University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is a selective, research-oriented^[2] public university located on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It is one of 10 campuses of the University of California. Its current student body is around 20,000. UCSB ranks as the 35^th university worldwide and the 27^th in the United States in the 2007 Academic Ranking of World Universities, which measures scientific research leading toward a Nobel Prize.^[3] U.S. News & World Report ranks the university as the 44th best in the United States in terms of quality of undergraduate education.^[4]

History

The predecessor to UCSB, Santa Barbara State College, focused on teacher training, industrial arts, home economics, and foreign languages. Intense lobbying by an interest group in the City of Santa Barbara led by Thomas Storke and Pearl Chase persuaded the State Legislature, Governor Earl Warren, and the Regents of the University of California to move the State College over to the more research-oriented University of California system in 1944. The State College system sued to stop the takeover, but the Governor did not support the suit. A state initiative was passed, however, to stop subsequent conversions of State Colleges to University of California campuses.^[5]

Originally, the Regents envisioned a small, several thousand-student liberal arts college, a so-called `Williams College of the West,' at Santa Barbara. Chronologically, UCSB is only the third general-education campus of the University of California, after Berkeley and UCLA (the only other state campus to have been acquired by the UC system.) The original campus the Regents acquired in Santa Barbara was located on only one hundred acres of largely unusable land on a seaside mesa, however. The availability of a 400 acre ex-Marine Base on another seaside mesa in Goleta, which the Regents could acquire for free from the federal government, led to that site becoming the Santa Barbara campus in 1949. Originally, only 3000-3500 students were anticipated, but the post WWII baby boom led to the designation of general campus in 1958, along with a name change from "Santa Barbara College" to "University of California, Santa Barbara," and the discontinuation of the industrial arts program for which the State college was famous. A Chancellor, Samuel B. Gould, was appointed in 1959. All of this change was done in accordance with the California Master Plan for Higher Education. Notable alumni of UCSB include Mike Moyer, Keith Williamson, Aaron Parsons, and Reza "Gooz" Garajedaghi. ^[6]

Vietnam War era

UCSB became nationally known as a hotbed of anti-Vietnam War activity in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Other than UC Berkeley, no other California college received as much attention from the national media for its antiwar activities. Events during the era included a bombing at the school's faculty club, burning of the Bank of America branch building in the student community of Isla Vista, and then Governor Ronald Reagan imposing a curfew and ordering the National Guard to enforce it during the 1971-72 school year. Weapon-carrying guardsmen were a common sight on campus and in Isla Vista during this time. A number of noteworthy anti war speakers made UCSB a key stop on national speaking tours. Among them were Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Eldridge Cleaver, Eugene McCarthy, William Kunstler and George McGovern. In a later era, John Anderson and Hillary Clinton were the Presidential candidates to speak at the school.^{citation needed}

Campus

UCSB is located on cliffs directly above the Pacific Ocean. UCSB's campus has not been annexed by the city of Santa Barbara and thus is not technically part of the city.^[7]^[8] While it appears closer to the recently formed city of Goleta, a parcel of the City of Santa Barbara that forms a strip of "city" through the ocean to the Santa Barbara airport, runs through the west entrance to the university campus. Although UCSB has a Santa Barbara mailing address, as do other unincorporated areas around the city, only this entry parcel is in the Santa Barbara city limits. Like all other UC and CSU campuses, it is self-governing and cannot be incorporated into either city. The campus is divided into four parts: Main campus (708 acres that houses all academic units plus the majority of Undergraduate housing), Storke campus, West campus and North Campus. The campuses surround the community of Isla Vista.

One of the most attractive features about UCSB is the campus environment. UCSB is one of a few universities in the United States with its own beach. The campus, bordered on three sides by the Pacific Ocean, has miles of coastline as well as its own lagoon. The campus has numerous walking and bicycle paths across campus, around the lagoon and along the beach.

The Lagoon is a large man-made body of water adjacent to the coastline, between San Rafael and San Miguel Residence Halls. It was created from a former tidal salt marsh flat and is fed by a combination of run-off and ocean water used by the Marine Science Building's aquatic life tanks; thus, it is a unique combination of fresh and salt water. Many of the older campus buildings are being replaced with newer, more modern facilities. The UCSB Libraries, consisting of the Davidson Library and the Arts Library, hold 2.8 million bound volumes and millions of microforms, government documents, manuscripts, maps, satellite and aerial images, sound recordings, and other materials. The 24 Hour Study Room, formerly known as the RBR (Reserved Book Room), is adjacent to the Davidson Library, which is located in the middle of the UCSB campus.

Campbell Hall is the university's largest lecture hall with 860 seats. It is also the main venue for the UCSB Arts and Lectures series, which presents special performances, films, and lectures for the UCSB campus and Santa Barbara community.

