2017  Admissions

'A Celtic Christmas' features music lecturer and arts alumnus William Coulter

For the past two decades, Tomaseen Foley’s 'A Celtic Christmas' has toured the country, offering a staging of a night before Christmas at a remote farmhouse in the west of Ireland during the 1940s and 50s. The show’s music director is award-winning guitarist William Coulter, who has been performing and recording traditional music for nearly 25 years.

Central Coast community college students urged to chart course to UC

Higher education leaders told a room full of community college students that a University of California education is accessible and affordable for transfer students.

Cross country team finishes season with championship appearance

UC Santa Cruz’s cross country team wrapped up a banner racing season over the weekend as the men's team placed 26th at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant supports $1.5 million project expanding humanities impact

A $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is now supporting a new five-year project at UC Santa Cruz. It includes a two-part humanities initiative that is designed to support doctoral student success for students from diverse backgrounds, and to expand the impact of the campus’s public humanities “Questions That Matter” outreach program.

History alumna pushes back against taboo on talking about death

History alumna Morgan Brown’s life changed drastically shortly after she graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 with a B.A. in history. Her mother was killed by a commercial truck driver who swerved into her lane and hit her car in a head-on collision.

A sound artist, sociologist, evolutionary biologist, and two art curators walk into a room…

UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will resume its popular series of LASER talks this fall on campus, Tuesday, November 14, at 7 p.m. in the Digital Arts Research Center.

Five-day Pacific Rim Music Festival to feature historic collaboration with Korean performing artists

A dazzling array of traditional and contemporary Korean music will be performed at the 2017 Pacific Rim Music Festival, October 25-29, on the UC Santa Cruz campus.

UC Santa Cruz to host ‘Freedom, Justice, Difference: The Merchant of Venice Now’ at museum

Since it was first performed in 1605, The Merchant of Venice, has been one of Shakespeare’s most controversial works. For the past 400 years, a debate has raged among critics and scholars over whether or not it is anti-Semitic.

Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell steps in to leadership, asks others to step up, too

Two months into her new job, Social Sciences Dean Katharyne Mitchell has brought energy, focus, and vision to the division.

Award-winning poet Dorianne Laux to read at 8th annual Morton Marcus memorial event

Award-winning American poet Dorianne Laux will be the featured guest at the eighth annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading, Thursday, November 16, at 5:30 p.m. in the Humanities Lecture Hall at Cowell College.

Dean Alex Wolf leads growing engineering school in era of technological change

As he begins his second full academic year as dean, Alex Wolf discusses his first year and his plans for the future of the engineering school in a wide-ranging interview.

$10.5 million education grant will help UC Santa Cruz prepare students for college

The Educational Partnership Center's “Paving a Path for a College-Going Generation” project plans to serve 1,930 at-risk, underrepresented students in the predominantly agricultural towns of Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad, and King City.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen to speak at UC Santa Cruz on Oct. 19

On October 11, the MacArthur Foundation awarded Viet Thanh Nguyen a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship for his work as a fiction writer and cultural critic, citing his contributions to “challenging popular depictions of the Vietnam War and exploring the myriad ways that war lives on for those it has displaced.”

Lick Observatory hosts Latino students and parents for night of astronomy

An evening event for high school students and their family members, called La Noche de las Estrellas, was the observatory's first Spanish-language event.

Fall Living Writers Series explores histories of war, refuge and social justice

"Beyond the Wall: War, Refuge, and Home" is the name of this fall’s installment of the Living Writers Series at UC Santa Cruz. Curated by the campus’s award-winning author and literature professor Karen Tei Yamashita, the series runs through December 7 at the Humanities Lecture Hall.

Chancellor to tell students UC education is attainable, affordable

As part of Achieve UC, Chancellor George Blumenthal will speak to approximately 300 Pajaro Valley High School students about pursuing higher education.

UC Santa Cruz, community colleges seek to strengthen ties

A meeting with California higher education leaders has led to seven strategies to further strengthen ties between UC Santa Cruz and community colleges.

Gail Project exhibition studies military occupation of Okinawa through a photographic lens

Now in its fourth year at UC Santa Cruz, The Gail Project was inspired by a collection of photographs taken in 1952 by American Army Captain, Charles Eugene Gail. "The Gail Project: An Okinawan-American Dialogue" opens on campus October 5 at the Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery.

Move-in 2017, a photographic journey

Move-in is always a time of mixed emotions: anticipation, joy, excitement, and even nervousness for students. A series of photographs captures some of the scenes.

UC Santa Cruz music alumnus lands job as head archivist of Bob Dylan Archive

Five weeks ago, UC Santa Cruz alumnus Mark Davidson moved from Austin, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to begin a new job at the Bob Dylan Archive.

Humanities alum Michael Scherer joins 'Washington Post' as national political reporter

Michael Scherer will join the Washington Post as a national political reporter in September. One of the first students in the Creative Writing Program led by literature professors Micah Perks and Karen Yamashita, Scherer graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1998 with a B.A. in Literature.

