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Here on the edge of the Pacific, in a setting removed from urban pressures and distractions but vibrant with cultural and academic activity, many of the country's most promising students join a community of scholars whose accomplishments are internationally recognized and whose skills as teachers of undergraduates are evident each day in laboratories and classrooms.
In the humanities and the arts as well as in engineering and the sciences, UCSB introduces students to novel ways of thinking, learning, and conducting research.
The Highest Quality
Pioneering research is a critical component of the highest quality education. UCSB's 1,000-member faculty includes five Nobel Prize winners and scores of elected members or fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The campus is one of only 62 research-intensive institutions elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities.
Within this community of scholars, the life of the mind, the pursuit of knowledge, and the experience of growth, both personal and intellectual, are the hallmarks of daily life.
Colleges and Schools
UCSB enrolls some 19,800 students, about 2,600 of them at the graduate level. Competition for admission is keen. In recent years the campus has enrolled the most academically competitive and ethnically diverse classes in its history.
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More than 200 majors, degrees, and credentials are offered through UCSB's five schools and the Graduate Division. The College of Letters and Science alone offers nearly 80 majors. The College of Creative Studies offers an alternative approach for students pursuing advanced, independent work in the arts, mathematics, or the sciences. The College of Engineering offers degree programs in five disciplines.
The university also has two professional schools: the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education.
About UCSB
The preeminent scholarship, instruction, and public service that define UCSB have helped shape its identity as a place of enormous and exceptional possibilitya magnet for innovation.
Originally a small, independent teachers' college, Santa Barbara joined the prestigious University of California system in 1944 and has since grown to be an integral and important part of public postsecondary education in the state.
Recognition of UCSB's academic quality takes many forms. One of the most prestigious is support from the National Science Foundation. The campus is now home to ten national centers and institutes, seven of which are sponsored by the NSF, including the Materials Research Laboratory, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, the Southern California Earthquake Center, and the renowned Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
The California NanoSystems Institute one of the prestigious California Institutes for Science and Innovation focuses on dramatic breakthroughs in materials, devices, and resulting technologies, made possible by controlling form and function at the nanoscale. The institute is a research partnership between UCSB and UCLA. New, cutting-edge research buildings now under construction at both UCLA and UCSB will house the institute.
At the interdisciplinary Center for Film, Television and New Media, UCSB scholars study everything from silent films to the latest in digital media and satellite communications in the context of a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Construction of a privately funded state-of-the-art facility for the center will begin this year.
The Community
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The vast majority of students live within walking distance of their classes. Seven miles of bikeways link this close-knit academic community, giving students easy access to a rich array of social, cultural, academic and athletic events.
Another distinguishing characteristic of UCSB is its proximity to two very different communities. Isla Vista, the adjacent community that is home away from home to a majority of UCSB's students, is a place for social and civic growth. Nearby Santa Barbaraan energetic, mid-sized city with a deep concern for history, the arts, and the environmentis highly regarded for its cultural and recreational resources.
The Campaign for UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara is involved in its first comprehensive fund-raising campaign to capitalize on the vibrant intellectual assets and extraordinary potential that distinguish this campus as an international leader in education and innovation. The campus seeks to generate at least $350 million in private support by 2007 for programs, projects, and facilities that to ensure UCSB's excellence for future generations.
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The UCSB campus occupies a 989-acre site at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. |
UCSB's Donald C. Davidson Library is a major research facility. As a member of the Association of Research Libraries and the Center for Research Libraries, it participates in cooperative programs and policy development with other major research libraries to provide collections and services for the UCSB community.
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The library has approximately 2.8 million books and bound journals. The collection grows by about 50,000 volumes annually. In addition, the library has an extensive collection of maps, technical reports, satellite imagery, government documents, manuscripts, and microformat materials.
UCSB's library collection is housed in two buildings: the Davidson Library and the Arts Library. Davidson Library houses the general collection and several specialized units and services that offer materials on specific subject areas or in specialized formats. Examples include the Science and Engineering Library, the Map and Imagery Laboratory, the Curriculum Laboratory, the East Asian Library, and the Ethnic and Gender Studies Library.
Also located in the main library is the Department of Special Collections, which houses rare books and manuscripts and several distinguished collections, including the Wyles Collection on the American West, the Skofield Printers' Collection, the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, and other research collections.
