September 1, 2004

UCSD To Welcome New Chancellor, Record Number
Of Students As Fall Quarter Begins September 20

By Pat JaCoby

A record 25,580 students who begin the fall quarter Sept. 20 at the University of California, San Diego will be greeted by a new chancellor, start classes in a new multi-purpose building and find flowers and gourmet food at a new campus Farmers Market.

The preliminary enrollment figure of 25,580--to be finalized in October--shows an expected growth of 880 students over last fall’s enrollment figure of 24,700.

This year’s total includes an estimated 3,900 freshmen and 1,400 new transfer students, 3,500 graduate students, 1,350 School of Medicine students and 110 in the School of Pharmacy.

The academic credentials of the entering class remain strong, with an average high school GPA of 3.96 and a SAT 1 score above 1240. The new transfer students are entering UCSD with an average college GPA of 3.40.

A total 450 international students will enroll at UCSD this fall, while 570 UCSD students on the Education Abroad Program, and 400 on the Opportunities Abroad Program will leave the campus for studies out of the country. Incoming foreign students, down 200 from last year, number 154 new graduate students and 296 new undergraduates.

Meanwhile, 63 members of the inaugural class at the new Rady School of Management will begin their FlexMBA program Sept. 10 at an orientation weekend event. Class members in this first degree-granting program are working professionals, many of whom already possess an advanced degree, including 11 with Ph.D.s, four with M.D. degrees and 11 with Master’s level degrees in engineering or science disciplines. The school’s focus is on developing leaders for organizations in industry sectors driven by discovery and innovation.

Newly appointed chancellor Marye Anne Fox, a nationally known chemist and academic leader, will greet students at three events Sept. 20—transfer students at 9 a.m. in the Price Center Ballroom, the Triton “Power Hour” at 11 a.m. in the RIMAC Arena, and at noon on Ridgewalk, when she will pass out cookies during the Welcome Week Student Services Fair, a tradition started by former UCSD Chancellor and current UC President Robert Dynes. Fox, formerly chancellor of North Carolina State University, began her new duties at UCSD on Aug. 16.

Opening in time for the fall quarter is the $19 million Pepper Canyon Hall, located on Sixth College in the center of campus. The building contains lecture halls and classrooms as well as facilities for the Sixth College student and academic services and college admimistration, the Stuart Collection, and, temporarily, the Rady School of Management and the School of Medicine Dean’s Office. The $16 million Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for the La Jolla Playhouse, which began construction in summer, 2003, is expected to be occupied in November. The facility will complement the existing three buildings and will complete the campus Theatre and Dance district. Included in the new center are an experimental theatre, classrooms and rehearsal spaces, offices, and a space for social and educational public events. A restaurant adjacent to the new Center is expected to open in the spring of 2005.

Scheduled to begin construction this fall are the Student Academic Services Facility in the center of campus; the Canyonview Aquatics Center Expansion, with a second 50-meter pool added, and expansion of both the Eucalyptus Grove Student Center and Student Health Center.

UCSD will provide campus housing for 9,490 students, faculty and staff this fall, with a record 95 percent of the freshman class choosing to live on campus.

For those who don’t live on campus, the Transportation and Parking Services Department is providing expanded services and programs to keep pace with the growing campus community. Among these is the popular City Shuttle, which connects the campus with a number of local off-campus housing, dining, entertainment and shopping locations. All shuttle rides are free, requiring only a UCSD identification card. Additionally, the department offers a Free Bus Zone Sticker that allows students, faculty and staff with UCSD identification to ride local bus lines within a designated area for free.

The UCSD Farmers Market, a colorful new service for students, faculty and staff, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 21. Located on Lyman Way, next to the Chancellor’s Office, the market will offer certified/organic produce, flowers, plants, baked goods, kettle corn, gourmet speciality foods and nuts and dried fruits. The market is a joint venture of SOLO (Student Organizations and Leadership Opportunities) and The Sunshine Store, and offers some of the same vendors who serve the La Jolla Open Aire Market on Sundays.

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, 858 534-7404