UC Santa Cruz humanities alumna named 2017 Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow

Sophia Magnone (Ph.D. Literature, 2016) is one of 20 new Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows nationwide who will take up two-year assignments working in the fields of policy, civil rights, arts and culture, and the media.

Dickens Universe thriving at UC Santa Cruz

Nearly 300 people attended the Dickens Universe this year--a unique weeklong event held each summer among the redwood trees at UC Santa Cruz.

History professor Alma Heckman named Neufeld-Levin Chair of Holocaust Studies

Assistant professor of history and Jewish Studies Alma Rachel Heckman has been appointed as the new holder of the Neufeld-Levin Holocaust Endowed Chair at UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz humanities alum wins Cabot Prize for journalism in Latin America

Washington Post correspondent and UC Santa Cruz alumnus Nick Miroff has been awarded a 2017 Maria Moors Cabot Prize for his reporting in Latin America.

Community day highlights college pathways, accessibility 

UCSC arts research center awarded $250,000 grant from U.S. Forest Service

The U.S. Forest Service has awarded a $250,000 grant to the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure, a research center based in the Arts Division at UC Santa Cruz.

Growing farmers and the food movement for 50 years

The experiment in organic gardening that began at UC Santa Cruz in 1967 is now the oldest university-based organic research and education facility in the country.

Campus admits record number of California transfers

UC Santa Cruz offered admission to 27,216 students for the upcoming academic year with a record number of offers made to California community college students. The largest portion of admissions offers—19,258 or 70 percent—are to California students.

Awards spotlight commitment to teaching

Seven UC Santa Cruz faculty members were recognized for their extraordinary commitment teaching.

UC Santa Cruz faculty awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts

Two faculty members from the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division have each received $25,000 Art Works grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to support their latest documentary film projects.

London’s Barbican Centre celebrates career of film professor B. Ruby Rich

The work of feminist writer, film critic, LGBT activist, and UC Santa Cruz professor of film and digital media B. Ruby Rich will be celebrated this week at the Barbican Centre in London.

LALS doctoral candidate wins Fulbright for study in Mexico

Candy Martinez, a doctoral candidate in Latin American and Latino Studies, has received a Fulbright grant to study how indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, define and cope with trauma.

New graduates head into two-year teaching corps

Five UC Santa Cruz graduates are joining about 6,800 new graduates and professionals who have committed to work two years in rural and urban schools as part of Teach For America

Bettina Aptheker receives Dizikes Award for teaching in Humanities

Distinguished Professor of Feminist Studies Bettina Aptheker was presented with the John Dizikes Teaching Award in Humanities at the Humanities Division’s 2017 Spring Awards celebration held at the Cowell Provost House.

‘Love on Haight’ exhibit celebrates Summer of Love at McHenry Library

"Love on Haight: the Grateful Dead and San Francisco in 1967"--a new exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic Summer of Love--has just opened at McHenry Library’s Dead Central.

Music alum named Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year

UC Santa Cruz alumna Shelley Phillips (Music,’85) has been named the 2017 Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.

Athletics fee referendum passes

Measure 68, which proposed a $38.50-per-quarter fee to support the NCAA athletics program and provide access to athletic-related activities to students who meet the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) criteria, passed with 79 percent of voting students supporting the fee.

IHR’s second ‘Night at the Museum’ draws capacity crowd

A capacity crowd filled the atrium floor and lined the balcony stairs of the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz for the latest public event presented by UCSC’s Institute for Humanities Research.

Koret scholars present research at poster slam

The Koret Scholars Undergraduate Research Slam will feature poster presentations about topics as diverse as a protein link to heart disease, female authorship in science fiction and horror genres, and the qualitative impact that research opportunities can have on the undergrad experience.

'Zoot Suit' still relevant four decades later

When Zoot Suit premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 1978, it was more than just an instant success. As former Los Angeles Times theater critic Sylvie Drake recently observed, “it exploded on the stage with the force of a sociopolitical A-bomb.”

UC Santa Cruz receives gift to establish Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies

UC Santa Cruz has received a $500,000 gift from the Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation, plus matching funds from the UC Regents, to establish the $1 million "Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies."

UCSC to present environmental video installation at SF’s Minnesota Street Project

UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of the Arts and Sciences will present a dramatic, four-screen video installation in San Francisco, hosted and co-sponsored by Minnesota Street Project, the city’s new contemporary art venue, May 20 through June 24.

Enrollment opens for UCSC Summer Session

Open enrollment is underway for UC Santa Cruz Summer Session, which offers a wide range of classes and online courses across multiple departments.

Ninja Press to publish new book by award-winning UC Santa Cruz poet Gary Young

"In Japan" is the title of an elegant new collection of poems from UCSC humanities lecturer and alumnus Gary Young that will soon be published by Ninja Press.

