Programs, Centers, and Galleries

HACER: The Apprenticeship in Community-Engaged Research Program

HACER provides students with hands-on research and community engagement opportunities focused on social justice, education, and sustainability. Students collaborate with local organizations, take research-focused courses, and participate in fieldwork. The program prepares students for leadership roles and offers pathways to academic distinction.

Terry Freitas Commons (TFC)

Terry Freitas Commons is a student-led lounge and food pantry open to all students. It offers a welcoming space to study, hold meetings, or relax with pool, games, and music. TFC hosts events throughout the year, often in collaboration with other groups, reflecting the themes of College Nine (International & Global Perspectives) and John R. Lewis College (Social Justice & Community). Student staff help maintain a safe, inclusive environment, assist with pantry services, and plan events that foster connection and learning.

Alternative Spring Break (ASB)

A week-long, 2-unit program where students work with local organizations on projects addressing educational equity, environmental sustainability, and economic justice. Activities include community gardening, mural painting, and educational outreach in Watsonville.

(TFC)Community Garden

Located near the Terry Freitas Café, the garden is a student-led space focused on sustainability, food justice, and community building. Students cultivate organic produce, manage composting systems, and participate in environmental education programs.

Cowell Press

Cowell College’s Cowell Press, founded in 1969, celebrates the art of hand-operated letterpress printing and bookmaking. Under the guidance of master printer and poet Gary Young, students explore traditional printing and bookbinding techniques in hands-on courses offered in collaboration with the Kresge Writing Center.

Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery

Located at Cowell College, the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery presents rotating exhibits that explore cultural, political, and artistic themes. The gallery is a vibrant space for the UCSC community and beyond, featuring both emerging and established artists. Follow on Instagram @smithgalleryucsc for updates.

The Smith Society

The Smith Society seeks to support to vulnerable students who don’t have familial support by providing mentorship and financial support. Over 25 years and counting, the Smith Society has supported hundreds of students, supercharging their drive and initiative to propel them farther than where they dreamed they could be.

GetVirtual

GetVirtual is a Crown College-sponsored program that provides students with hands-on experience in digital consulting while helping small businesses build an online presence. Students create e-commerce websites, develop digital marketing strategies, and gain project management skills. The program offers academic credit, paid internships, and opportunities to work with organizations like the Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center (SBDC). It is also accessible to students from other institutions through Open California College and Coursera.

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED)

CIED fosters student entrepreneurship by connecting academic learning with real-world business challenges. It oversees GetVirtual and other initiatives that support innovation, consulting projects, and small business development. Recognized for excellence in entrepreneurship education, CIED provides students with opportunities to gain practical skills and engage with local economic development efforts.

Crown College Poetry Club

The Crown College Poetry Club meets once a week for students who love creative writing. Currently most students are first-year poets and story writers from Crown but the club is open to friendly writers from all colleges. Join our club, you are welcome whether you have always loved writing or you are waiting to write your first poem, it is a great way to make friendships and to develop your creative skills.

The Student Creativity and Entrepreneurial Empowerment (SCEE)

SCEE aims to build a diverse community of student innovators and creative problem solvers. We host engaging events, workshops and field trips.

Good Trouble Academy (GTA)

The Good Trouble Academy (GTA) honors students engaged in activism, leadership, and social justice work. Through academic coursework, internships, and community service, students develop skills in advocacy, teamwork, and problem-solving. Participants complete experiential and academic opportunities, submit reflections, and earn a certificate, a stole for commencement, and a letter of achievement.

HACER: The Apprenticeship in Community-Engaged Research Program

HACER provides hands-on research and community engagement opportunities focused on social justice, education, and sustainability. Students collaborate with local organizations, take research-focused courses, and participate in fieldwork. The program prepares students for leadership roles and offers pathways to academic distinction.

Terry Freitas Commons (TFC)

Terry Freitas Commons is a student-led lounge and food pantry open to all students. It offers a welcoming space to study, hold meetings, or relax with pool, games, and music. TFC hosts events throughout the year, often in collaboration with other groups, reflecting the themes of College Nine (International & Global Perspectives) and John R. Lewis College (Social Justice & Community). Student staff help maintain a safe, inclusive environment, assist with pantry services, and plan events that foster connection and learning.

Learn to Love Reading Again

In Winter 2025, Kresge launched Learn to Love Reading Again (LRRA), a series of 2-credit reading seminars based on three anchoring principles: 1) we read for the sake of reading, not for a test; 2) we engage in discussion to deepen our insight; and 3) we read on paper (students receive all required books and readers on paper, for free). All LLRA courses are designed for collaborative reading and fulfill the PR-E General Education requirement.

