Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
I’m an economist. But when I was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I took some advanced French classes. In one, we read “L’Etranger” (“The Stranger”) by Albert Camus. The novel’s first lines are striking: “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know.” The mother plays no particular role in the rest of the book.
Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
While the California Golden Bears lost against UCLA last Saturday, the game was a big win in other ways. Excitement and anticipation filled the air; the stadium was packed, the student section was rocking, and I felt a palpable sense of community and connection. Like so many other friends and fellow alums I ran into, I was lifted by the ties that bind us together.
Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
At its essence, culture is the “operating system” of any institution, reflecting foundational norms and values. If strategy defines what we intend to achieve, culture dictates how we do it and why people strive to advance our mission.
Earlier this week I welcomed Nancy Pelosi — the first woman and the first Californian to serve as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives — to campus to announce the 2027 launch of a landmark institute dedicated to strengthening democracy.
While rankings alone do not validate our greatness, the pride they prompt aren’t unlike winning the Big Game or a prestigious award. On Monday we learned that U.S. News & World Report ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 among the best global universities and No. 1 among U.S. public universities, continuing our run in the top spot across all five major university rankings.
Growing up in Tokyo, Japan, Rose Niousha, a third-year Ph.D. student in electrical engineering and computer sciences, took the train to high school every morning. From the window, she would watch thousands of people converge at Shibuya Crossing, then head off in every direction.
It never gets old. As I stood on the stage at Commencement last Saturday — taking in the 7,000 graduates and 23,000 loved ones who filled California Memorial Stadium — I was struck, once again, with a mix of pride, joy, and excitement for all the places they will go (borrowing from the title of a Dr. Seuss classic).
Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
When UC Berkeley’s founders chose Fiat Lux — “Let there be light” — as the university’s motto, they weren't just talking about the knowledge created in a lab or shared in a classroom. That is only half of the equation. The other half is the courage to carry that knowledge, that light, into the world’s darkest corners.
Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
Last week I squeezed into a single-seat, formula-style race car, wondering what it feels like to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4 seconds. This was no ordinary car. It had been designed and built — nearly every one of its 500 parts — by UC Berkeley students.
Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
For UC Berkeley students who struggle to pay for food and housing, the recent government shutdown increased those challenges. Nearly 17,000 students lack reliable access to food, over 3,300 students encounter unstable housing, and more than 2,400 face both hunger and housing instability at the same time. Even though the shutdown has ended, their needs have not.