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Alumni advocacy

I think you may have missed an important alumni story with the short article on the $2 million gift from the Packard Foundation for Natural History Field Quarter and the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History (Review magazine, spring '14, Campaign Update).

This effort was spearheaded by an alumnus, Larry Ford (Kresge '77, environmental studies and biology). He was motivated to move forward with this proposal to the Packard Foundation because 500 UC Santa Cruz alumni, who had taken Ken's Natural History Field Quarter, showed up for a reunion during Alumni Weekend in 2012.

At that reunion, professor emeritus of environmental studies Steve Gliessman, who taught NHFQ, put a stuffed gopher in a terrarium and challenged folks who were attending to "bury the gopher" with checks and cash donations to continue the teaching of the Natural History Field Quarter. Karen Holl, the Environmental Studies Department chair at the time, also encouraged folks to give. That started the fundraising effort, and about $65,000 was raised between then and this spring.

It's a great story about the power of alumni to raise money for the things at UC Santa Cruz they're passionate about.

— Jenny Anderson

Retired staff/lecturer, Environmental Studies Dept.

Instagram and giving

Thank you for the UC Santa Cruz Instagram account! I am an alum living in frosty Ann Arbor, Mich., for the last decade or so. I really enjoy the photos when I check them each morning—whether it is Alumni Weekend and Sammy, or a quiet bench in the forest, or a close-up of some new flowers sprouting up on campus.

I recently became a donor to the McHenry Library. My uncle—a fellow Banana Slug who graduated in the early 1980s—passed away, and I rounded up my family to make a gift to McHenry Library so we could create the "Robert Lindsay Hunt Memorial Pathway" as a tribute to a great man in our lives. The pathway is located south of McHenry Library between the stairs and the parking lot at the base of the hill.

Giving to UC Santa Cruz is a great way to pay tribute to fellow Slugs.

Choosing Santa Cruz for undergrad was one of the best choices in my entire life. Becoming a donor is a close second.

— Melissa Cox (Porter '04, community studies)

LinkedIn Love

Phenomenal undergraduate experience! The beauty of the campus is undeniable. The small class size and quality of instruction was wonderful. I also had the opportunity to work as a research assistant, which was invaluable preparation for graduate school. I love the opportunity to recommend UC Santa Cruz!

 — Susan Conner (Cowell '91, psychology)