A common refrain among UC Santa Cruz alumni—from every decade, every major, every college, every division—is how much they treasured the beauty and natural setting of this remarkable campus and the richness it brought to their educational experience. Some even say it changed their lives.
As part of UC Santa Cruz's 50th anniversary recognition, we present a photo essay celebrating this stunning university environment. From the dizzying heights of the redwood forests … to the mind-expanding views of big sky and endless meadows tumbling to the bay, combined with breathtaking glimpses of the magnificent wildlife sharing this dramatic space.
Architecture blends into the land and surrounding forest, and includes everything from rustic historical structures to sleek, modern designs.
The UC Santa Cruz campus—beautiful, bewildering, bewitching. We look forward to welcoming generations of students to come who will similarly immerse and revel in the beauty of this place and continue the quest to change the world.
1 U'lyana Zagurskaya (Crown '15, human biology)
2 Sarah Mollenbrick, staff
3 Brandon Winters (Stevenson, undeclared)
4 Kate Littler (post doc, Earth & planetary sciences), 5 Tara Camgros (Cowell '13, anthropology), 6 Caitlin Brennen (Cowell '13, environmental studies), 7 Brandon Dickson (College Nine '13, psychology)
8 Maycee Hash (College Eight '13, ecology and evolution)
9,11 Kelsey Jones (Merrill '15 art, education and literature minors)
10 Jacqueline Watson (Kresge '13, psychology)
12 Tara Camgros (Cowell '13, anthropology)
All of the gorgeous images in this feature were captured by students, alumni, and staff.