Some of the special services in Davidson Library include computerized access to the catalogs of all UC libraries; electronic access to databases and electronic journals in all subjects; general Internet access; and services for disabled users.
The Arts Library is a full-service branch library that supports academic programs in art and music. In addition to the substantial book and journal collections, special materials include art auction and exhibition catalogs, more than 60,000 sound recordings, and a collection of music scores.
Computing facilities on campus are readily available to all registered UCSB students. Instructional Computing (IC) has an Open Access lab with both Macintosh and IBM computers for general student use. Access to instructional labs is designated by course requirements. Computing facilities set aside for use by classes are IC labs, including the Media Center and Language Lab in Kerr Hall, the Humanities and Social Sciences Computing Facility, and the Life Sciences Computing Facility.
Additional information is available at: www.ic.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window).
Instructional Development enhances teaching and research with its two branches of Instructional Consultation and Instructional Resources.
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Instructional Consultation offers expertise in various teaching methods, curriculum development, testing, and evaluation.
The Instructional Improvement Program provides financial support for faculty involved in innovative instructional projects. This enables faculty to teach in the most effective manner and to share their latest research with students.
Instructional Resources provides numerous technological aids to support the educational process. Sophisticated student learning and language laboratories, comprehensive media production, and presentation support are among the many services offered.
The University Art Museum is located in the shadow of Storke Tower, adjacent to the University Center. Three galleries are devoted to the Museum's permanent collections, and two feature regularly changing exhibitions. The exhibition program, balanced between historical and contemporary art, architecture, and design traditions, features art and artists of diverse global cultures. Exhibitions complement academic programs, particularly in the arts and humanities. At the end of each academic year, the Museum showcases the work of undergraduate students in the Department of Art Studio. The Museum's student docents learn about museum practices and study both the permanent collection and current exhibitions in order to serve as gallery guides for Museum visitors. In conjunction with its innovative, challenging, and culturally diverse exhibitions, the Museum organizes interdisciplinary programs, including gallery talks, artist lectures, academic symposia, and special performances.
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The permanent collections include approximately 8,500 art objects, ranging from ancient terra cottas to old master drawings to contemporary art, with work produced in Europe, America, Africa, and Asia. The Sedgwick Collection of 15th- 16th- and 17th-century European paintings and the Morgenroth Collection of Renaissance medals and plaquettes are featured in the "The Renaissance Revealed" Gallery. The Architecture and Design Collection contains historic materials forming the archives of over 40 significant Southern California-based architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and designers from 1890 to the present.
The University Art Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. It is open Wednesday-Sunday, 12:00-5:00 p.m., and is closed on Monday, Tuesday, and major holidays. Call the Museum at (805) 893-2951 for information on tours and special programs, or visit its website: www.uam.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window).
Understanding that the arts are an essential component of education, Arts & Lectures serves the university and the Santa Barbara community by presenting approximately 125 cultural events each year. These entertaining and innovative performances, films, and lectures enhance the intellectual life of the campus and help to sustain an inclusive and diverse community.
Arts & Lectures' performing arts season features more than 30 international professional artists and ensembles of the highest calibre. Exceptional dancers, musicians (traditional, classical, and jazz artists), actors, and theater companies give public performances and participate in master classes, meet-the-artists discussions, and workshops on campus and in the community.
Prominent and provocative speakers lecture on a wide range of subjects, including science, national and world affairs, outdoor adventure, history, the arts, and contemporary culture. Frequently, notable writers read, discuss, and autograph their books.
Arts & Lectures screens high-quality and unique international films. Award-winning feature films, acclaimed documentaries, and silent classics with live musical accompaniment are standard fare. Occasionally, filmmakers are on hand to introduce their films and talk with audiences.
Most events are held at UCSB in Campbell Hall. Other campus venues are used as well, particularly for lectures and readings. In collaboration with other Santa Barbara organizations, Arts & Lectures presents events downtown at the Arlington Theatre, the Lobero Theatre, the Marjorie Luke Theatre, and other sites.
For more information, call (805) 893-3535. The Arts & Lectures Ticket Office is located in Building 402 and is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit its website: www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window).
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