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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and California Gov. Jerry Brown are among the political leaders, innovators and pundits set to address newly minted UC Berkeley graduates at ceremonies starting this weekend (May 11-12).
Campus Notices archive
Student graduation speaker on ‘vaulting off a page and into the world’
May 22, 2013: At the English department’s 2013 commencement, student speaker Prachi Naik ’13 pays respects “to the connective tissue of our world, that glimmering lattice of convergences [that is] made most brilliant, most visible through literature.”
Berkeley SHIP 2013-14 details announced
May 16, 2013: Chancellor Birgeneau recently announced that Berkeley would leave UC SHIP and return to a campus-based student insurance plan for the next academic year. Details of the campus plan, to be implemented in August, can be found in this post from University Health Services.
Biology scholars thank Birgeneau, Breslauer
May 13, 2013: More than 50 students and 30 alumni of Berkeley’s Biology Scholars Program gathered recently in the Durant Hall atrium to thank Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer for their support.
UCPD team to ride in Special Olympics benefit
May 13, 2013: For the fourth year, members of the campus police force will ride in Bike the Bridges, a 25-mile fundraising ride to benefit Special Olympics Northern California. Others are invited to join the UCPD team or support it with pledges. The event takes place Sunday, June 9.
Crown Prince of Norway visits, agreement signed with Haas
May 10, 2013: On a swing through the Bay Area, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit spent the afternoon at UC Berkeley Thursday, meeting with Chancellor Birgeneau and signing a technology-sharing agreement with the Haas School of Business.
Bike to Work Day at Berkeley, in photos 
May 9, 2013: Hundreds of people strapped on their helmets and rode their bikes to UC Berkeley Thursday in celebration of Bike to Work Day, and some of them sent in their photos. Take a look.
An 18-year-old wunderkind named top graduating senior 
May 9, 2013: Ritankar Das, 18, double major in bioengineering and chemical biology, is the youngest University Medalist in more than a century. He will be graduating from UC Berkeley in only three years with more than 200 credits and a GPA of 3.99.
Committee named to find Berkeley’s next provost
May 6, 2013: A committee of Berkeley administrators, faculty, students and staff has been formed to advise Chancellor-designate Nicholas Dirks on the search to replace Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer, who has announced his intention to retire at the end of 2013.
Chancellor announces return to Berkeley-operated student health plan
May 2, 2013: In response to student urging, the campus will withdraw from the UC-wide student health-insurance plan (UC SHIP) and return to a UC Berkeley-operated plan starting in mid August. Chancellor Birgeneau announced the decision in a May 2 letter to the campus community.
For law student, an intensely personal path to Sax Prize
May 2, 2013: For Micah West ’13, winner of the 2013 Sax Prize for clinical excellence, the path to advocacy has been intensely personal. When West was 19, his father pled guilty to two felonies and received a one-year sentence to a halfway house. “I could no more walk away from my father than I could any of the millions incarcerated in this country,” West said in accepting the award, honoring his tireless work at Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic and his efforts to launch the new Youth Defender Clinic.
Campus Shared Services IT center takes stock of early success
May 1, 2013: In mid January, Campus Shared Services Information Technology began supporting more than 3,700 UC Berkeley staff from its home base in West Berkeley. The IT group, which has been closely tracking customer satisfaction through anonymous surveys and user testimonials, reports on campus users’ largely positive feedback so far.
Building an LGBT community for STEM majors
April 30, 2013: An appreciation for diversity and a passion for energizing student life led Paul Zarate,a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, to found the Berkeley chapter of Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM), a national organization dedicated to the professional development of LGBT students.
Meet future veterinarian (or zookeeper) Amanda Wong
April 29, 2013: Aspiring veterinarian (or zookeeper) Amanda Wong is VP of the Cal Pre-Vet Club. In an interview with DugDug, “a blog for pets,” the Berkeley junior talks about her stint as a zoo volunteer, teaching visitors about horned frogs and golden eagles — and other experiences with animals so far.
