March 23, 2010

TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
 
Dear Colleagues:
 
Our campus received a very high number of applications for admission this year (46,672 from prospective freshmen and a record 12,320 applications from prospective transfer students). This is an exciting indication of the continuous growth of UC Santa Barbara's academic reputation and tremendous popularity.
 
We have also just completed this year's Regional Reception in Los Angeles, where prospective students and their families were encouraged to learn about our campus and to experience the warmth and friendliness of our students, faculty, and staff. I would like to extend a special "thank you" to all of our colleagues who participated in this event. Although we reduced the number of Regional Receptions to only one this year, due to the budget challenges, we still had the opportunity to speak with over 800 students and family members about our university and our unique campus life.
 
As in years past, we are expecting large numbers of campus visitors during the month of April. Most visitors will be students who have been admitted for the fall quarter, accompanied by their families. They will be using this opportunity to take one more look at UCSB before making important decisions about college and their future. Others are high school juniors visiting colleges during their spring breaks. As you may know, the Statement of Intent to Register is due by May 1 for freshmen and by June 1 for transfer students.
 
The UCSB Visitor Center offers daily information sessions and tours, and will host our Spring Insight Open House activities on Saturday, April 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tour and Open House information can be found on the Visitor Center website at http://www.admissions.ucsb.edu/VisitUCSB.
 
In addition to attending organized events through the Visitor Center, campus visitors often drop in unannounced to campus departments such as Housing, Financial Aid, and Student Academic Services to ask last-minute questions prior to making their decision. Many will seek out faculty and undergraduate advisors in their planned major.
 
I thank you in advance for the assistance and hospitality you extend to these visitors. The time you spend to greet prospective students and their families, to give directions, to point out an interesting feature of our campus, to provide essential information, or just to have a little chat may be an important factor in their decision to come to UCSB.
 
This is indeed a busy season on campus, but I know you share my excitement about the prospect of enrolling another outstanding and diverse entering class. As always, I thank you for your commitment and dedication to our campus community.
 
Sincerely,
 
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor