Within this catalog you will find a wide array of courses, programs, and extracurricular offerings designed to help you achieve your academic and personal goals. I encourage you to take full advantage of all that our campus has to offer.

UCSB is a very special place. The educational experience we offer is deepened and enriched by the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences of our students, faculty, and staff. I ask for your help in maintaining a living and learning environment that nurtures the free and open exchange of ideas in a manner that is respectful to all our members. We are here to explore and learn together.

I hope you will take pride in being part of this campus. In just 58 years, UCSB has become renowned for its commitment to excellence and innovation. We are one of only 62 institutions elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Our campus is home to eight national research centers, two professional schools, and a number of multidisciplinary programs and
institutes. U.S. News & World Report ranks UCSB as one of the best public
universities in the nation, and the 2003 How to Get Into College guide put out by Newsweek and Kaplan names us one of the twelve hottest schools in America.

In the past five years, three members of our faculty have won Nobel Prizes. Your teachers also include a National Humanities Medal winner, Guggenheim Fellows, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellows, recipients of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology, and scores of members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering. As students here, you have the opportunity to learn from, and even do research with, people who are true pioneers in their fields. Some of what you will hear in your classrooms has not even made it into the latest textbooksbecause your professors are the ones writing the textbooks!

There are so many opportunities here for you to learn about yourself, your community, and your world. In addition to your academic pursuits, you might choose to 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 are, or become active in student life through the Associated Students, Graduate Students Association, special internships, or any number of other opportunities.

Whatever you decide to do, we are here to support and encourage you in your journey of discovery. You are valued members of our community of scholars and of our UCSB family.

Welcome again!

Henry T. Yang