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Revelle College is the oldest
residential college A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship ...
at the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
in
La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...
. Founded in 1964, it is named after oceanographer and UC San Diego founder
Roger Revelle Roger Randall Dougan Revelle (March 7, 1909 – July 15, 1991) was a scientist and scholar who was instrumental in the formative years of the University of California, San Diego, and was among the early scientists to study anthropogenic global ...
. UC San Diego—along with Revelle College—was founded at the height of the
Space Race The Space Race (, ) was a 20th-century competition between the Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between t ...
between the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. As a result, the initial class of 181 undergraduates comprised only 30
non-science A non-science is an area of study that is not scientific, especially one that is not a natural science or a social science that is an object of scientific inquiry. In this model, history, art, and religion are all examples of non-sciences. Clas ...
majors. Revelle College focuses on developing "a well-rounded student who is intellectually skilled and prepared for competition in a complex world." Revelle's general education requirements are rigorously structured in the tradition of a classical liberal arts college. Revelle's stated goal of creating "
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
scholars" is reflected in these requirements, which ensure that a graduate has experience in humanities, calculus, physical science, biology, social science, a fine art, and a foreign language. Revelle College's core writing course, Humanities (HUM), is a challenging
Western Civilization Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompasses the social no ...
course that incorporates writing, history and other social science requirements into a five-quarter (1 year) sequence through which students examine the greater social and literary developments throughout Western culture. In 2014, the college celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The same year, UCSD Housing and Dining opened a new dining commons named "64 Degrees" to replace the old Plaza Cafe and Incredi-Bowls food truck.Reimagined student dining facility opens at UCSD
/ref> Most of the Revelle residential campus was renovated from 2009 to 2015.


History

Much of Revelle College's initial history mirrors that of UC San Diego itself, as the development of the first undergraduate college was instrumental in founding the university. The Institute of Technology and Engineering was established in 1958 on a ridge northeast of the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...
(SIO). The Institute, soon renamed to the School of Science and Engineering, was initially housed at Scripps and headed by Roger Revelle. Ninety-nine faculty were planned to instruct 450 graduate students in earth sciences, biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, and mathematics. Roger Revelle and several recently recruited professors, including
Keith Brueckner Keith Allen Brueckner (March 19, 1924 – September 19, 2014) was an American theoretical physicist who made important contributions in several areas of physics, including many-body theory in condensed matter physics, and laser fusion. Biography ...
, James R. Arnold, and David Bonner, began to aggressively recruit professors from across the country to their new university. In 1961, construction began on the first permanent building at the new campus. Buildings A and B, now Urey Hall and Mayer Hall respectively, housed laboratories, office space, and lecture halls. They were completed and inaugurated in 1963. Later in 1963, Chancellor
Herbert York Herbert Frank York (24 November 1921 – 19 May 2009) was an American nuclear physicist of Mohawk origin. He held numerous research and administrative positions at various United States government and educational institutes. Biography Her ...
began to implement the 1959 master plan as visualized by Revelle, Arnold, and
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
President
Clark Kerr Clark Kerr (May 17, 1911 – December 1, 2003) was an American economist and academic administrator. He was the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and twelfth president of the University of California. Early life and ...
. The plan called for the creation of twelve loosely related undergraduate colleges, the first of which York formed by renaming the School of Science and Engineering to simply The First College. Simultaneously, York created the Division of Letters and Science to handle the nascent university's academics; this division would house the original departments of physics, chemistry, and biological sciences, as well as the recently formed departments of philosophy and literature. The first undergraduates enrolled in late 1964.The First College continued to grow to accommodate increasing undergraduate and graduate enrollment at the university. In early 1965, the
Regents of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sys ...
voted to rename the college in Roger Revelle's honor. Revelle had recently resigned his posts as UCSD Dean of Research and SIO Director to become director of the Center for Population Studies at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. Revelle College remains the only undergraduate college at UCSD named for a living honoree. By the start of the 1965-1966 school year, Revelle College had grown to loosely resemble the modern campus, surrounding a central plaza. The completion of the sixth academic building, Building F (now York Hall), marked the end of its growth and the beginning of the establishment of
John Muir College John Muir College is one of the eight undergraduate colleges at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The college is named after John Muir, the environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club. It has a humanitarian emphasis focused o ...
. In addition to a library in Building E (Galbraith Hall), the college was equipped to house 440 undergraduates in the newly constructed Fleet residence halls. An 800-seat cafeteria, the Plaza Cafe, was constructed to replace the canteen in the basement of Building C (Mayer Hall). Blake and Argo Halls were added in 1968. In May 1970, a student protesting the Vietnam War self-immolated in Revelle Plaza holding a sign reading "In God's Name, End the War."


