CCS was honored to showcase 50 individuals and activities during our 50th Anniversary in 2017-2018 to share our rich history. Take a look at the amazing people responsible for making our unconventional College possible!   

CCS: What drew you to CCS?

LC: It was the unique history, premise, and philosophy of undergraduate education of CCS, the interdisciplinary nature of the program, and actually the building that drew me to CCS!  I had studied fine art (painting), art history, biological sciences, and was pre-med at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and had an equal love for both the arts and sciences.  Also, I had worked many years in downtown San Francisco before moving to Santa Barbara in 1986.  Not only did UCSB’s beautiful open campus appeal to me, but also when I given a tour of the CCS building (the old “temporary” building that became so beloved by so many) during my interview I felt instantly at home. The CCS Old Little Theater was almost identical to the one at SFSU where I’d had several undergraduate classes. I was responsible for opening the CCS building and all classrooms each morning for many years, and it always brought me a timeless kind of warmth and joy.  As it turned out, I had a choice of accepting positions at UCSB’s Crustal Studies, the Student Health Service, and CCS at the time. I will forever be grateful that I chose CCS!

CCS: What was your title at CCS and how long were you at the College?  Did you work at any other places on campus?

LC: I began my almost 25-year career at CCS as an administrative assistant I, undergraduate advisor. Over the years my responsibilities grew tremendously, and ultimately I was a student affairs office II, senior undergraduate advisor and admissions counselor.  Alongside the provost, I grew into a role that represented CCS in general, CCS admissions, and CCS undergraduate affairs in numerous meetings across campus and events. I was extremely fortunate to work with a CCS provost William Ashby who was very proactive in pursuing appropriate compensation and classification for staff.  I also served on the chancellor’s staff advisory council, as well as was co-chair of the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) and represented UCSB at quarterly meetings of all the UC Staff Assemblies at different UC campuses. My first position at UCSB was in the environmental studies department.  It was a position funded by a grant as a temporary one-year position. When that position ended, I interviewed for other permanent jobs on campus and that is when I discovered CCS.

CCS: What did you enjoy most about CCS?

LC: Without a doubt it was working with the students and the faculty—my favorite part of the College. Our students were each one-of-a-kind, unusually bright, creative, enthusiastic, and generous souls.  I came to love each and every one of them and it was my good fortune to have that unique opportunity for so many years.  I often met our students for the first time as high school seniors who came with their parents to visit the college.  Once they matriculated at UCSB/CCS, I most often worked with each of them from their freshman year until they graduated. Working with each of them I was able to really get to know them and to become close. I shared their challenges and rough spots in the journey as well as their many joys and successes. Working with CCS students and at the College ceased to become a job for me early on, and became more like a “calling” or ministry for me. The students, faculty, and staff were like a family.  And we enjoyed for many years a uniquely caring and collegial environment.  Faculty became friends, and along with my deep respect for them, their commitment and devotion to teaching, we shared great affection as well.

Working with CCS students and at the College ceased to become a job for me early on, and became more like a “calling” or ministry for me.

It was also always a privilege to work for such a bold and unique institution that is CCS.

CCS: Does a memorable moment stand out from your time at CCS?  If so, please describe the moment.

