There is something a bit special about the young men and women who choose majors in the sciences and mathematics. They have an innate curiosity about their world, and they are not put off by the hard work needed to wrest the secrets from Mother Nature's bosom. On our campus we find that there is a marvelous camaraderie among our science and mathematics majors, and that is something that hasn't changed over the years. But, there have been many changes on campus in the past thirty years. Our student body is much more diverse now.
Today there is no clear majority group on campus.
Instead the composition of our student body reflects the rich diversity of southern California as we near the beginning of the 21st century. Thirty years ago women students were in the majority by a small margin. Most of our students have had to struggle for their education. Many represent the first generation of their family to receive a college degree. That struggle has grown increasingly difficult in the past thirty years as costs have increased.