City on a Hill Press (CHP)

UCSC’s student-run newspaper, City on a Hill Press, covers campus and local news and is dedicated to featuring underreported ideas and voices. The publication provides students with hands-on journalism experience and fosters community engagement through investigative reporting.

Kresge Garden Co-op

The Kresge Garden is a student-led space focused on sustainable gardening, food justice, and cooperative learning. Students cultivate organic produce, manage composting systems, and share gardening knowledge.

Agency, Collaboration, Leadership: A SoMeCA Series

This leadership series helps students develop collaboration, organizational, and advocacy skills through student-led initiatives.

Merrill Moat

The Merrill Moat is a student-driven mural project celebrating activism, creativity, and community. Established in the 1970s, it remains a vibrant space for artistic expression, with new murals added each year.

Merrill College Field Study

Merrill College has a long tradition of supporting student experiential and community-based learning related to our theme, “Cultural Identities and Global Consciousness.” Our Field Study Program integrates classroom learning with internships and placements in nonprofit, governmental, and other organizations.

CARA Program: Community-Based Action, Research, and Advocacy

The Oakes CARA Program integrates classroom learning with real-world community engagement. Students gain hands-on experience in social justice advocacy, research, and civic involvement while working with local organizations.

• Puentes: Courses focused on outreach, documentation, and advocacy in Santa Cruz County.
• Corre La Voz: A bilingual mentoring program where UCSC students support Latina/o elementary school students.
• CARA Certificate: Recognizes students who complete 14 units of CARA coursework with a graduation stole and certificate.

Scientist in Residence Program

The Oakes program was designed to cultivate a welcoming community for all Oakes students interested in the natural sciences. The program is open to all Oakes members, regardless of major. Our scientist designs and hosts science-themed activities for the program. Activities range from science movie nights to tours of UCSC research labs and everything in-between. Be on the lookout for event advertisements through flyers, social media, emails and more!

Mary Porter Sesnon Art Galleries

The Mary Porter Sesnon Art Galleries drives research, innovates education, enacts social transformation, and builds community at UC Santa Cruz. We support scholarship, exhibitions and programming leveraging the research and creative work of our faculty, students, and staff. We foster an interdisciplinary, student-centered approach to learning. We create exhibitions and education programs that reflect the deep commitment at UC Santa Cruz to promote the arts as a force for social change. And, we act as a cultural resource for the university and our broader region, reinforcing the social fabric by fostering connections across the campus and facilitating interactions with alumni and our community. The Sesnon Galleries include the Main Gallery, the Faculty Gallery, and the student-curated Sesnon Underground, and they showcase the talent and creativity of students, faculty, and alumni.

Pavel Machotka Chairs in Creative Studies

Named in honor of Pavel Machotka, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Provost Emeritus of College V, and founder of the Aesthetic Studies Major, these college chairs are intended to enhance the participation of Porter fellows in the intellectual and social life of the College and, in doing so, to increase the opportunities that Porter students have to form relationships of lasting consequence with the people who teach them. They are also meant to encourage innovative teaching, research, and creative work by College fellows; to enrich and diversify the Porter College curriculum; and to support the activities of Arts Division faculty and faculty from other divisions who make a significant contribution to the College and its mission.

Minor in Sustainability Studies

Rachel Carson College offers UCSC’s first college-sponsored minor in decades: the interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies minor. This program combines academic coursework with hands-on experience in areas like sustainable energy, resource management, and food systems, while also helping students build entrepreneurial skills through projects, business plans, and grant writing. The minor highlights the academic role of the colleges and provides a model for future college-based curricula.

Sustainability Lab (S-Lab)

Rachel Carson College offers a holistic undergraduate experience that blends classroom learning with hands-on, interdisciplinary training in sustainability. Through advanced coursework, field research, and partnerships across campus and the community, students gain the skills and insight needed to become leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers in creating a more just and sustainable world.

Rainbow Theater

Founded in 1993 and now part of the Department of Performance, Play & Design, Rainbow Theater is the only multicultural theater troupe in the UC system. In collaboration with the Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center, the company creates space for students to explore and share diverse cultural experiences through performance. Rainbow Theater promotes unity, amplifies underrepresented voices, and fosters dialogue across communities. Students accepted through audition can enroll in THEA 56R during spring quarter, a course that fulfills select Theater Arts major requirements. Performances are held at the Stevenson Event Center.