Public Affairs

Maria Paz Balibrea Enriquez: Assistant Professor of Literature Maria Balibrea’s expertise is in 19th- and 20th-century Spanish literature and culture, with a focus on postdictatorship Spain. She is interested in the role culture plays in the construction of new national discourses emerging in the democratic state. She has published on the literature and film of…

Faced with staggering cuts in state funding in the early 1990s, UCSC administrators created a fiscal-planning process in which academic and nonacademic divisions, representatives of the faculty senate, staff, and students became key players in the development of each year’s campus budget. Even though state support for the university has stabilized in recent years, that…

Assistant and associate professors at UCSC were surveyed last May concerning their satisfaction with their working environment and their needs for support and mentoring. Survey results are summarized below. The report is also available through department chairs. Eighty faculty members responded to the survey, which addressed a range of topics, including, spousal/partner employment, the Faculty…

Three people committed to enriching the lives of others have won the top awards given annually by UC Santa Cruz’s Alumni Association. Marge Frantz, a lecturer emerita in the American Studies and Women’s Studies Departments, won the Distinguished Teaching Award for 1997. Frantz is highly regarded for her dedication to students and passion for her…

Elizabeth Irwin, director of Public Information and Publications, will speak on the topic "UC Santa Cruz: Connecting with Our Community" at a meeting of the UCSC Women’s Club on Wednesday, January 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at University House. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, call (408) 459-2501. The…

Ray Collett has stepped down from his administrative role as director of UCSC’s Arboretum. On January 1, Professor Collett became the Arboretum’s director emeritus. He retains his faculty position as professor of natural sciences and will maintain an active teaching schedule. In honor of Collett’s more than 30 years of service to the Arboretum and…

A new television program featuring the best of lectures and programs at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is being broadcast on Community TV, Channel 72, beginning January 4. The show, UCSC Forum, features lectures and performances by UCSC faculty and prominent guest speakers. The show airs at 8 p.m. each Sunday with a rebroadcast…

One of the country’s leading astronomers will present a public lecture discussing the Big Bang and the evolution of the universe. The lecture, "How We Got Here: From the Big Bang to Now," will be presented by Sandra Faber, a professor of astronomy at UCSC. The talk is part of the 1997-98 Humanities Lecture Series,…

Currents online is now accepting classified ads from faculty and staff. Before submitting an ad, please read the policies and submittal procedure. Wanted: 3 bedroom, 2 bath house for visiting fellow at the Center for Global, International, and Regional Studies. From approx. January 24 to February 22, 1998. Ext. 9-2833 or global@cats.ucsc.edu. For Sale: 1987…

Economist Lori Kletzer has received a prestigious career advancement award from the National Science Foundation to explore the disparity in the economic status of black and white women. Kletzer, an assistant professor of economics at UCSC, will conduct an in-depth examination of the roles of family background and schooling in the educational attainment and occupational…

Chancellor Greenwood is scheduled to return on Saturday, January 10, from India, where she led a delegation in late December with the aim of forging collaborations and academic interchange between institutions in India and UCSC. Accompanying the chancellor are leading campus administrators and faculty. The delegation has met with a number of India’s top political…

Whether from television, a visit to a doctor, or a trip to the local emergency room, most Americans catch a glimpse of the world of medicine at an early age. Yet few people get to see the basic research that gives medicine its foundation. This lack of exposure is one of the factors that drives…