About UC Santa Cruz

Progressive, bold, fearless education that benefits both the individual and the planet.

Principles of Community

The University of California, Santa Cruz is committed to promoting and protecting an environment that values and supports every person in an atmosphere of civility, honesty, cooperation, professionalism and fairness. UC Santa Cruz expects that every campus member will practice these Principles of Community.

History

Since its founding in 1965, the University of California, Santa Cruz, has earned international distinction as a university with high-impact research and an uncommon commitment to teaching and public service.

A campus with world-class facilities and one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education, UC Santa Cruz offers rigorous academic programs and cutting-edge research opportunities that teach students how to think, not what to think. A commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement are central to UCSC's core values.

Campus Overview

By the Numbers

Career Path

65

Undergraduate Majors

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Campus

2000

Acres Overlooking Scenic Monterey Bay

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Grad Rates

46%

First-Generation College Graduates

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University News

Alumni

Return of the Slugs

February 11, 2019

Alumni Weekend 2019 is just around the corner. This year's festivities will take place from Friday, April 26, through Sunday, April 28. Highlights include a talk about "high-impact science,'' the ever-popular beer and wine reception, and a reunion of the college band Flowers of Evil.

Publications

Two new books published by UC Santa Cruz poet, lecturer, and alumnus Gary Younge

March 25, 2019

Faculty

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Banana Slug

In a world of beavers, bears, and bobcats, UCSC is home to the mighty Banana Slug — which students voted in 1986 to adopt as the official campus mascot.

The Banana Slug, a bright yellow, slimy, shell-less mollusk commonly found on the redwood forest floor, was the unofficial mascot for UC Santa Cruz coed teams since the university's early years. The students' embrace of such a lowly creature was their response to the fierce athletic competition fostered at most American universities.

Leadership & Organization

Chancellor George R. Blumenthal is a distinguished scholar and academic leader with a long tenure at UC Santa Cruz and within the University of California system. He has served as the 10th chancellor at UC Santa Cruz since July 2006, initially as acting chancellor. The UC Board of Regents appointed him permanent chancellor 14 months later in September 2007. Chancellor Blumenthal joined UC Santa Cruz in 1972 as a professor of astronomy and astrophysics.

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