Cowell Class of 1972 Alumni Week Program

 

Cowell College Class of 1972 50th Reunion
April 20–24, 2022

 

Please register through the UCSC Alumni Week registration website for all events.  Your registration will help us plan and provide last-minute updates.

 

<CANCELED>Deep Read Meetup with the Colleges [hybrid, in-person and virtual event]

Wed, April 20, 3:00 – 4:00PM

The Deep Read is an annual program of The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz inviting curious minds to think deeply about books and the most pressing issues of our contemporary moment.

This year alumni, students, staff, and our national community will read Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom and explore the conditions of cultural assimilation for immigrants to the United States, religious faith vs. scientific inquiry, and the experience of first-generation students in higher education. Sign up to participate in the Deep Read with the campus here.

Join us on April 20th for a discussion with the Deep Read team to talk about books, reading deeply, and Gyasi’s incredible novel. Afterward, we will join fellow alumni from across the 10 colleges for an in-person and virtual book discussion with Provosts—Alan Christy included—and current students.

 

Cowell Class of 1972 50th Reunion - Welcome Reception [virtual event, Cowell only]

Wednesday, April 20, 5:30 – 7:00PM

Welcome from Chancellor Cynthia Larive; Welcome and Q&A with Cowell Provost Alan Christy; overview of Cowell Class of ’72 reunion events and mic open until 7:00PM for conversation among Cowell alumni. Have your favorite beverage at the ready so we can toast our longevity!

Click here to view a recording of this event.

 

How We’re Still Changing the World [virtual event]

Thursday, April 21, 3:00-5:00PM

We started out protesting the Viet Nam War and volunteering on Daufuskie Island to change the world, but since then our community involvements have become much more diverse and far reaching. Join with our classmates to tell your stories of where this impulse, engendered by so many of our professors, has led us. Moderated by Frank Abe, conversation starters David Stanford, Joseph Schultz, Steve Miller, Cecilia Hlavaty vonBerholdingen.

Click here to view a recording of this event.

 

Cowell Class of 1972 Off-Campus Gathering

Thursday, April 21, 7:00PM

Screening of “Foodie for the People” at the DelMar Theater.

Joseph Schultz (Cowell ’72) ran the successful restaurant, India Joze, in Santa Cruz for 50 years until it closed at the end of 2021, and was actively involved in feeding the community through Food Not Bombs. This film produced by Migrant Media celebrates Joseph’s career and contributions to the community. Join us for a screening of the film and a conversation with Joe.

 

Art Friday at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery [on-campus event]

Friday, April 22, 3:00-5:00PM

View the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery show “Warp & Weft,” an exhibit exploring family, community and politics through weaving. Featuring the tangled art works of Ann Dizikes, Michael and Christine Adcock, Holly Downing and other Cowell alumni. Chat with the artists, connect with alumni and current Cowell students.

 

Cowell Early Years Alumni Meet and Greet [on-campus event; Cowell only]

Friday, April 22, 5:00-6:30PM

Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery Patio and Fireside Lounge

Connect with Cowell alumni from 1965 - 1975 in a private happy hour reception. Hear from alumni artists about the roots of their careers at Cowell College, career paths, inspirations.

 

Coffee in the Courtyard [on-campus event]

Saturday, April 23, 8:30-10:00AM

Cowell Courtyard

Cowell alumni, fellows and students connect over coffee and enjoy the view.

 

The Rescue of Truth in the Company of Frenemies: An Intergenerational Chat [hybrid on-campus and live-streamed event]

Saturday, April 23, 10:00AM - 12:00PM 

Page Smith Library, Cowell

Our 50-year reunion calls us to re-examine our faith in Cowell’s motto, “The pursuit of truth in the company of friends.” Was the idea of truth actually in good standing in 1968-1972? Is there a chance that the idea--that truth was in better shape in our times--is actually just a feature of nostalgia? How successful has the babyboomer generation been in pursuing truth? What do today’s students think of the motto – would they reaffirm it, reject it or revise it? Have university-based scholars put their shoulders to the wheel of protecting and defending truth, or have they put more effort into calling the very idea of truth into question? With Patricia Nelson Limerick (Cowell ’72), David Stanford (Cowell ’72), Cameron Vanderscoff (Cowell ’11), Philosophy professor Kyle Robertson and current students.

 

(Nearly) Everything I Know about the Creative Process I Learned at Cowell College: Writers and Their Writing [on-campus and live-streamed event]

Saturday, April 23, 1:30 – 3:30PM

Page Smith Library, Cowell

Cowell writers of all stripes are invited to share about their work, their process and their inspirations; roots of their work in their time at Cowell; challenges of the writing profession and the nature of the writing “business.” Dialogue and sharing of experience encouraged. All writers welcome – novelists, stage/screenwriters, journalists, technical writers, poets, bloggers, cartoonists, graphic novelists, diarists. People who are interested in becoming writers also welcome. Cowell alumni David Stanford, Frank Abe, Alesa Lightbourne, Adilah Barnes and Cameron Vanderscoff will offer brief insights to start the informal discussion.

 

(Nearly) Everything I Know about the Creative Process I Learned at Cowell College: Acting and Writing for the Theater [Pre-recorded, available on the Cowell Class of ’72 50th Reunion website; no registration required]

Video interviews posted on the alumni webpage, along with film clips or visual examples of the writers’ work.  Features alumni from the early years of Cowell reflecting on their writing for and engagement with film and theater.

Pre-recorded, available on the Cowell Class of ’72 50th Reunion website; no registration required.

 

Roller Coaster Challenge

Saturday, April 23, 5:00PM-ish

Meet us at the Boardwalk for a Roller Coaster challenge, weather permitting. Plans will be confirmed and announced at all Cowell ’72 events. You don’t have to ride – you can watch too! Meet by the Big Dipper entrance. Afterwards maybe we will get a corndog, or something more healthy.

 

Brunch on the Provost’s Lawn [on-campus event]

Sunday, April 24, 10:00 – 11:30AM

It is no secret that Cowell College has one of the best views on campus. Connect with fellow alumni while you get caught up on all the latest news and events from Provost Alan Christy.

Celebrate members of the Cowell community who are no longer with us in a Ceremony of Remembrance at 11:40AM – 12:00PM in the Provost’s House Courtyard.

 

Dizikes Annual Concert [on-campus event]

Sunday, April 24th, 12:00 – 1:00PM

Provost’s House Lawn

Come listen to the local band, Cement Ship, in the company of friends. The Annual Dizikes Concert has the kind of music that you can boogie down to. Come show us your best dance moves!