Campus

The Revelle College grounds encompass the southwest corner of the UC San Diego campus. Revelle is bounded to the west by North Torrey Pines Road, to the north by Muir College's athletic facilities and the Old Student Center, to the east by Gilman Drive and the
School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
, and to the south by Scholars Drive South and the
Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing a city's theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences ...
. The college's buildings are laid around a central plaza, with the residential buildings west of the plaza and the academic buildings surrounding the remaining three sides. The southern section of Revelle College is occupied by two large parking lots and grassy hills, and the administration building sits in a grove in the southeast corner. Revelle Plaza is the centerpiece of Revelle College, and has served as an important space for campus activities and socialization since its creation. During the mid-to-late sixties, Revelle Plaza was the location of many protests. The May 1970 Peace Memorial in its southeast corner commemorates the anti-war self-immolation of Revelle student George Winne Jr. The adjacent fountain was donated by
Pacific Southwest Airlines Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a low-cost carrier, low-cost US airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was the first substantial scheduled low-cost carrier, discount airline. PSA called itself "Th ...
in 1965. The residential section of the Revelle College campus is located to the west of the plaza. Blake and Argo Halls are between the plaza and the courtyard containing the Anchor. North of this courtyard lies the Revelle Commons complex. In addition to four conference rooms, this complex houses Roger's Market and the Revelle dining commons, 64 Degrees. 64 Degrees serves burgers, Chinese-inspired plates, salads, sandwiches, and American cuisine. In 2015, a full-service restaurant called 64 North was opened to complement 64 Degrees and provide the southern part of campus with an upscale dining option. There are two major lecture halls in Revelle College, with one located in Galbraith Hall and another in
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
Hall. The other academic buildings in Revelle are the Natural Sciences Building, Pacific Hall, Mayer Hall, Bonner Hall, and Urey Hall. Collectively, these eight buildings house the Division of Biological Sciences, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Humanities Program, the Department of Physics, and the Department of Theatre and Dance. York, Mayer, and Bonner Halls are noted for the unique hexagonal breezeways that connect the buildings. Revelle College has two
Stuart Collection The Stuart Collection is a collection of public art on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. Founded in 1981, the Stuart Collection's goal is to spread commissioned sculpture throughout the campus, including both traditional scu ...
pieces, ''La Jolla Project'' by
Richard Fleischner Richard Fleischner is a Providence, RI–based environmental artist. Born in New York in 1944, he received a BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art an ...
and ''What Hath God Wrought?'' by
Mark Bradford Mark Bradford (born November 20, 1961) is an American visual artist. Bradford was born, lives, and works in Los Angeles and studied at the California Institute of the Arts. Recognized for his collaged painting works, which have been shown intern ...
. The former, referred to by the campus community as Stonehenge, gives its nickname to the surrounding Stonehenge Lawn. Other public works of art around Revelle College include El Mac's "Enduring Spell" mural in the Argo courtyard, murals on the side of the Ché Café, a giant red chair by Galbraith Hall, the Stuart Collection works ''Red Shoe'', ''La Jolla Vista View'', and ''The Wind Garden'' in the nearby Theatre District, a surrealist mural by Howard Warshaw on the east interior wall of 64 Degrees, and a 56 ft × 22 ft surfer graphic on the east exterior wall of 64 Degrees.


