Ah, my beloved UC…growing up in California, little did I realize what an opportunity I had when it came to the choice of where to go for college.  My heart was set on UC Berkeley, aka Cal.  I don’t remember being so concerned about studying within the University of California system, but Berkeley was definitely where I wanted to go.  Here’s a selected history taking you from the first campus, UC Berkeley, to the newest one, UC Merced.  There are 10 campuses in all, nine of which are undergraduate.

Back in the Day

The UC system is over 150 years old, dating back to 1868 when the Organic Act was signed into California law.  Technically, UC was born in Oakland but the first campus was built on land in Berkeley.

University of California Milestones

1871-the oldest school newspaper on the West Coast, the Daily Californian starts publication

1873-student committee finally decides on blue and gold as the school colors and the first campus buildings are built (North and South Hall in Berkeley)

1878-UC Hastings becomes the first law school in CA

1881-Los Angeles State Normal school founded, eventually becoming UCLA

1882-first UC football team organized

1884-the UC Regents adopt the motto, “Let there be light”

1885- W. Jepsen attends UC Berkeley and with John Muir, later creates the Sierra Club

1892-first Cal-Stanford football game

1895-first sports team to compete outside of CA carries banner with the CA emblem of the golden Grizzly Bear, the Golden Bear becomes the symbol of the University

1896-UC Irvine’s school of medicine founded in Anaheim

1903-Scripps Institute founded in San Diego

1907- Riverside Citrus Experiment Station opens for business, this will soon be UC Riverside

1908- University Farm School opens in what was then a tiny town called Davisville, soon to be UC Davis

1909-Santa Barbara State Normal School founded and later becomes UC Santa Barbara

1910-construction of Sather Gate at Cal completed

1914-Sather Tower aka the Campanile completed at Cal

1915-Berkeley alums help create the National Parks Service

1926-UCLA changes their grizzly bear to a Bruin because Cal already claims the golden grizzly

1929-UCLA Westwood campus opens to students

1936-UC Santa Barbara adopts the Gaucho as their mascot

1941-Cal’s mascot, Oski debuts at a freshman rally

1947-UCLA alum Jackie Robinson enters MLB

1950-UCLA alum Ralph Bunche becomes the first person of color to win a Nobel Peace Prize

1954-statistician David Blackwell joins Cal’s faculty and becomes the first tenured black professor in the UC system

1954-UC Riverside adopts the mascot Scotty the bear and call themselves Highlanders

1958-Roy Overstreet is the first African American to receive a degree from UC Riverside and becomes the country’s first black oceanographer

1959-the UC Regents look to expand and approve development in La Jolla, soon to be UC San Diego

1961-site for new UC campus chosen near Monterey Bay, soon to be UC Santa Cruz

1964-UC San Diego choses Triton as it’s mascot

1965-first classes held at the new UC Irvine campus and they adopt their mascot, anteater

1967-MLK Jr delivers speech on the steps of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley

1974-UC Santa Cruz becomes one of the first schools in the country to offer a major in women’s studies

1978- Barbara Christian is the first black woman granted tenure at Cal and becomes the first black woman in the UC system promoted to full professor

1979-Tomas Rivera named UC Riverside chancellor, the first minority chancellor in the UC system

1980-Black activist and co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton earns a PhD from UC Santa Cruz

1982-”The Play” happens in football between Cal and Stanford

1986-UC Santa Cruz adopts their banana slug mascot

1991-Angela Davis returns to UC joining the faculty of UC Santa Cruz

1995-UC Regents select site near Yosemite to become the 10th campus, UC Merced

2005- UC Merced officially opens with their chosen mascot, the bobcat

2009-UC Merced graduates its first class of students and Michelle Obama gives the commencement address.

Ok, that’s a lot, but you get it.  The University of California is all that and then some.  Interested in reading even more detail, check out the UC timeline here.

Until next time,

May the road rise to meet you and the wind be at your back.