Six decades of leading and learning

Celebrating 60 years of bold authenticity—highlighting the voices of creative thinkers and carving new paths of possibility

Join us as we celebrate this major milestone! Over the next year, we invite you to reflect on your experience at UC Santa Cruz as we share stories about alumni success, honor our history at signature campus events, and make new memories and groundbreaking discoveries.

UC Santa Cruz: Looking back, leading forward

Dean McHenry and unknown executives at the University of California Santa Cruz sign

Stories from yesterday and today

Aerial view of UCSC campus East Field in 1965

The birth of UC Santa Cruz: Audacious and academic

The UC Santa Cruz campus began in 1965 as “the most significant educational experiment in the history of the University of California.”

Group photo of pioneer class in 1965

Tearing down the walls

Pioneering UC Santa Cruz professors and staff challenged convention and traditional academics—helping reform American higher education.

New graduate photo in the redwoods

Then and now: Meet some of our newest Slug alumni

UCSC takes immense pride in the remarkable achievements of our alumni, from those who graduated in our founding days to our most recent graduates. To illustrate the impact that Banana Slugs make on our world, we are proud to showcase the stories and achievements of UCSC’s Class of 2023.

Alumni through the eras

O sister!

From the summer 2001 UC Santa Cruz Review magazine: Gillian Welch (Porter ’90, art) followed up two successful albums with the ultra-popular soundtrack to the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Diversity’s superhero

From the spring 2017 UC Santa Cruz Magazine: Axel Alonso (Cowell ’87, sociology), editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics from 2011–2018, oversaw a world of superheroes and villains—but for Alonso, the business was also about reflecting a diverse and changing world.

Planting seeds of change

From the fall 2022 UC Santa Cruz Magazine: After Anushka Ratnayake (College Nine ’04, literature) learned about agricultural microfinancing and launched a nonprofit, she took the skills from her Santa Cruz education to farms across Africa.

Last modified: Dec 05, 2024