Did You Know...

Did you know ...
The Santa Cruz community is enriched in a myriad of ways through the contributions of University students, faculty, and staff…

Faculty, staff, and students contribute countless unpaid hours volunteering in the local community—providing thousands of hours of community service to local agencies.  A June 2005 survey results showed:

“Santa Cruz depends on the university as much as the university depends on the unique atmosphere and ambiance of Santa Cruz. Combined they make the perfect learning environment.”

• Students.  Twenty-nine percent of students volunteer or complete an unpaid internship—for charities, public schools, and other non-profits in Santa Cruz County—contributing over 550,000 hours to the community.  Students are matched with local agencies by the Student Volunteer Connection.  This student-run organization provides a listing of volunteer opportunities in the local community and hosts a variety of events to promote volunteering, such as Beach Flats After-School Tutors and Community Center, Big Brothers/ Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Familia Center, Salvation Army, Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation, Santa Cruz Libraries, and Second Harvest Food Bank.  In addition, UCSC community service project grants are available to students and student groups who are interested in direct-service projects that address community needs or problems within the County and surrounding local communities.

• Faculty and staff.  Fifty-four percent of faculty and staff volunteer locally—for non-profits, charities, public schools, and religious organizations—contributing over 270,000 hours annually.  In fact, 15% of faculty and staff reported that they held a leadership position in a local community group during 2004-05.

• Alumni.  Even as UCSC students graduate and leave the local community, they bring with them a culture of service.  The campus was sixth on the Peace Corps' 2011 rankings of the top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in the mid-size category, with 51 UCSC undergraduate alums currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers.

Visitors to the campus are important to local tourism.  In 2009-10 over 34,000 prospective students and their families toured the campus and another 13,000 came to summer orientation and fall move-in activities.  UCSC conference programs brought in over 10,000 visitors.  The campus and local businesses encourage visitors to stay at local hotels and spend money at local restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues.  Many more visitors came to attend campus-sponsored events, such as Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and as guests of faculty, staff, and students.

UCSC is not just in Santa Cruz.  University Extension—located in Santa Clara Valley, the Monterey Bay Education, Science, and Technology Center (MBEST)—located near Monterey, and the Silicon Valley Initiative—located in Santa Clara, are supporting the creation of businesses and jobs, training area professionals, and expanding the economic base of the region.

UCSC research translates into new knowledge and new jobs.  UCSC received almost $150 million in research contracts and grants in 2009-10, a 22% increase over the previous year, and $1 billion over the past decade.  The Federal government, the largest funding agency, supplied 71% of the total with NASA as the largest source, followed by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.  Additional examples can be found at http://www.ucsc.edu/research/.

UCSC has a reputation for excellence.  In its 45 years, UC Santa Cruz has earned national and international recognition for quality research and world-class teaching.  Faculty include two of the University of California’s honored University Professors, 24 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 14 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 33 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Recent achievements and awards are available at http://www.ucsc.edu/about/achievements.html.

Cultural, educational, and just plain fun.  Through the arts, sports, education, and community service—UCSC keeps the Santa Cruz community involved, bringing world-renowned attractions to the region through performances, exhibitions, films, and lectures by UCSC faculty, visiting lecturers, students, and others.  Shows, such as the Radical Reels Tour presented the world's best action films on skiing, boarding, climbing, biking, kayaking– all brought to life on the big screen at UCSC.  Theater, art, music, and dance programs are offered to the public throughout the school year.  For the current list of offerings, go to http://artslectures.ucsc.edu/.