Currents (April 1, 2005; Vol. 15, No. 6)

              :■:■      ■:-,:■:    ■■■:
currents
Vol. 15, No. 6
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY UNIVERSITY RELATIONS FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
April 1, 2005
NPR's Richard Harris
to lecture April 6
Page 2
Q&A: Planner discusses
UCSC's Long Range
Development Plan
Page 3
UCSC Farm, Arboretum
opening their doors
for spring plant sales
Page 5
THINKING AT THE EDGE
id you know
That UCSC alumnus DAVID
■ GAINES campaigned for
I more than a decade before
1 his death in 1988 to save
| Mono Lake and its fragile
1 ecosystem. Convinced that
| Los Angeles's diversion of
water was endangering the
lake, Gaines led the effort
to challenge the diversion.
In his name, a scholarship
is given each year to a
UCSC graduate student
conducting fieldwork
that contributes to the
environment.
This photo of a dance outside the temporary trailers that served as the 1965—66 home for Cowell
College is part of an anniversary exhibition on the early years of UCSC's first college.
Cowell College does some reminiscing
40th anniversary exhibit looks
at life inside, outside classroom
By Scott Rappaport
#M| owell College opened in the fall of 1965
l    as a "challenging and imaginative experiment" undertaken by 650 students
and 40 faculty members.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary,
the college will present an exhibition, titled
"Reminiscing: Cowell College, The Early
Years," focusing on historical highlights from
1965 to 1975.
The exhibit runs from April 16 to May 29
at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, with an
opening reception—featuring live music and
refreshments—at 2 p.m. April 16.
"I think what most people don't realize
is that the history of Cowell and the early
years of the university are one and the same,"
noted Linda Pope, curator of the gallery and
exhibit. "Cowell was the only college in existence when UCSC was founded in 1965."
Pope said the exhibit will feature long-forgotten and little-known memorabilia and artwork—including a psychedelic Andy Warhol Formally
rug that once graced the provost's house.
"I'm trying to come up with something
different—things that haven't been seen
before," said Pope. "I hope to use some very
unusual early shots by Ansel Adams, an early
protest poster, and some works by artists
from the Cowell Press."
Music from the era will play in the
background, and Super-8 films of Cowell
College's construction and footage of founding provost Page Smith on CBS's 60 Minutes
will be shown.
"I think it's going to be a fun exhibition
and a great showcase of previously inaccessible items," said Tyrus Miller, joint provost
of Cowell with his wife, Deanna Shemek.
currents, ucsc. edu/04-05/03-21/cowell. asp
Campus 'powers past'
its $50 million goal,
Denton tells Regents
By Louise Donahue
CSC has surpassed the $50 million goal for
its first-ever campuswide fundraising effort,
Chancellor Denice D. Denton announced
at the March meeting of the UC Regents in Los
Angeles.
"This unprecedented level of support for UC
Santa Cruz is a tribute to the reputation of our
faculty and to the achievements of our students,
staff, and alumni," Denton told the Regents.
In a message to the campus community,
Denton noted that the Cornerstone Campaign
had "powered past to a total of $55 million."
The campaign continues until June 30.
"This spectacular achievement portends even
greater opportunity for building partnerships and
achieving campus priorities," Denton said in rhe
message.
"Through their
gifts, our generous donors have
endorsed the value
of our work and
have expressed their
confidence in the
future of our
campus."
an-
November at the
UCSC Scholarships  Alumni Association president
Benefit Dinner, Ken Doctor shows off an
the Cornerstone        engraved tile, part of the
Campaign Alumni Colleges Fund Tile
received an immedi- Program, initiated during
ate boost when the    the Cornerstone Campaign
to raise private support for
UCSC's colleges.
dinner raised $ 1 million—double the
amount from the
-for student scholarships
previous year s event-
and fellowships.
The ambitious Cornerstone Campaign will
benefit all aspects of UCSC, with a special
See Campaign, back page
Staff advocacy 'part of my job/ chancellor says at forum
By Jennifer McNulty
uring her first forum with staff, Chancellor
Denice D. Denton expressed strong support for
campus employees and emphasized that she will
become more informed and involved with their issues.
"I believe staff are the people who really make
universities run," Denton told the crowd that filled
Kresge Town Hall on March 10. "They really think
about the place and how to make the place better."
An overflow crowd turned out for the chancellor's
first brown-bag forum since she took office on
February 14, repeatedly greeting Denton's comments
with applause on an unseasonably warm day that
prompted Denton to quip, "I'm Win' it here. I'm
jealous of the group out on the patio. They get to sit
outside."
Denton credited staff members with easing her
transition and responded to a question about her
support of represented employees by describing her
role negotiating labor contracts during her tenure at
the University of Washington.
Denton, who was chair of the College of
Engineering at UW before taking the UCSC job, said
she and the vice president of human resources negotiated 22 contracts with 15 unions in less than a year,
Chancellor Denton greets staff members at the forum.
including a contract with the United Auto Workers
that covered graduate students and research
assistants. She attributed their success to strong
relationships, solid preparation, and a common goal.
See Forum, back page
Computer games
find their place in
the classroom
By Tim Stephens
The development of interactive
computer video games has
become a multibillion-dollar
industry that caters to the legions
of gaming enthusiasts with a
steady output of new games
featuring ever greater levels of
technical sophistication.
For students whose interest in
games goes beyond merely playing
them, UCSC's Jack Baskin School
of Engineering now offers the opportunity to specialize in computer
game design through a new track
in the computer science major.
The Computer Science
Department has put together a
series of courses that will give students an in-depth introduction to
the design and technology of
See Games, back page