainability-themed floor in one of its residential buildings and plans to begin a new series of environmental and sustainability internships. Goal: To provide students with the social, scientific, and engineering tools to succeed in the new "green economy" through social enterprise and entrepreneurship.

College Nine has a strong focus on international and global perspectives, while its sister college, College Ten, emphasizes social justice and community. They are distinct colleges that share a provost, and are affiliated with the Division of Social Sciences. New developments: College Nine established the iFloor, an international residential-learning floor for first-years. College Ten dedicated the new Terry Freitas Café with the generous support of Terry's grandmother, Ethel Shelley. Terry (Crown '97, biology) was killed at 24 after successfully protecting the land of the indigenous U'wa tribe in Colombia from commercial drilling. Goals: College Nine hopes to expand support for UCSC's growing international student population, specifically the iFloor, while College Ten is seeking support for its Social Justice and Community Leadership Certificate program as well as its Pathways to Distinction program.

Stevenson College is known for its emphasis on critical reading of the classics and debating skills, its well-regarded Ethics Bowl and Rainbow Theater, and its history of student-initiated clubs. New development: The Stevenson Challenge Program provides high-achieving students with close interaction with UCSC faculty and support for collaborative research projects. Goals: Bring in a series of inspiring guest speakers, expand the lending library, and improve facilities like the Coffee House, Knoll, and Garden.

Kresge College is known for its long and important association with writing instruction. The college's core course theme is "Power and Representation." New development: The recently established Common Ground Center promotes social and environmental change through undergraduate-focused action-education, research, advocacy, and civic engagement. Goal: To attain permanent funding for the Common Ground Center, which brings together social, environmental, and economic sustainability, features undergraduate research, and has an experiential-learning focus with a campus-community partnership orientation.