Academics

The Revelle general education curriculum has been one of the most stringent on campus since the college's inception. Provost Daniel Wulbert described the curriculum as having "something there for almost everyone to dislike." Students are expected to complete courses in calculus, science, language, social science, and the fine arts, as well as a five-quarter writing sequence focusing on the literature, history, and philosophy of Western civilization. The curriculum crosses traditional academic disciplinary boundaries in order to encourage the development of "Renaissance men and women." The five-quarter Humanities sequence forms the cornerstone of Revelle's academic requirements. The sequence requires students to examine and respond to humanistic philosophy and literature. The first two courses, usually taken by first-year students, focus on intensive writing instruction while covering literature and history from the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
, and the Middle Ages. The following three courses cover the remainder of Western civilization, from Renaissance literature to modern socialist and nationalist movements. Since 2007, Revelle students have also had the option of taking Humanities 3 in Italy through the Revelle in Rome program.


Residential life

The Revelle Residence Life office organizes over 500 events each year for students in the residence halls and apartments.Choosing Revelle
/ref> Students also participate in organizations and leadership programs funded by Revelle College Council.
/ref> Revelle's residence halls for first-year students are all named after famous exploring ships: *
Argo In Greek mythology, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest fo ...
*
Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...
*
Beagle The Beagle is a small breed of scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting rabbit or hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking inst ...
*
Blake Blake or Blake's may refer to: People * Blake (given name), a given name of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) * Blake (surname), a surname of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) ** William Blake (1757 ...
* Challenger *
Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...
*
Galathea ''Galathea'' is a genus of squat lobsters in the family Galatheidae. It is one of the largest genera of squat lobsters that in 2008 contained 73 species (17 in the Atlantic Ocean, 25 in the Indian Ocean and 43 in the Pacific Ocean The ...
*
Meteor A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...
The largest residence hall, Argo Hall, is a six-story building that houses 350 students. Each floor has its own study lounge and kitchen, and the base of the building houses conference rooms, two social lounges, a postal center, and piano practice rooms. Argo Hall was most recently renovated in 2015. Blake Hall is a four-story building with 180 residents, as well as two patios and a large study lounge and kitchen on the uppermost floor. The six remaining residence halls comprise the Fleet residences, each of which houses 110 students above a study lounge. Approximately 40% of the students living in Fleet residence halls are from colleges other than Revelle. Revelle College offers apartment housing for continuing undergraduates in the Charles David Keeling Apartments. The Keeling Apartments, completed in 2009, are the first
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...
platinum-certified residential buildings in the University of California system. The complex is composed of three connected towers that collectively house 510 students.Charles David Keeling Apartments
/ref> The three buildings—North Tower, West Bar, and South Tower—are divided into eight communities named after the
Hawaiian islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
of
Hawai'i Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...
,
Moloka'i Molokai or Molokai ( or ; Molokaʻi dialect: Morotaʻi ) is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its g ...
, Kaho'olawe,
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
,
Lana'i Lānai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The island's on ...
,
O'ahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
,
Ni'ihau Niihau ( Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the seventh largest island in Hawaii and the westernmost of the main islands. It is southwest of Kauai across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is . Several intermittent playa lakes provide wet ...
and
Kaua'i Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 mi ...
.


Traditions

The most well-known Revelle College tradition, the annual Watermelon Drop, takes place every June prior to finals week. The tradition began in 1965, when a physics professor asked his students to calculate the terminal velocity of a watermelon dropped from the seventh floor of Urey Hall. Prior to the event, Revelle College hosts a pageant to name a Watermelon Queen, who drops the watermelon from the same building each year. The Watermelon Queen need not be female. Rarely, a Watermelon Queen and Watermelon King have both been elected. Other traditions at Revelle include painting the Revelle Anchor, a centrally-located anchor that serves as a bulletin board and artistic outlet. UCSD students can spray-paint the anchor every night. Revelle College students also celebrate Roger Revelle's birthday at the end of winter quarter with a barbecue lunch. In the spring, Revelle College Council organizes the Revellution concert, which features local stars and rising independent artists.Revelle Events and Traditions
/ref>


References


External links

*
Revelle HumanitiesOverview of UCSD's College SystemUC San Diego College System

UC San Diego College Comparison
{{Authority control University of California, San Diego Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in California