© Cowell College, 2008
Maintained by Sebastian Wolff ().

About Cowell

Cowell's Focus | Cowell's Faculty | Cowell History | Facts and Figures | What Makes Cowell Distinctive

Cowell's Focus

The inspiration behind Cowell College at the moment of UCSC's foundation back in 1965 was simple and clear: the richest possible learning environment results from daily contact among students and faculty representing all the disciplines and interests available at the university. Cowell's distinction is thus to embrace not a particular academic area, community group, or theme, but a motto: "The pursuit of truth in the company of friends." Within the global perspectives and the multi-cultural societies of today, our motto remains crucial to all the work we do, for in this expansive context, truth is not a fact to be discovered or passed from teacher to student, like the answer to a riddle: it is an ideal to be pursued with all the intellectual energy we can muster. The best way to approximate this ideal as an academic endeavor is in the company of others: in frank self-expression, rigorous argumentation, and courageous openness to ideas, both in and outside the classroom. Striving to appreciate those who accompany us on this journey, both in spite of and thanks to our differences, we at Cowell are committed to recognizing in our fellow travelers the faces of friends.

Cowell Faculty

With a student body spanning all the disciplines from the sciences to the arts and humanities, Cowell is home to the Language Program at UCSC, the Philosophy Department, and faculty clusters in a number of interdisciplinary areas, some of which are UCSC majors and minors: Classics, Italian Studies, South and Southeast Asia Studies, and Jewish Studies all have significant faculty presence in Cowell. In addition, several interdisciplinary faculty groups affiliated with Cowell regularly enliven the Cowell Conference Room and the Senior Common Room by hosting scholarly lectures and presentations open to the entire community. These include groups in Pre-and Early Modern Studies (PEMS), Visual and Performance Studies (VPS), and Modernist and Avant-Garde Studies (MAGS).

Deanna is a scholar of Italian literature and of the European Renaissance. She arrived at UCSC in 1990 having earned her Ph.D at the Johns Hopkins University and after teaching at the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. She teaches Italian literature from medieval to contemporary but has a particular interest in the Italian Renaissance, especially the women of the period. She has held grants and fellowships from the Fulbright Commission, the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Villa I Tatti, and the Teagle Foundation. For more on Deanna's profile, see her page on the Department of Literature's Website.

COWELL HISTORY

Fall 1965: Cowell College opens with 516 frosh and 100 junior transfers as UCSC's founding college. American historian Page Smith was the first provost.

Oct. 15, 1966: Edna L. Scott Fountain and the first permanent buildings at Cowell are dedicated.

Fall 1966: Residence halls open; half the returning students affiliate with Stevenson College, UCSC's second college.

Spring 1968: Cowell has its first graduation in the courtyard.

Winter 1969: Twelve students enroll in a History Workshop (144G) to "produce a narrative of the first four years of Cowell College's existence." [See Solomon's House: A self- conscious history of Cowell College (Felton, CA: Big Trees Press, 1970).] Authors are: Pat Berdge, Bruce Cantz, Wade Dazey, Phillip Freshman, Mark Giles, Susan Goldfarb, Ann Griffin, Kate Howells, Roxanne Kellam, Gideon Rappaport, Larry Robinson, and Wendy Watson.

FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT COWELL COLLEGE

Motto: "The pursuit of truth in the company of friends..."

Enrollment: 1550 students total 675 on campus (in residence halls and apartments)

Most popular majors: Literature, Psychology, Biology.

On-campus living: seven residence halls (144 in single rooms, 270 in doubles, 50 spaces in quads & triples) and three apartment buildings (180 continuing students in singles and doubles).

WHAT MAKES COWELL DISTINCTIVE?

Cowell College was the founding college of UCSC.

Commitment to community. The college motto (Pursuit of Truth in the Company of Friends) expresses the intention to create an academic environment that is humane, inclusive, friendly, and lively.

College Nights. Throughout the year, the college community is invited to eat together. A sit-down dinner is followed by a program (music, dance, drama, residence hall talent show, comedy, and more).

Core Course for New Students. New students read, analyze, write about, and discuss texts by diverse authors ranging from contemporary Americans to ancient Greeks. Students meet in small sections (20-25 students) with a Cowell faculty member.

Active Student Government. The Cowell Senate meets weekly to plan college programs and disburse an annual budget of $38,000.

The Cowell Press. Cowell's hand-operated press is the site of courses on print making, typesetting, and the history of book arts.

Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery. The Smith Gallery mounts three exhibits a year featuring Central Coast area artists. Cowell students can learn about gallery management by working in the Smith Gallery.

The View. Cowell has a spectacular view of Monterey Bay.

Location. Cowell is the closest college to the main athletic facilities, the Bay Tree Bookstore, and the Student Union.