A Word from the Chancellor
UCSB has a tradition of emphasizing both our undergraduate and graduate programs with a friendly environment in which students, staff, and faculty from richly diverse backgrounds and perspectives will explore and learn together. We are all deeply committed to helping you achieve your academic and personal goals, and we hope that you will take full advantage of all that our campus has to offer.
Our stature as a world-class research university is unquestioned. In 1995, UCSB was elected a member of the 61-member Association of American Universities which comprises the top two percent of all the universities and colleges in the United States and Canada. In 1997, the campus was ranked in a national study as one of the top two public research universities in the country based on per capita faculty productivity and scholarship. Even more recently, a survey of U.S. universities in 21 fields by Science Watch ranked UCSB among the top ten highest impact universities based on the citation rate of research papers by our faculty. Our renowned faculty includes a 1998 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry; a 1997 National Humanities Medal winner; Guggenheim fellows; fellows of the National Endowment for the Humanities; recipients of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology; and members of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering.
The quality and stature of our undergraduate programs equal that of our research programs. In fact, in the September 1999 issue of U.S. News and World Report, UCSB's undergraduate programs were ranked number 13 among all public universities. Many of our undergraduates take the opportunity to pursue research and other scholarly activities by working with faculty mentors. At UCSB, the intellectual diversity that is crucial to our scholarly community is intertwined with a demographic diversity and helps to define excellence for us.
These honors and other recognitions of our academic excellence are testimony to the preeminence of our professors, the academic programs in which you will participate, and the very high quality and diversity of the student community of which you are an important and valued member.
There are many opportunities here for you to learn about yourself, your community, and your world. Perhaps you will join some of UCSB's 300 clubs, or participateas do 80 percent of your fellow studentsin intramural sports. You could become a volunteer in the community, as nearly half of our students do, or become active in student life through the Associated Students, Graduate Students Association, special internships, or any number of peer work opportunities.
Whatever you decide to do, we are here to support and encourage your efforts to become the best that you can be. This is a wonderful place for you to learn and to blossom.
Welcome again!
Henry T. Yang