LC: As there was never a dull moment at CCS, it is impossible to choose just one.  There were so many memorable ones.  The accomplishments and successes of our students were always celebrated.  CCS commencement was always memorable and joyful with our outstanding alumni and student speakers as well as the CCS music students’ original compositions. The annual UCSB awards and prize competition, sponsored by CCS, recognized outstanding high school students in one of the CCS disciplines. The UCSB regional receptions throughout California allowed me along with CCS provosts, associate provosts, faculty, and CCS students to have the opportunity to represent the college and tell eager applicants about CCS as well as recruit them!  The College was very fortunate also to host many impressive visitors and scholars such as Kenzaburo Oe (1994 Nobel Laureate in Literature), Allen Ginsberg, and Arlo Guthrie, just to name a very few.  There were many others, including scientists and artists, outstanding in their fields.  And our students actually got to spend quality time interacting with these individuals in small groups. Other great moments: the continual art installations and our art students’ graduating senior shows and openings in our own beautiful gallery; the weekly literature and art symposia which were classes but open to the public; and the original CCS musicals which are interdisciplinary efforts by our students.  Just being in the CCS building sometimes working late into the evening was memorable. CCS never slept! There were always music students composing, writers writing, fine artists creating, physics and math students studying in groups, and the computing students were literally there all night working together on projects. That deceptively small, to many an outsider, unimpressive if not unnoticed old building was really a powerful think tank, always a buzz with unstoppable creative energy and the creation of original work.  The weekly CCS Coffee Hour too, was always a full house, a joyful noisy, interactive hub of diverse CCS students, in excited interdisciplinary dialogue.  So many years, so many stories, about individual CCS students and the college as a whole.  Much to be remembered that will live on in all of us who had the privilege to “live” and work there. 

That deceptively small, to many an outsider, unimpressive if not unnoticed old building was really a powerful think tank, always a buzz with unstoppable creative energy and the creation of original work.

There are a few highlights in my own personal life while at CCS.  I was honored to receive the Chancellor’s Citation of Excellence Award one year, and extraordinarily honored to receive the Margaret T. Getman Service to Students Award another year.  I also was able to complete my bachelor’s degree in fine art (painting) while at UCSB/CCS.  And I met my husband at UCSB in 2002 while working at CCS; we were married one year before I retired.

CCS: How did CCS change during your tenure at the College?

LC: Well, absolutely, dramatically technologically!  There wasn’t even campus email when I began at CCS. I still had an IBM Selectric typewriter next to my “tiny box” of a Mac computer.  I remember CCS provost Max Weiss teaching me how to use my first Mac.  Frank, the longest tenured CCS employee, didn’t even have a computer or a phone.  And Frank later became the invaluable computer wizard amongst all the staff.  A computing major was added to our art, biology, chemistry, literature, math, music composition, and physics majors later on, as well as a biochemistry emphasis.  And the college finally got our own development officer.

During my early years in the college, after becoming savvy about UCSB as a whole, working closely with colleagues in the registrar’s, and admissions offices, and“cognate” departments in the other colleges, and working with my counterparts at the college-level in the other two colleges at UCSB (Letters and Science and Engineering), I began to realize that CCS was in many ways functioning and being seen as a department rather than one of the three colleges at UCSB (which it was).  This took place at subtle as well as at more important levels.  Over the years I witnessed CCS intentionally asserting itself through the hard work of our provosts, staff, faculty, and students to assume its full stature, and take its place and be recognized equally with the other two colleges at UCSB in every sense.  This has had a very positive impact on the college and its students over the years.

CCS: How did CCS impact your career?

LC: Out of all the jobs I have had in my lifetime, I would say that CCS was my career.  My 25-year tenure at the College became a very important part of my life story, and I will always consider it one of my greatest life blessings to have served CCS, CCS students, faculty, and UCSB.

CCS: Now that you are retired, how do you spend your time?

LC: Upon our retirement, my husband (who also retired from UCSB) and I had the opportunity to buy a home in Santa Maria (70 miles north of Santa Barbara) and we moved there in May 2012.  For a couple of years I busily created our home and garden, and gardening remains one of my favorite pastimes.  I enjoy cooking and learning new things culinary—and of course, as such, have become connected with several “foodie” groups on line. I have volunteered at the Santa Maria Humane Society and continue to volunteer at the SB County Food Bank here in Santa Maria.  I am involved in my church, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Arroyo Grande, and keep busy serving in different roles there. I try to keep in touch with friends from Goleta and Santa Barbara, and have made some new friends in the north county.  I love to catch up on life and career updates from many former CCS students, and life updates from former CCS faculty with whom I’m connected to on Facebook.  I came up with a phrase about CCS: “CCS is like the Hotel California—you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”  (Credit to the Eagles here!).  If you were a part of CCS, it will always be a part of you. 

To CCS with Love, Leslie