From the Chancellor

By M.R.C. Greenwood

As chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, I am asked frequently about the many attributes that define the quality and character of our extraordinary campus: our historic commitment to teaching and the undergraduate experience; the nationally recognized caliber of UCSC's graduate programs and research activities in the arts, humanities, and sciences; our new and innovative school of engineering; the many important contributions that the campus's people and programs make to the vitality of our region of the state of California.

While UCSC is indeed multi-faceted, no description of the campus can--or should--ignore our most precious resource: UCSC's students. They are, after all, the people who are the focus of our educational endeavors and energies today; the people our faculty are diligently preparing to become the leaders of tomorrow's society.

Our cover story in this issue of the Review, therefore, puts the spotlight on "Today's UCSC Students."

No description of the campus can--or should--ignore our most precious resource: UCSC's students. They are, after all, the people who are the focus of our educational endeavors and energies today; the people our faculty are diligently preparing to become the leaders of tomorrow's society.

While we regularly provide you, our readers, with information about our current students, this issue of the magazine tells the story of our student body through the lives of 10 of our students. Though their interests are varied, the 10 have much in common: They are bright, eager to acquire new knowledge, committed to improving society, and very focused.

At UCSC, these traits are not unique to the students featured in this magazine. In fact, they are qualities that are shared by the large number of UCSC students that I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with in my year and a half as chancellor.

Whether at college open houses, at meetings with student leaders and members of a variety of student organizations, or at receptions at University House, my interactions with UCSC students have left me very optimistic about the future that awaits both them and the society to which they will contribute.

The interactions have also left me excited about UC Santa Cruz's future in the new millennium. For if it's true--and I believe that it is--that one important measure of the vitality of any university is the caliber of students it attracts, then UCSC will continue to occupy a very special place in higher education.

M.R.C. Greenwood
Chancellor