Welcome to the 40th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall College!

Come celebrate with us as we embrace four decades of academic excellence and bold social history. In Fall 1970, the first class of 169 students launched UC San Diego’s Third College as the newest in its expansion of undergraduate colleges. The founding of Third College continued UC San Diego’s specialized tradition of nurturing the undergraduate experience in colleges with vibrant general education programs, fine accessible academic advising, and intimately based residential and student life programs. We believe our campus has been transformed in a powerful way by the very creation of a socially progressive, energized third college.

In 1993 we reached one special milestone as Third College became Thurgood Marshall College. When Provost Joseph W. Watson led the opening ceremony in September 26, 1970 in the plaza of front of what was then Matthews Cafeteria, a great idea become concrete. The turbulence behind the creation of Third College along with the long search for the most appropriate and symbolic name is part of the enduring mystique to Thurgood Marshall College. Much has changed since 1970. We designed many new academic and student life programs, Dimensions of Culture (DOC) became a Freshman anchor, and the amazing creation of the Preuss Charter school led by former Provost Cecil Lytle surpassed many dour professional expectations. Clearly personnel has changed and our college has grown to almost 4000 students. We are eager for new dramatic challenges without forsaking our commitment to charter school success and our passionate ties to urban San Diego. The maturity of our College is self-evident.

During the 2010-119 academic year we will be celebrating 40 magnificent years of Third College/Thurgood Marshall College and we will be eyeing the future. We will be joined by all the members of the College’s extended community – our current students and their families, the faculty and staff of the College, and the alumni of Third College/TMC. These web pages are a significant component of that celebration. There are superb archival documents in print, in photography, and in video. We urge you to take time and become acquainted with all of our jewels as it were.

As we undertake our anniversary, you may begin to reconsider Thurgood Marshall’s life and affirm the College’s naming in his honor. The College is part of his vast legacy. Citing the Principles of Community, included in this web layout, we invoke the College motto of Scholar and Citizen. We will have outstanding guest speakers, performances, art exhibits, and community service projects. Thurgood Marshall, were he alive today, would be 102 years old. He would encourage the direction of the College, despite budget cuts and other institutional obstacles. One of the unforgettable statements he had made in life – “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”

I invite you to begin your affirmation of the humanity of our fellow beings by finding your natural place at our unique college we call home.

Allan Havis, Provost
September 2010

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