The foundation of the University of California started with the establishment of the College of California in Oakland in 1855. In 1866 the California Legislature established the Agricultural, Mining and Mechanical Art College, providing it with essential funds. On March 23 1868 the University of California was established as a result of amalgamation of two institutions. The first medical school of the university was opened in San Francisco in 1873. Within a century and a half ten campuses of the university were established in Berkley, Irvine, Davis, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. All campuses except that of San Francisco are open for both undergraduate and graduate students.
The researchers and faculty members of the University of California are responsible for numerous inventions and patents, thus contributing greatly to the academic research. As recently as 2002, the faculty included 389 members of the Academy of Art and Sciences, 254 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 106 members of the Institute of Medicine, 91 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 28 Nobel Laureates, 25 Macarthur Fellows and 13 National Medal of Science Laureates.
With its 32 million items the University of California library system ranks with such prominent libraries of the world as the Library of Congress and the British Library. This success was achieved partly due to the libraries of berkeley, founded in 1960s.
The University of California has ties to three national laboratories: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. However these ties have resulted in number of protests on the part of students and alumni, taking into account the fact that all three laboratories are or were associated with the development of nuclear weapons. In 2003, the University Affiliated Research Center was established within the university. At present the university has medical schools in Irvine, Davis, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego and thus is seen as a dominant provider of medical education in California.
Following the requirements of the Constitution of the State of California the university established its administrative system. The governance is performed by the 26 Regents of the University of California, 18 of which are appointed by the governor for a 12 year term. Other eight members include the U.S. President, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Speaker of the Assembly, president and vice president of the Alumni Association of the University of California and a representative from the student body, elected for a one-year term. The academic policies are set by the Academic Senate, comprised of faculty members. The Regents are empowered to appoint a president to run the entire university system and chancellors are elected to run each individual campus. The campuses are operated efficiently, but with so many students and alumni, the University's system of customer service has its hands full in providing service to each and every student.