UC Santa Cruz History

The University of California, Santa Cruz is one of three schools added to the University of California system in the 1960s to accommodate the baby-boomer generation. During the past 50 years, the school has grown to more than 10 times its original size.

Planning

In 1957, it was decided that the University of California needed another campus in the northern part of the state. In March 1961, a 2,000-acre site in the Cowell Ranch area, overlooking Monterey Bay, was chosen.

Early Administration

Eugene McHenry was selected as UC Santa Cruz's first chancellor. He had been the dean of academic planning, advising the president of the UC system.

Construction

By mid-1964, construction of the university's main buildings was under way.

First Class

The school opened in fall 1965 with an initial class of 654 liberal-arts undergraduates. It was expected--correctly--to grow rapidly as new buildings and departments were added. In 2008, the university had more than 14,000 undergraduates.

Notable Alumni

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Laurie Garrett, Dan Priest and Martha Mendoza studied at UC Santa Cruz, as did model Rebecca Romijn, Dead Kennedys songwriter Jello Biafra, astronaut Kathryn Sullivan and Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton.

References

• University of California History Digital Archives: Santa Cruz: Historical Overview
• About UC Santa Cruz: Campus Overview