Storke Tower, completed in 1969, is the tallest building in Santa Barbara County. It can be seen from most places on campus, it over looks a wide plaza aptly named Storke Plaza. It is home to a five-octave, 61-bell carillon. All UCSB students used to be free to access the top of Storke Tower once they checked out a key from the Visitor's Center, but this program has been put on hold by the fire marshal. KCSB 91.9 broadcasts from beneath Storke Tower.

Academics

UC Santa Barbara is one of only 62 research-intensive institutions elected to membership in the Association of American Universities. UCSB celebrates the five Nobel Prizes won by faculty members since 1998 for landmark research in chemistry, physics, and economics. U.S. News and World Report's guide, "America's Best Colleges," the most widely read college guide in the country, ranks UCSB the 16th best public university in the nation. UCSB was selected as one of the first California Institutes for Science and Innovation. Among all applicants (47,893 for Fall 2006), 12,033 had a high school Grade Point Average of 4.0 or higher.

UCSB has three undergraduate colleges: the College of Letters & Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Creative Studies. The College of Creative Studies offers students an alternative approach to education by allowing them to pursue advanced, independent work in the arts, mathematics, and sciences. The campus also has two professional schools, the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science, located in Bren Hall, and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. UCSB also hosts eight National Research Centers, including the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (at which many of the world's prominent theoretical physicists, including Stephen Hawking, are regular visitors) and the Materials Research Laboratory. Five of these Centers are supported by the National Science Foundation. Its faculty includes 5 Nobel laureates, 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences,^[9] 24 members of the National Academy of Engineering,^[10] and 21 members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences.^[11]

Reputation

Among U.S. universities, UCSB is frequently listed as one of the "public Ivies". Newsweek named UCSB one of "America’s 25 Hottest Colleges of 2005".^[23] UCSB was also ranked #59 of the "Top 100 Global Universities" by Newsweek Magazine in 2006.^[24] It is the only campus in the state of California to offer an undergraduate B.S. degree in Pharmacology.

UCSB has had two Nobel Prize winners in the same year on two separate occasions: In 2000, with Heeger for Chemistry,^[27] and Kroemer for Physics,^[28] and again in 2004, Kydland for Economics, and Gross for Physics.^[25]^[26]

(2006) U.S. News and World Report ranks the following UCSB graduate programs as follows:^[30]

The Geography graduate program is ranked 4th in the nation by the National Research Council Report on Quality in Ph.D. Education in the U.S.

The UCSB School Psychology program is ranked 2nd in the nation in a study published in The School Psychologist Winter 2007.^[31]

In 2004, ISI Essential Science Indicators found that publications by the UCSB Electrical Engineering program were cited more in "Thomson ISI-indexed journals of electrical & electronic engineering between 1998 and 2002." than any other institution's publications.^[32]

The UCSB College of Engineering's graduate program was ranked 1st in the nation by the Princeton Review's first ranking of graduate engineering programs.^[33] The engineering educational programs were ranked using a combination of quantitative criteria, including GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, percentage of applicants accepted and percentage of top undergraduates applying.

UCSB is active in the interdisciplinary field of nanotechnology and nanoscience. In addition to the California NanoSystems Institute, UCSB also hosts the Center for Nanotechnology in Society, a national center for research in the humanities and social sciences.

Admissions

The Princeton Review rates the University of California, Santa Barbara with an Admission Selectivity of 94 out of 99 points.^{citation needed} Admissions is classified as "More Selective" by U. S. News and World Report, with an SAT score of 1866, and an SAT score of 1775 in the entering class of Fall 2007.^[34] 61 percent of the Fall 2007 entering class had a GPA of 3.7 or higher.^[35] 96 percent of freshman UCSB applicants are in the top ten percent of their High School class, and 53.4 percent of freshman students who applied for admission in Fall 2006 were admitted.^[35] The application fee is $60. Applications can be completed on the Internet. 25% of admitted students receive federal Pell grants.^[36] UCSB is third in applications received in the UC system, behind UCLA and UCSD, and was the fourth most selective in admissions in 2005.

Student life

The University of California Santa Barbara has a reputation for its "party life". In April 2006, Playboy Magazine named UCSB the "#2 party school" in its College Girl Edition.^[37] In 2005, the Princeton Review ranked it as the "#4 party school in the nation", up from #22. However in 2006, UCSB dropped to the position of #10 in the nation.^[38] While the Halloween parties in Isla Vista are quite popular among students, the annual tradition has come under fire from school administration in recent years.^[39]

UCSB is also a politically active campus. The UCSB Campus Democrats and the UCSB College Republicans are among the most active organizations on campus. Over the years, other political parties and organizations have also been known to be active on campus, such as the Environmental Affairs Board, Green Party, Libertarians, NORML, and the Queer Student Union.^{citation needed} Several presidential and vice presidential candidates have visted the campus in recent years, including Hillary Clinton, John B. Anderson and Peter Camejo. The campus has also seen a resurgence of anti-war sentiment among students. In 2006, for example, a massive student anti-war protest shut down Highway 217, adjacent to the campus.

