About
Consistent with UCSC’s founding vision, John R. Lewis College creates an integrated living-and-learning environment through engaging academic and extracurricular programs focusing on the theme of Social Justice and Community.
Provost Welcome
Professor Kimberly Lau, from the Department of Literature, serves as Provost of College Nine and John R. Lewis College. She has held the role since 2023, after first serving as interim provost, and brings a wealth of experience in campus leadership and undergraduate education.
Traditions & History
Founded in 2002 with the theme of Social Justice and Community, John R. Lewis College is dedicated to empowering students as leaders and change makers. Named in honor of the late civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John R. Lewis, the college carries forward his call to “get in good trouble” by building a courageous, interconnected community committed to justice.
News & Updates
Stay connected with all things UCSC John R. Lewis College. From celebrating our students’ achievements and sharing exciting campus events to honoring our rich traditions and vibrant community stories, discover what’s happening throughout our John R. Lewis College family.
Alumni
Do you miss us yet? There are lots of ways to stay connected to UC Santa Cruz and John R. Lewis College. We hope you spend some time perusing this website and exploring the many options to stay involved here after graduation. Whether by connecting with current students, coming to Alumni Weekend, or giving to the college, we welcome you back as an important part of the John R. Lewis community.
Our mission
Our mission is to foster a community that welcomes and affirms people to be their whole selves, to honor our multiple identities and lived experiences, to contend with difference, to think deeply and critically, and to be agents of social change.
Social Justice and Community
Founded in Fall 2002, John R. Lewis College is the newest college at UCSC. Consistent with UCSC’s founding vision, John R. Lewis College creates an integrated living-and-learning environment through engaging academic and extracurricular programs focusing on the theme of Social Justice and Community. Students and staff collaborate to develop an array of programs exploring the many aspects of social justice. Some of the programs include faculty presentations, guest speakers, debates, films, arts events, and interactive workshops. These programs bring together members of our community to learn, debate, and challenge ourselves about important issues facing us today in an atmosphere of mutual respect and engagement.
John R. Lewis College is situated in a redwood grove next to the Social Sciences I and II buildings near the heart of campus. A nature preserve acts as John R. Lewis College’s “backyard” and the students have immediate access to hiking, jogging, and mountain bike trails in the adjacent forest.
John R. Lewis College’s theme is Social Justice and Community. Our corresponding motto is “justice for all.” Through the frosh seminar, optional workshops, and co-curricular activities, we pay special attention to individuals and groups who are denied opportunities offered to more privileged members of society. Some of the issues we consider are racism, sexism, ageism, and other forms of discrimination. Other matters that are addressed include poverty, greed, ethnic hatreds, violence against the queer community, and environmental injustices. In addition to the John R. Lewis College theme, we have many organizations that are available for students; Service Learning, ENGAGE, John R. Lewis College Student Government, Praxis, Alternative Spring Break and other various groups, which all aim to address different types of injustices that happen in our society. Community involvement is emphasized as a means of addressing social justice issues. Students interested in these issues as their major area of study or as part of their general education are encouraged to explore these opportunities as they develop skills to become our future leaders.
John R. Lewis College’s partnership with the Division of Social Sciences
One of the relatively unique features of John R. Lewis College is that its academic administration is affiliated with the Division of Social Sciences. This does not mean, however, that John R. Lewis College students are only supposed to be majors in the social sciences. We welcome all majors. Indeed, John R. Lewis College students come from all majors in Humanities, Arts, Natural Sciences, and Engineering, in addition to Social Sciences. Their shared interest is in learning about the world, community, and social justice.
All students can benefit from John R. Lewis College’s partnership with the UC Santa Cruz Division of Social Sciences. John R. Lewis College students have opportunities to engage with distinguished faculty and explore social justice and community through a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, coastal science and policy, community studies, economics, education, environmental studies, global and community health, Latin American and Latino studies, legal studies, politics, psychology, and sociology. Students will have opportunities to assist faculty with research for course credit and connect with them in small-group events through John R. Lewis College programs.
About John R. Lewis
Representative John R. Lewis was a civil rights icon, and a leader in this country’s historic and continuing struggle for freedom, equality, democracy, and basic human rights for all. He was an organizer whose bravery and conviction helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He later served 30-plus years in the House of Representatives, where he became known as the “conscience of Congress” for his commitment to justice and equity. The naming of College Ten as John R. Lewis College is an honor that we embrace with both delight and the weight of responsibility to help carry Lewis’s calling for justice forward into the future.