Since 1972, College Eight’s environmental education programs have been at the heart of UC Santa Cruz’s growing reputation as the nation’s “greenest” university campus. Regardless of whether our students have chosen majors directly related to the environment, or have overlaid College Eight’s green philosophies on their lifestyle or majors in other fields, our influence has followed them throughout their careers. 

UCSC pioneered interdisciplinary environmental, economic, and social education, with strong ties to both the technological innovators of the Silicon Valley, and the organic and sustainable agricultural communities of the Central Valley. UCSC’s College Eight— the Campus’s environmentally themed college—has led the university’s holistically green approach to all aspects of university life, and our graduates rank among the nation’s top environmental professionals.

College Eight is poised to play an even larger role in educating a new generation of green entrepreneurs. As we celebrate our first 35 years and look forward to our future, we are working hard to build on our history of success. We outline our vision in this portion of the site, and also in a downloadable brochure (see the tabs on the left). You might also be interested in viewing a video of a discussion on this topic, featuring leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. 

If you are excited by our vision, there is nothing we’d like more than to welcome you to join us in nurturing exceptional students and building a green future. We are interested in new ideas, professionals who would like to mentor our students or offer them opportunities, and funds to sustain and build on one of the most innovative programs in undergraduate green education. 

We look forward to hearing from you. Just click on the "Contribute" button below, and fill out the short form. We will contact you promptly.

S. Ravi Rajan

Provost, College Eight