There are a variety of on campus centers offering social, recreational and preprofessional activities for students. The UCSB Multicultural Center puts on numerous activities every year to support students of color and promote awareness of diversity issues on campus. Other organizations and centers include the Daily Nexus, the campus newspaper, the La Cumbre Yearbook, the school radio station, KCSB 91.9 and the Gaucho Free Press, the campus's conservative magazine. The UCSB Recreation Center also hosts a variety of activities, from Adventure Programs to ballroom dancing classes.

Students grab food and hang out at the Arbor, the UCen, the Coral Tree Cafe the Courtyard Cafe and for a special lunch, the Faculty Club.

UCSB is the only UC campus with its own Paramedic Rescue Unit. It is staffed by full-time professional paramedics and part-time undergraduate EMTs.

SexInfo, which was started in 1976 by Professors John and Janice Baldwin, is run by students doing advanced course work and research on sexuality through UCSB's Sociology Department. The site is dedicated to providing accurate information about sexuality in a way that is both informative and personal. SexInfo answers questions sent in by readers from all over the world, as well as regularly updates and posts articles on various topics related to human sexuality. This program helps students getting their degree in psychology.^[41]

UCSB is also known for its annual free music festival, Extravaganza. It is held at Harder Stadium in the spring and generally attracts around 8,000 people. Past performers have included Nas, T.I., E-40, Sublime, and Jack Johnson.

Housing

There are 8 residence halls at UCSB, seven of which are located at the Main campus, and one of which, Santa Catalina (previously known as Francisco Torres), is located near the entrance to West campus north of Isla Vista. Santa Catalina has its own dining commons, Portola Dining Commons.

The Main Campus residence halls are found in two different locations. On the east end of campus are the residence halls named after five of the Channel Islands: Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, San Miguel and San Nicolas. There are two dining commons located near the Channel Islands residence halls. The Ortega Dining Commons is located between San Miguel and the University Center (UCen), and the De La Guerra Dining Commons (better known as DLG) is located between Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and San Nicolas.

The two other residence halls, San Rafael and Manzanita Village, are located on the west side of campus and primarily house continuing and transfer students. The Carrillo Dining Commons is located in Manzanita Village, right next to San Rafael Hall. Manzanita Village was completed in 2002, and is the newest dorm on campus.

UCSB does not require freshmen to live on campus, but the vast majority chooses to either live in university-owned housing or in university-affiliated housing.

Students may also choose to rent housing in the bordering community of Isla Vista. An estimated average for rent costs is $500–$800 US/month to share a bedroom, and includes trash pickup and water utilities. Low-cost housing is limited, with the cheapest source being the Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative.

Other sources of housing include the Greek System, and outlying communities (i.e. Goleta, Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, Montecito). Many students live in Isla Vista, which is immediately adjacent to campus. Isla Vista since the early 1960s has a reputation of being a party environment; however, the fraternal and free-living culture has been severely damaged due to stringent police enforcement by the Isla Vista Foot Patrol. (IVFP). UCSB is also affiliated with the Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative in Isla Vista, which seeks to provide low rent co-op housing regardless of gender, race, social, political, or religious affiliation, and thereby influencing the community to eliminate prejudice and discrimination in the community.

Athletics

The mascot of UCSB is the Gaucho and the school colors are blue and gold. UCSB's sports teams compete in the Big West Conference, with the exception of the men's and women's water polo teams and the men's volleyball team, which are in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Santa Barbara is best known for its women's basketball and men's soccer teams. In 2006, UCSB won their first NCAA Men's Soccer title and its second overall NCAA championship (1979 water polo) in school history.^[42]^[43]

Athletics at UCSB is not limited to the Intercollegiate Athletic Department. While there are some 400 students in ICA, there are over 700 in Club Sports Teams including: Alpine Racing, Cycling, Fencing, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Roller Hockey, Rugby, Sailing, Soccer, Triathlon, Ultimate, Water Ski and Rowing. Many of these teams are highly regarded and compete against Intercollegiate teams from across the US. For example Rowing has produced several national team members including Nine-time National Rowing Team member Amy Fuller, winner of several Olympic and World Championship medals and currently head of the UCLA Rowing Program. The UCSB Cycling Team has also produced several national team members, Olympians, and members of numerous US and international professional teams.

Many other hundreds of students participate in a large Intramural program consisting of Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Flag Football, Golf, Floor Hockey, Indoor and Outdoor Soccer, Racquetball, Squash, Running, Softball, Tennis, Table Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Inner tube water polo, and Kickball.

Notable faculty

References

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