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Jansen retires after three decades at UC Santa CruzBy Donna M. Hunter, Chair, History of Art & Visual CultureIn fall 1975, Virginia Jansen arrived at UCSC as an assistant professor to teach medieval art and architecture for the Art Department (or Art Board, as it was then known). At that time UCSC had no freestanding program in art history, never mind one in history of art and visual culture! In addition to teaching about the UCSC campus plan, Professor Jansen served for 20 years on bodies that oversaw the development of the campus (Campus Physical Planning Committee, 1986-1993, and Design Advisory Board, 1993 to the present). She is "pleased to have played a role in architect selection committees and the review of the (campus) physical fabric." Professor Jansen thinks that an exciting aspect of teaching at Santa Cruz has been and continues to be the "freedom (faculty have) to teach in our research areas and to introduce undergraduates to our research passions." She is grateful for the funds that made it possible to bring fellow scholars to Santa Cruz to lecture to students and faculty alike, funds supplied not only by the History of Art and Visual Culture Department (HAVC), but also by Porter and Cowell Colleges, the History Department, and the Pre- and Early Modern Studies research cluster. She is also grateful for her training as an architectural historian and the continuing education afforded by a life in academe, factors that have enriched her travels immensely. In her 30-year career, Professor Jansen reports having had inventive and creative students from start to finish. She has found special gratification in chairing many individual majors, especially in architectural studies and working with colleagues from other departments (such as Art and Environmental Studies) on the committees sponsoring these majors. Professor Jansen is looking forward to retirement for the time it will afford her for concentrated and uninterrupted research and writing. She has found teaching very time-consuming and summers too short with sites to visit to make much progress on her major writing projects. She is preparing two books, one on the architecture of the reign of King Henry III of England (1216 -1272), which she refers to as "Salisbury Cathedral to Westminster Abbey," and one on medieval urban architecture. She is also looking forward to having more time for her photography and her family – George, Pete, and Lexi.
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