Porter College
With generous funding from donors, Porter College is able to give its students resources to implement creativity and think critically in whatever field they choose to pursue. From offering a core course dedicated to intellectual exploration to being home to the Mary Sesnon Gallery, it follows its mission to understand art’s contribution to the common good of the world.
Ars longa, vita brevis, Porter’s motto, translates to art is long, life is short.
“Our focus on creativity as a driver for any pursuit is very meaningful to people. In the most capacious understanding of what Porter stands for, that creativity and community-facing impetus is in the spirit of everything that students wish to pursue, whether they are in STEM or in humanities or in the arts proper.”
—Soraya Murray, Porter College Provost
How donor support benefits Porter College students:
- Scholarships for creative exploration:
- The Hitchcock Modern Poetry Fund supports students with an interest in poetry.
- The Nathan Foley-Mendelssohn Scholarship helps undergraduates study abroad.
- Career development in the arts:
- The Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery employs students pursuing careers in gallery and museum work.
- The Sesnon Underground program showcases emerging UCSC artists and provides hands-on curatorial experience.
- Mentorship and research opportunities:
- Donor funding enables faculty-student mentorships, allowing students to receive project guidance and participate in faculty research.
- Teaching experience for graduate students:
- Graduate students can apply for funding to design and teach their own courses.
Supporting Porter College
With additional donor support, Porter College will find ways to place students in meaningful internships with companies around Santa Cruz, and find a way to increase access by paying students for their work. Access to creative jobs is limited especially to students whose family are not already in creative fields. Provost Murray believes the next step is to pioneer the path to accessibility in artistic and creative jobs.
“One thing that changes students’ lives is mentorship. If there are alumni who can imagine giving some of their time to mentor someone who might be wanting to start out in something that they are much further along in, they can be really valuable mentors to students and can demystify a profession.”
—Soraya Murray, Porter College Provost
Supporting Porter is supporting the influence of art and creative expression. It’s the way to keep students thinking critically and dreaming big.