Take the Greater Good ‘Compassionate Organizations Quiz’
April 25, 2013: While we often think about compassion as an individual quality, the organizations where we spend our time — such as workplaces, schools, places of worship, and community centers — can actually impact whether and how we respond to someone in distress. Does your organization foster compassion or callousness?
Berkeley named one of America’s ‘Bicycle Friendly Universities’
April 25, 2013: The Bicycle Friendly University program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bicycle-friendly campus for students, staff and visitors.
Cal Performances kicks off 2013-14 season
April 23, 2013: Next week: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Handel and Haydn Society.
10 years’ progress in getting to green
April 19, 2013: Over the past decade, environmentally minded students have championed an ambitious effort to green UC Berkeley. From aggressive climate action to organic dining options and a zero-waste goal, campus sustainability today has an army of participants and deep institutional support.
Campus responds to Boston bombing
April 17, 2013: In response to the Boston marathon bombing, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau has sent a letter to the campus community.
Which public universities have the happiest freshmen?
April 17, 2013: UC Berkeley is high on the list of public universities where where students stick around for their sophomore year, among the 25 schools ranked according to their freshman retention rates.
Lair of the Golden Bear: A tradition of summer camp fun
April 15, 2013: From swimming, hiking and arts and crafts for kids to tennis, gourmet cooking lessons and forest tranquility for grownups, it’s all on tap at the Cal Alumni Association’s Lair of the Golden Bear summer camp, a tradition for 60-plus years amid the sugar pines of the Sierra. Registration is now open.
Campus’s ‘socially responsible licensing’ receives Patents for Humanity award
April 11, 2013: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office honored UC Berkeley’s technology transfer office for its socially responsible licensing to provide low-cost treatments and technologies to people in developing countries, highlighted by the successful licensing of a discovery leading to a newly launched yeast-derived malaria drug. Other projects are nutritionally fortified sorghum & disease-resistant crops.
For California Golden Bears, it’s a brand new look
April 10, 2013: Cal Athletics unveiled a new, streamlined visual identity, and new team uniforms, at an April 10 press conference.
Breathe: Campus gears up to quit the smoking habit
April 8, 2013: UC Berkeley is going tobacco-free on January 1, 2014, along with all UC campuses. To get ready, stop-smoking services are being offered, and a task force is working on plans to put the new policy into effect/
18 Berkeley students head to St. Louis for Clinton Global Initiative University
April 4, 2013: The April 5-7 conference will include knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities for students committed to tackling the world’s most pressing problems and will feature speeches by Muhammad Yunus, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jack Dorsey and Stephen Colbert, among others.
Live webcast of UC global food forum set for April 9
April 2, 2013: UC will convene some of the world’s leading experts — farmers, researchers, policymakers, economists, environmentalists and geopolitical experts — at a daylong forum focused on addressing how to sustainably feed 8 billion people by 2025.
Centro Legal de la Raza to honor Birgeneau
March 26, 2013: Centro Legal de la Raza, a Bay Area organization that supports the rights of immigrant, low-income and Latino communities, has named Robert Birgeneau as recipient of a “visionary-leadership award,” for his efforts on behalf of undocumented students. The chancellor will be honored April 12 at the center’s 44th-anniversary gala.
Henderson Center symposium reimagines justice
March 25, 2013: Problems of racism and violence are exacerbated by supersized prisons and misguided police practices, according to scholars, activists and community leaders gathered for the annual symposium of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at Berkeley Law.
First campus-climate survey prizewinners announced
March 22, 2013: Equity and Inclusion has announced the first winners of incentive prizes — $100 Cal 1 cards, Cal Performances tickets, RSF memberships — for Berkeley participants in the UC Climate Survey. UCOP prizes include a $10,000 undergrad scholarship. The survey remains open; students, faculty and staff who participate are eligible for more prizes.
Haas Public Service Leaders Program renewed; applications open
March 20, 2013: The Peter E. Haas Public Service Leaders Program at UC Berkeley is being continued for a second year, and applications are now being accepted. Students selected will participate in a year-long leadership development program through the Cal Corps Public Service Center.
