Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
We pause today to remember and honor those we lost on Sept. 11, 2001, a day that forever changed our lives and our world. At that time, we came together as a nation in our grief and love for our country, reminding ourselves that even in the most difficult times, we can find the strength and unity to move forward.
As I shared in a campus message, Berkeley is deeply engaged with the world and committed to providing every community member with a true sense of belonging — regardless of who they are or what they believe in. One of my highest priorities is strengthening our campus culture with new curriculum and programs that will equip students with skills to engage across divides and build bridges of understanding. We can both embody and model a way of bringing people together that offers an antidote for so much of what ails our world. This article explores a variety of initiatives underway that are working toward that end, including:
- Some 30 Berkeley projects have received funding to address bias and bigotry. For example, an adviser will work with student organizations on issues related to the intersection of faith, ethnicity, and cultural values; new education and programs are being developed around free speech and navigating difficult conversations; and a new series will be offered on teaching and working in troubled times.
- The 'ottoy initiative seeks to repair relationships between Berkeley and the Ohlone people, whose ancestral and unceded homeland the university sits on. For example, a forest research station in Contra Costa County will establish a garden with forestry students that's managed using traditional Ohlone methods, and the Lawrence Hall of Science is incorporating Indigenous science and experience into its exhibits.
- A new DeCal course, which is student-run, will explore five adaptive sports — wheelchair basketball, goalball, adaptive pickleball, sitting volleyball, and adaptive climbing — for students with disabilities and anyone else interested in inclusive recreation.
I have long believed that an inclusive culture is essential to the constructive collision of ideas. I have always prioritized cultural change, from a sweeping initiative we launched at Berkeley Haas to my team's work to build up our innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem with academic programs, funding, and other opportunities. (Last week, the 2024 PitchBook rankings named Berkeley No. 1 for the number of companies founded by undergraduate alumni and for female graduates who started businesses.) As Berkeley moves into a new era of excellence, thank you for coming together with us to help shape and support a strong, connected community.
Go Bears!
Chancellor Rich Lyons
Chancellor's Choice
Event: Alumni and Parents Weekend at Homecoming — From Oct. 18–20, Cal alums, parents, students, and friends are invited to enjoy three days of lectures and other learning opportunities, special tours, spirit events, meals, and more! There are several registration options to choose from. Register online by Oct. 4 or by calling 888.UNIV.CAL (888.864.8225).
Read: Golden Bears beat Auburn — Last Saturday, the Bears forced Auburn into five turnovers without committing one themselves, and Cal held on for a 21–14 victory over Auburn in front of a sellout crowd of more than 88,000. It was one of the most pivotal non-conference wins in Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox's eight seasons at Cal.
Watch: 101 in 101 — This new video series by Berkeley News challenges professors and researchers to distill the basics of their work into just 101 seconds. In one episode, Walter Hood discusses how landscape architecture can bring past memories to the forefront, deal with the dynamics of a changing environment, and engage with people from different walks of life. In another episode, Alison Gopnik discusses the overlap between how babies explore the world and how we might create better AI systems.