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May 19, 1997

Perspectives on the Jack Baskin School of Engineering, UCSC


"An abundant supply of engineers educated in technological fields is essential for meeting the demands of our rapidly growing, technologically advanced economy. The School of Engineering envisioned at UC Santa Cruz will be an excellent way to meet the needs of both the students and businesses that desperately seek graduates trained in a variety of engineering disciplines. This addition to UCSC will provide quality graduates who will become leaders in our expanding economy, as well as provide strength and solidarity to the Santa Cruz campus."

Bruce McPherson
State Senator, 15th District


"San Jose State University is pleased to endorse the creation of a School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. We plan to collaborate closely with UCSC in mutually enhancing our developmental efforts in engineering. There are many ways in which regional cooperation can benefit and strengthen both of our programs, thereby better serving our students and the industries of Silicon Valley."

Robert L. Caret
President, San Jose State University


"As we look forward to the year 2001 and beyond, we expect a demand for electrical engineers, software engineers, computer engineers, and those with qualifications in applied and engineering mathematics. IBM San Jose is again actively recruiting college graduates, and like most companies in Silicon Valley, has an ongoing need for the types of skills that engineering students at UC Santa Cruz will acquire. We send our best wishes for a successful endeavor."

J. T. Vanderslice
General Manager, IBM Storage Systems Division


"I congratulate UC Santa Cruz on the launching of its first professional school. This new School of Engineering exemplifies the innovative character that has distinguished UCSC from the beginning, and I am particularly impressed with the planned interdisciplinary approach to engineering education. This leading-edge curriculum will provide opportunities for local professionals to pursue graduate degrees and for our younger students to enter a field that can be both personally rewarding and integral to the economic future of this region."

Cynthia Mathews
Mayor, City of Santa Cruz


"Silicon Valley's economic vitality is dependent upon a well-educated workforce. The School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz will offer graduate and undergraduate students the educational skills required to meet the increasing demands of our information and high-technology society."

Susan Hammer
Mayor, City of San Jose


"During the past six years, UC Santa Cruz has convened several meetings with Silicon Valley executives. Their message was unanimous: We can't get enough qualified new engineering grads. Many of the engineers who graduate from Stanford, UC Berkeley, San Jose State, and Santa Clara leave the area, and all of these schools are accepting only a fraction of their superbly qualified applicants. I applaud Chancellor Greenwood for her ability to take a 'shelved' proposal for the School of Engineering and move it forward once again. It is laudable and it is needed."

James A. Katzman, Venture Capital Investor
Founding Vice President of Engineering, Tandem Computers, Inc.


"The Santa Cruz Business Council emphatically supports formal creation of the School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. We feel it is the next critical step in the economic development of our area. While it is vitally important to Silicon Valley, which has a critical shortage of engineering graduates, it is key to further the growth of the technologically based economy that has developed in Santa Cruz County. I can think of no more important investment in our collective future than to formally establish a school that has long been planned for by this campus and the region."

Harvey Nickelson, CEO, Coast Commercial Bank
President, Santa Cruz Business Council


"My company is headquartered in Santa Cruz and has benefited for years from the bright students who have graduated from UCSC. The addition of a School of Engineering is most needed and will significantly augment the superb science programs that already exist on the campus. UCSC's strength is in its interdisciplinary approach. I am convinced a school that is not fettered by traditional boundaries but encourages teamed interaction across disciplines is just what is needed for this area, and for the state, in the even more competitive new millennium."

Robert S. Cecil
Chairman and CEO, Plantronics, Inc.


"The progress toward the establishment of a School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz represents an important milestone in our shared commitment to serve the needs of the Monterey Bay Area. As technology-related business becomes a larger share of the regional and state economy, it is clear that our institutions must play a major role in educating a well-prepared technology workforce. California State University, Monterey Bay, looks forward to expanding our partnerships with UCSC in this arena. I see tremendous potential for active collaborations that will benefit our students and faculty."

Peter Smith
President, California State University, Monterey Bay


"I support UCSC's efforts, because there are so many new areas in which Santa Cruz's School of Engineering could achieve its goals. The inauguration of a program that stresses areas currently not well represented by the higher education institutions would enhance the wider Bay Area economically and socially. Santa Cruz is to be commended for its vision of cooperation."

Paul Locatelli, S.J.
President, Santa Clara University


"We are proud of what UC Santa Cruz has accomplished and believe that now is truly the time to formally establish the campus's first professional school. It is most fitting that the school be in engineering. UCSC has helped fuel many of the Santa Cruz area's established and emerging high-tech companies in hardware, software, and biotechnology. The new School of Engineering is needed now to supplement not only the need for engineers here, but in the region and state as a whole."

Matthew Thompson
President, Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce


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