Film professor receives California Documentary Project grant from Cal Humanities

UC Santa Cruz associate professor of film and digital media John Jota Leaños is the recipient of a 2017 California Documentary Project grant from California Humanities.

Theater arts professor Danny Scheie wins Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award

UC Santa Cruz professor of theater arts Danny Scheie has received a 2017 award from The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and recognizing excellence in theatre arts.

Philosopher and three scientists to explore ethics and the language of conservation

The Institute for Humanities Research at UC Santa Cruz will present the inaugural event of its new research group, The Language of Conservation, on Friday afternoon, April 14, in the Humanities 1 building.

Alums launch video game based on ancient Mesoamerican myth

"Ulama: Arena of the Gods," a collaboration from three Games and Playable Media alums, launched March 28 on the Steam platform.

UCSC and Chinese officials sign agreement for Graduate Student Scholars Program

New program will bring top Chinese students to UC Santa Cruz for graduate studies in astronomy and astrophysics.

Grad student composer wins commission to create new piece for Other Minds Festival

UC Santa Cruz grad student Brian Baumbusch has received a grant to create a new composition that will be performed at the acclaimed Other Minds Festival of contemporary music in 2018.

UC Santa Cruz ranked among top schools for game design

UCSC is featured on Princeton Review's 2017 lists for top undergraduate and graduate programs in game design.

Graduate applications hit new high

The Office of Graduate Studies has received 4,744 applications for the 2017-18 academic year. In the last five years, the campus has marked a 36 percent increase in the number of applications.

UC Santa Cruz named one of the country’s best colleges for undergraduate film majors

UC Santa Cruz is featured in a Top 10 list of Best Bachelor’s Program for Film, Video and Photographic Arts along with USC, NYU, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Rhode Island School of Design.

Gift from Narinder Kapany will establish Sikh book collection and study room at McHenry Library

UC Santa Cruz has received a gift from Dr. Narinder Kapany to establish the Sundar Singh Kapany Book Collection and the Sundar Singh Kapany Group Study Room in the University Library.

Curating the African American and Holocaust museums in a post-fact world

UC Santa Cruz will present a free public discussion about building museums, engaging the public, and how to represent difficult memories on Feb. 22 at Kresge Town Hall.

Oscar nominee ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ to screen with panel discussion at Del Mar Theater

UC Santa Cruz will present a film screening of "I Am Not Your Negro"--an award-winning documentary on the life and work of writer James Baldwin, followed by a panel discussion, Feb. 21, at the Del Mar Theater

UC Santa Cruz receives $191,000 grant to benefit grad students in humanities, arts, social sciences

UC Santa Cruz is one of five universities nationwide selected by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) to be part of its new University Initiative program.

Film professor contributes to new PBS documentary on race in America

UC Santa Cruz assistant professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor has produced one of several short pieces that comprise The Talk: Race in America, a new film premiering Feb. 20 on PBS.

Music professor receives patent to help fight bark beetles ravaging Western forests

UC Santa Cruz music professor David Dunn has joined forces with two forest scientists from Northern Arizona University to combat an insect infestation that is killing millions of trees throughout the West.

High-demand courses to be offered in summer session

The focus for summer 2017 is to offer high-demand courses in small class sizes. There will be 20 online courses, up from 11 last summer, as well as more than 250 on-campus courses across 30 departments.

Waves Passing in the Night: a talk about astrophysics, harmony, and boundaries

Acclaimed writer and UC Santa Cruz alumnus Lawrence Weschler will join Academy Award-winning sound and film editor Walter Murch, and noted campus astronomer Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz on Feb. 13, in the Music Center Recital Hall.

Marlene Tromp selected as UC Santa Cruz campus provost and executive vice chancellor

Tromp will serve as the chief academic officer and provide academic leadership to UC Santa Cruz.

Crochet coral reef exhibition to open Feb. 10 at Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery

"Crochet Coral Reef: CO2CA-CO2LA Ocean," an exhibition by Margaret and Christine Wertheim and the Institute For Figuring, is an artistic response to global warming and the growing problem of plastic trash accumulating in the ocean.

Multicultural Career Conference poised to celebrate 30 years

The Multicultural Career Conference is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in early February, marking a long history of connecting students with alumni who know the challenges of beginning a career.

Sandra Chung to deliver 51st annual Faculty Research Lecture

UC Santa Cruz professor of linguistics Sandra Chung will deliver the 51st annual Faculty Research Lecture on Tuesday, February 7, at 7 p.m. at the Music Recital Hall in the Performing Arts Complex.

UC Santa Cruz launches Murray Baumgarten Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies

UC Santa Cruz has established an endowed chair to honor the person most responsible for the thriving Jewish Studies program that exists on the campus today.

UC Santa Cruz hosts Northern California High School Ethics Bowl

Each winter, high school students from Salinas to Marin County travel to Santa Cruz to participate in the Northern California High School Ethics Bowl.