March 26, 2025
Dear Cal alums, parents, and friends,
I have, once again, been inspired and reassured by the dedication and devotion of our Berkeley community. You have, once again, reaffirmed the importance of Cal and the role we play as one of society’s greatest assets. More than 14,500 individuals made gifts as a part of our annual day of giving, Big Give, and in the process provided more than $15 million in support of programs across the campus. I want to extend my gratitude to each and every one of you who contributed to the latest extraordinary chapter in Big Give’s history — you can see the results and also watch a short thank-you video at givingday.berkeley.edu.
Private philanthropy is one of the most critical resources we have to sustain Berkeley’s mission and values — including its role as an incubator for bright ideas and transformative research. For example, the recently opened Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub) at Haas provides space and programming to help entrepreneurs and those curious about entrepreneurship campuswide to connect, build, and be discovered. It was supported by generous giving and now calls a historic Julia Morgan building its home. Because of resources such as the eHub, UC Berkeley was ranked the top university in the world for the number of venture-backed companies founded by undergraduate alumni over the past 10 years. Many factors contribute to a university’s perception and prestige — and every gift made to Berkeley is vital to Cal’s continued success and stature as the leading public university in the country.
Now, more than ever, during this tumultuous time, I am grateful for the moral and material support you provide to our university. The message I recently shared about our commitment to Berkeley’s values remains true; the free expression of these values is as important to Cal retaining and enhancing its excellence as securing the resources to continue pursuing breakthroughs. I have been and will always be committed to ensuring that Berkeley’s trajectory rises ever higher. I will do everything in my power to see to it that our students, faculty, and staff have the resources they need to keep Berkeley’s light shining brightly.
I am inspired in this work by the enthusiasm and partnership of our community of Golden Bears. I am inspired by you.
Go Bears!
Chancellor Rich Lyons
I have, once again, been inspired and reassured by the dedication and devotion of our Berkeley community. You have, once again, reaffirmed the importance of Cal and the role we play as one of society’s greatest assets. More than 14,500 individuals made gifts as a part of our annual day of giving, Big Give, and in the process provided more than $15 million in support of programs across the campus. I want to extend my gratitude to each and every one of you who contributed to the latest extraordinary chapter in Big Give’s history — you can see the results and also watch a short thank-you video at givingday.berkeley.edu.
Private philanthropy is one of the most critical resources we have to sustain Berkeley’s mission and values — including its role as an incubator for bright ideas and transformative research. For example, the recently opened Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub) at Haas provides space and programming to help entrepreneurs and those curious about entrepreneurship campuswide to connect, build, and be discovered. It was supported by generous giving and now calls a historic Julia Morgan building its home. Because of resources such as the eHub, UC Berkeley was ranked the top university in the world for the number of venture-backed companies founded by undergraduate alumni over the past 10 years. Many factors contribute to a university’s perception and prestige — and every gift made to Berkeley is vital to Cal’s continued success and stature as the leading public university in the country.
Now, more than ever, during this tumultuous time, I am grateful for the moral and material support you provide to our university. The message I recently shared about our commitment to Berkeley’s values remains true; the free expression of these values is as important to Cal retaining and enhancing its excellence as securing the resources to continue pursuing breakthroughs. I have been and will always be committed to ensuring that Berkeley’s trajectory rises ever higher. I will do everything in my power to see to it that our students, faculty, and staff have the resources they need to keep Berkeley’s light shining brightly.
I am inspired in this work by the enthusiasm and partnership of our community of Golden Bears. I am inspired by you.
Go Bears!
Chancellor Rich Lyons
Chancellor’s Choice
Watch — The Arts Constellation: Envisioning the future: Like a constellation of stars, the arts are everywhere at UC Berkeley — integrated throughout the physical campus and the university’s extraordinary breadth of research, creating a whole that is so much greater than the sum of its parts. In this video, hear from faculty and students about what they’re teaching and creating, what sets the arts apart at Berkeley, and efforts to build new opportunities for learning, creating, and performing. Together, our students and faculty are imagining a future we never thought possible.
Listen — Berkeley Talks: Heather Cox Richardson: In Berkeley Talks episode 221, American historian Heather Cox Richardson joins Dylan Penningroth, a UC Berkeley professor of law and history, in a conversation about the historical evolution of the Republican Party, and the state of U.S. politics and democracy today.
Listen — Berkeley Talks: Heather Cox Richardson: In Berkeley Talks episode 221, American historian Heather Cox Richardson joins Dylan Penningroth, a UC Berkeley professor of law and history, in a conversation about the historical evolution of the Republican Party, and the state of U.S. politics and democracy today.