The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is a coeducational public university located in Santa Barbara County, California. UCSB's campus was annexed by the city of Santa Barbara and thus is technically part of the city, though it is closer in proximity to Goleta. The campus was divided into three parts: main campus, storke campus and west campus. The campuses surround the community of Isla Vista. It is one of ten University of California campuses.

The Storke Tower and the University Center in front of the UCSB Lagoon.

History

UCSB was founded in 1909 as a small school for training public school teachers, and four years later moved to a thirteen-acre campus in the Riviera area above town. By 1935, the school was called Santa Barbara State College ("SB State"). In 1944, "SB State" joined the University of California system, and upgraded its curriculum to provide Master's degrees. Ten years later, UCSBC (as it was then called) moved to a former World War II Marine air base and began building a new campus at its present site. In 1958, UCSBC was renamed UCSB, and stedily progressed to a nationally ranked research university that currenly offers almost 100 Bachelor's, 50 Master's and over 30 Ph.D. programmes.

Nobel Laureate Professors

• Finn Kydland, Nobel Prize recipient, Economics, 2004
• David Gross, Nobel Prize recipient, Physics, 2004
• Alan Heeger, Nobel Prize recipient, Chemistry, 2000
• Herbert Kroemer, Nobel Prize recipient, Physics, 2000
• Walter Kohn, Nobel Prize recipient, Chemistry, 1998

NASA Astronauts

• Leroy Chiao M.S. '85, Ph.D. '87
• Jose Hernandez M.S. '86
• Joe Acaba - B.S. '90

UCSB campus

Academics

UCSB was originally a small independent teacher's college, but it was designated a University of California campus after World War II during the UC's postwar expansion and was relocated and rebuilt accordingly. UCSB now has three undergraduate colleges: the College of Letters & Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Creative Studies. The College of Creative Studies offers students an alternative approach to education by allowing them to pursue advanced, independent work in the arts, mathematics, and sciences. The campus also has two professional schools, the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education.

UCSB also hosts eight National Research Centers, including the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Materials Research Laboratory. (Five of these Centers are supported by the National Science Foundation). Its faculty includes 5 Nobel laureates, 14 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 26 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 12 members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Davidson Library, UCSB's largest library

Athletics

UCSB's sports teams compete in the Big West Conference, with the exception of the men's and women's water polo teams and the men's volleyball team, which are in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Santa Barbara is best known for its women's basketball and men's soccer teams, which are often among the best in the country. In 2004, the men's soccer team lost the NCAA championship match to Indiana University Bloomington.

The Gauchos men's basketball team had its best years in the late '80s and early '90s under coach Jerry Pimm.

The Gauchos women's basketball team had its best years in the mid to late '90s under coach Mark French.

UCSB's most famous athletic alumnus is NBA star Brian Shaw, who has played for the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.

UCSB was one of several California-based universities to discontinue their football programs during the 1990s.

A UCSB dormitory

Reputation

In the past, UCSB had a well-deserved reputation as a "party school", though the administration has made major efforts in recent years to combat that stereotype. See the article on Isla Vista for more information.

In recent years, a number of professors in UCSB have won Nobel Prizes in different subject areas. [1] (http://www.ucsb.edu/nobel/index.shtml)

Campus

South Hall

South Hall is located next to the picturesque Storke Bell Tower. It houses the Department of English, the Department of Black Studies, and the Department of Chicano and Chicana Studies.

External links

• UCSB official website (http://www.ucsb.edu/)