New digs for public policy
Second Goldman School building houses offices, parliamentary-style classrooms, research space

05 June 2002 | The Goldman School of Public Policy just doubled in size.
A new, 11,000-square-foot building — artfully designed to blend in comfortably with the school’s original, Tudor-like building on the north side of campus — opened officially May 15.

The new facility will provide state-of-the-art classrooms, research and computer facilities, and additional faculty offices for a growing number of students and an expanding public policy program.

Michael Nacht, dean of the school, along with its namesake, Richard Goldman, and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Paul Gray snipped the traditional blue-and-gold sash.

Also participating was keynote speaker and former Environmental Protection Agency administrator William Reilly.

“This is a very exciting moment for me,” said Goldman, president of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and a member of the Goldman School’s board of advisers. “We are on our way to making this school of public policy the leading institution of public policy.”

The Gold-man Fund contributed the lion’s share of funding for the new $6.2-million facility. Additional funding came from private sources and campus support.

The building itself sports a distinctive, steep A-frame roof and mirrors the architectural elements of the school’s original home — the “Beta house” fraternity — next door. That building was designed in 1893 by Ernest Coxhead, a Berkeley alumnus and prominent businessman.

Beginning this fall, the newly expanded school will open its doors to approximately 75 students, up from 50 students per year in the past.

“Along with the opening of this new facility,” Nacht said, “we have been working to expand our faculty and develop two new research centers — one in environmental policy and another in information technology — to meet that demand.”

The building also houses two “parliamentary-style” multimedia rooms, reminiscent of the British House of Commons. Each classroom seats 85 students and can accommodate another 30-odd seats for public lectures and events.