Merrill Cultural Center

Address
200 McLaughlin Dr
Santa Cruz, CA 95064 Get Directions

Events at this venue

Today

  • woman in orange-brown jacket standing in field with trees and cloudy sky behind

    Distinguished Teaching Award Lecture — Teaching Week 2026

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    Join us as Distinguished Teaching Award recipient Laurie Palmer, Professor of Art, shares her insights on teaching. This lecture is one of the key events featured in Teaching Week 2026.
    Starting in 2018-2019, the Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes outstanding teaching on our campus. This annual award is an opportunity to acknowledge the pedagogical contributions of our colleagues that include—but also go beyond—any one particular course. It seeks to recognize an instructor that has made significant contributions to educational equity within and beyond UC Santa Cruz.

    Free to the public
  • Teaching Symposium — Teaching Week 2026

    Teaching Symposium — Teaching Week 2026

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    This is the kick-off event for Teaching Week 2026. The symposium will showcase the work of instructors (including grads, lecturers, senate faculty) presenting on a teaching innovation, activity, program, or scholarly work. Presentation modalities include posters and short spoken presentations. Application to Present RSVP here to attend

    Free

  • “The Eternal Song” Film Screening

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    About the Film The Eternal Song is a cinematic journey through timeless lands and Indigenous cultures. Voices from across generations and traditions invite us to witness the enduring scars of colonization on lands and peoples, and the healing pathways carried through ancestral wisdom. Entrusted with medicine stories, the film grapples with colonial legacies, intergenerational trauma, […]

  • “The Eternal Song” Film Screening

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    The Eternal Song is a cinematic journey through timeless lands and Indigenous cultures. Voices from across generations and traditions invite us to witness the enduring scars of colonization on lands and peoples, and the healing pathways carried through ancestral wisdom. Entrusted with medicine stories, the film grapples with colonial legacies, intergenerational trauma, and the culture […]

  • UC Santa Cruz NAI Chapter: From Campus to Commerce Winter Event

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    Join us for an engaging gathering at the intersection of breakthrough science and real-world impact featuring: ​A fireside chat with accomplished inventor and NAI Fellow David Schaffer – UC Berkeley Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Director of QB3, and Director of Bakar BioEnginuity Hub – with a conversation exploring translational research and commercialization successes […]

    Free

  • Images of workers at their jobs and federal agents in the background

    Labor Against ICE

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    Trump’s second term has been marked by a dramatic increase in immigration enforcement operations, including the deployment of federal and national guard troops to major cities across the United States. Ramped-up ICE raids have resulted in injuries, deaths, and the disappearance of migrants and non migrants alike. As legal challenges demanding the cessation of indiscriminate […]

    free

  • The Everett Program Presents: Envisioning Digital Justice Together | 7th Annual Project Showcase

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA
    Hybrid Event

    The Everett Program Presents: Envisioning Digital Justice Together | 7th Annual Project Showcase
    This showcase aims to highlight the incredible work of our students, who have completed a year-long practicum conceptualizing and using digital technology to work with nonprofit organizations on social justice issues from climate justice to the racist impacts of the carceral state.
    This year, Showcase is an event in which the audience can not only come together to support these wonderful students and their work, but to envision a range of digital futures together.

    All are welcome! RSVP with the QR Code found on the poster 🙂

    Free

  • Ellen Bass

    Ellen Bass: Morton Marcus Poetry Reading

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    Join us for the 15th annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading, featuring honored guest Ellen Bass. Poet Gary Young will host the program, and the evening will include an announcement of the winner of the Morton Marcus Poetry Contest (recipient receives a $1,000 prize). Ellen Bass’s most recent collection, Indigo, was published by Copper Canyon Press in […]

  • Plenary Session for Crown Students: Chatbots on the Couch: AI, Mental Health, and the Ethics of Digital Empathy

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    Location: Merrill/Crown Auditorium Event Type: Panel Discussion / Plenary Session Sponsor: Crown College Open to: UCSC Students, Faculty, and Staff Event Description: As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes mental healthcare—from chatbots offering therapeutic support to algorithms detecting early signs of distress—we face urgent ethical questions about trust, privacy, bias, and the future of human connection in […]

    Free

  • Fiesta on the Hill

    Merrill Cultural Center 200 McLaughlin Dr, Santa Cruz, CA

    Join Merrill and Crown Programs Offices for an evening of food, fun, and community. Enjoy tamales, Mexican corn, music, and piñata fun while connecting with fellow Slugs. This festive event also features “Slugs Go Slow,” an initiative focused on making safe choices and building meaningful connections. Come for the food and celebration—stay for the community […]