Photo of site Selection Committee

The site selection committee visited both the Almaden Valley and Cowell Ranch sites in July 1960. The Santa Cruz community prepared a detailed prospectus that included a site plan for a campus of 25,000 students.

University President Clark Kerr asked three UC Berkeley faculty members to advise him on the choice of the new South Central Coast Campus site; noting especially the natural beauty of the Cowell Ranch site. The committee unanimously recommended it in preference to Almaden Valley. The beauty of the site, the fine weather, and the enthusiasm of the local community were not the only factors affecting the Regents’ decision.