News & Updates
Keep up with the latest from UC Santa Cruz’s 10 colleges. From student highlights and campus events to college traditions and community stories, find out what’s happening across our college communities.
Kenny Farrell and the making of a 50-year-old UC Santa Cruz steel icon
In 1974, Vietnam veteran and art student Kenny Farrell created a bold steel sculpture that became an enduring symbol of UC Santa Cruz. Fifty years later, his untitled structure still stands in the Porter meadow—iconic, untamed, and uniquely Santa Cruz.
Kresge
Redefining systems of care: Alumna works to advance health equity across California
Alumna and co-CEO of Essential Access Health Dr. Nomsa Khalfani (Kresge ’91, sociology) works to advance sexual and reproductive health equity across California and is a public health leader in her community.
Rachel Carson
UC Santa Cruz earns multiple awards for sustainability excellence
UC Santa Cruz ranked No. 6 Green College by Princeton Review and 10th in Zero Waste Campuses, as developed by the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN).
Porter
Porter alum Cuauhtemoc Martinez and a life in sound
From East Los Angeles to UC Santa Cruz to leading sound production at Warner Bros., Porter alum Cuauhtemoc Martinez has built a life in sound.
Porter
From KZSC to national acclaim
How Jesse Thorn built a radio empire from his roots at the UCSC campus station
Rachel Carson
Breaking barriers and guiding others
As an outreach specialist with UC Santa Cruz’s Underground Scholars Program, Sammy Chavez (Rachel Carson ’25, Latin American and Latino studies and sociology) supports students navigating complex challenges in higher education. While completing his own degree, he was recognized with the Silver Slug Scholarship as a staff member pursuing his studies.
Kresge
Rooted in education, expanding opportunity
Inspired by a shared love of learning and a family of educators, alumnus Roger Koopmann (Stevenson ’80, economics) and his late husband, Tom Bullen (Ph.D. ’86, Earth sciences), established scholarships that give UC Santa Cruz students the chance to pursue research and study abroad experiences.
Kresge
UC Santa Cruz Alumnus Marty O’Reilly takes the stage on The Voice
Marty O’Reilly (Kresge ’12, environmental studies) turned three out of four judges’ chairs during The Voice blind auditions.
College Nine, Cowell, Crown
Colleges advising hubs launch in fall 2025
Each hub will serve two colleges, expanding availability and connecting students with coordinated support from professional and peer advisors.
Cowell
Life Beyond the Redwoods: Tanner Rowland at the U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Congressman Jimmy Panetta
One year after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Tanner Rowland (Cowell ’24, politics) works as a congressional aide in the U.S. House of Representatives under the Office of Congressman Jimmy Panetta.