A university education is truly a partnership that connects students, families, faculty, staff, mentors, and friends.As a parent, grandparent, guardian, or other family member, you play a key role in the continuing academic and social development of your student. By extension, you play a role in the development of all our students.

We are proud to have you as a part of the UC Santa Cruz community and invite you to extend your involvement by becoming part of ourleadership parent program.

Parent Giving: Ryan Lee

(C) 831.252.4881

LEADERSHIP PARENTS

Our committed leadership parents make an annual gift of $1,000or more to the UCSC Parents Fund. This fund provides the Chancellor with resources to support programs that directly benefit students, such as student activities, research awards, and special scholarships. Last year, parents and families who donated to the Parents Fund provided funds allocated by the Chancellor to support a student-alumni mentoring program, a writing center, student safety programs, and aprogram for high achieving students.(Learn more about these initiatives on the reverse of this page.)

Currently, about 60 families join our leadership group each year and we ask that you consider joining as well. In addition to the direct support you provide for student programs, you’ll receive:

  • Special invitations to UC Santa Cruz regional and campus events with faculty and staff
  • Opportunities to meet one-on-one with campus leaders
  • Key campus contact via easy access to the Director of Parent Giving

Leadership parents also have opportunities to stay involved with their student’s education via these volunteer opportunities:

  • Host parent fundraising and welcome events in your area
  • Represent the university at events
  • Make welcome calls to new parents in your area
  • Make fundraising calls to fellow parents
  • Make thank you calls to fellow parent donors

Thank you for your support!

Parent Giving: Ryan Lee

(C) 831.252.4881

HOW PARENTS FUND RESOURCES ARE USED

The UCSC Parents Fund provided funds allocated by the Chancellor to support these programs:

Subscription to Evisors mentoring software (Career Advice Network)

Evisors is a web-based, campus-wide mentoring platform that engages alumni as mentors for students and young alumni. It assists in connecting students and alumni, provides career support for students and recent graduates, and engages alumni in a meaningful way. Through the service, alumni assist students with career conversations, mock interviews, and resume critiques with the potential to lead to internships and job opportunities.

Westside Writing Center

The Westside Writing Center provides writing support for students from Oakes College, Porter College, and College Eight. It is the only place on campus that connects graduate-level writing tutors with undergraduates. Professionally experienced tutors and teachers with varied backgrounds as writers and scholars staff the center.The center is an important and accessible resource for approximately 5,000 students. In fact, some students are now transferring their college affiliation to utilize the Westside Writing Center.

The Challenge Program

The Challenge Program provides high-achieving students with an accelerated and challenging series of classes that culminate in the opportunity to propose and conduct research under faculty guidance. The program offers eligible first- and second-year students at Merrill, Kresge, Stevenson and Porter colleges access to faculty via a sequence of research-oriented classes. These start with a choice of small, hands-on seminars in spring of the first year and continue in the fall of the second year with a lecture-and-dinner series featuring faculty speaking on their experiences as researchers. The challenge program is open to students based on their academic performance in their first quarter.

Student Public Safety Fairs

Risk and Safety Services is working to expand Student Public Safety Fairs in the fall and spring. The fairs provide educational content for a wide variety of high-risk activitiessuch as drugs and alcohol use, driving under the influence, sexual encounters under the influence, bicyclingand skateboarding in traffic, hitchhiking, and lax cyber security. Funding supported hiring a student intern to help develop a marketing awareness campaign and incentives for event participation.

Student Night Escort Program

A collaborative program between university police and campus Risk and Safety Services, the Student Night Escort Program provides students with escort services throughout the academic year. Funds are used for student ambassador staffing to provide the escorts, training, and equipment costs.

Parent Giving: Ryan Lee

(C) 831.252.4881