The Grateful Dead Archive

The Grateful Dead Archive 2008: The Grateful Dead announced in April that the band will donate its archives to UC Santa Cruz. Band members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart made the announcement at a press conference held in San Francisco’s historic Fillmore Auditorium.

The Grateful Dead Archive will reside in Special Collections and a dedicated room — named Dead Central — will be part of the newly refurbished McHenry Library.

In this photo, taken after the announcement, are (l-r): Nion McEvoy, CEO of Chronicle Books, a trustee of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation, and member of the archive’s advisory committee Slugs and Roses; Virginia Steel, UCSC’s university librarian; UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal; Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir; and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. 

(Photo: r.r. jones)


Newsweek Ranking

The iconic Porter Wave In August 2009, UC Santa Cruz is one of 25 campuses profiled in the cover story of Newsweek magazine’s fall special issue on U.S. colleges. The article describes UCSC as the place to go for “Overachievers Who Need to Stop and Look Around.” This photo, of the iconic Porter Wave sculpture, is featured in the UCSC story.

(Photo: Carolyn Lagattuta)


The new McHenry Library

New McHenry Library 2011: After many years of new construction and renovation, the new McHenry Library debuted in the fall. It didn’t take a visitor long to notice the many enhancements, as one of them was the transformation of the old library foyer into the new Global Village Café. The café opened under the operation of local owners of Hoffman’s Bistro and Patisserie in downtown Santa Cruz. In the Hoffman family, the UCSC connections run deep: Adam Hoffman, the manager of the Global Village Café, is an alum (2003), and so is his mother June (1974), and father Edward (1976). In fact, Edward Hoffman was one of the original apprentices under Alan Chadwick, a legendary figure in the establishment of the sustainable food movement on campus.

(Photo: Carolyn Lagattuta)


UC Santa Cruz astronomer Sandra Faber — The National Medal of Science

Sandra Faber and Barrack Obama 2013: President Barack Obama presented UC Santa Cruz astronomer Sandra Faber with the National Medal of Science in a White House ceremony in February.

Faber, a University Professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC, was honored along with 11 other recipients of the National Medal of Science and 11 recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. These are the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. government upon scientists, engineers, and inventors. Chancellor George Blumenthal accompanied Faber to the ceremony.

(Photo: Ryan Morris/National Science & Technology Medals Foundation)