Berkeleyan

News Briefs

03 November 2005

An evening with Robert Birgeneau

On Wed., Nov. 9, members of the campus community and the public are invited to spend an evening with Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, who will share his view of the Berkeley campus and the future of higher education.

The format will be a conversation between Birgeneau and Orville Schell, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism. Together they will explore Birgeneau's priorities and the major initiatives he has set in motion since taking the helm last year - among them the Berkeley Diversity Research Initiative, efforts to boost undergraduate financial aid, and marshalling the campus's resources to conduct multidisciplinary stem-cell research. Developments on the horizon - such as plans to launch a major new capital campaign and to revitalize the campus's southeast quadrant - are also on the agenda.

The event will be held in the Arthur Anderson Auditorium, Haas School of Business. It begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the on-stage conversation at 6:30 p.m. Staff and faculty are encouraged to attend. To reserve seats, e-mail bgarner@berkeley.edu.

THES rankings: campus drops a few notches

The Times Higher Education Supplement (U.K.) has published its second World University Rankings. Last year's survey ranked Berkeley second worldwide, behind Harvard; this year the campus has slipped to sixth place, behind Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, and Stanford. In its ranking of North America's top 50 universities, THES places Berkeley fourth, behind Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.

In discipline-specific ranking worldwide, Berkeley placed as follows: science, third (behind Cambridge and Oxford); technology; second (behind only MIT); biomedicine, ninth; arts and humanities, fourth; and social sciences, fourth.
Other UC campuses placing in the U.S. top 50 overall are UC San Francisco (No. 10), UCLA (No. 19), UC San Diego (No. 21), and UC Santa Barbara (No. 50, tied with Georgetown and the University of Waterloo, Canada).

Access to the report is restricted to THES subscribers. For information, visit the publication's website, www.thes.co.uk/main.aspx.

Media Relations website

The Media Relations unit within Public Affairs assists print and broadcast journalists in covering the campus. The staff provides campus experts for commentary and context on breaking news; generates print and video press releases about significant research findings; arranges access to on-campus studio facilities, and more. Faculty and staff can learn how to work with Media Relations - and how Media Relations works - at a new website (www.berkeley.edu/news/media/cc/index.html) linked from the online NewsCenter (newscenter.berkeley.edu). Information there - from a list of campus experts in areas of interest to the media to tips on getting an op-ed essay published - will help the campus work effectively with its Media Relations staff.

People's Park seeks Community Advisory Board members

Members of the campus community are invited to apply for membership to the People's Park Community Advisory Board.

The board reviews and makes recommendations on park policies, programs, and improvements, and guides the implementation of the People's Park Conceptual Long-Term Plan.

Community Advisory Board members are appointed for one-year terms, renewable to a maximum of three years. Their primary responsibility is to attend approximately eight evening meetings per year, held in the South Campus area. Regular attendance is critical to the board's success.

Applications and additional information are available at the People's Park office (642-3255), the Office of Community Relations (643-5299), and via e-mail to pplspark@berkeley.edu. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 22, 2005.

Nov. 17 staff reception to welcome new employees

The Coalition of Ethnic Staff Organizations is inviting all Berkeley staff to attend its second annual staff reception on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Heller Lounge in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union Building.
The event will honor new staff who have recently become part of the campus community. Supervisors are authorized and encouraged to grant paid administrative leave to enable staff to participate in this event. Light refreshments will be provided.

For information, contact Regina LeRoy (643-6257, leroy80@berkeley.edu) or Roseanne Fong (643-8656, rfong@berkeley.edu).

Proposals sought for Townsend Center research awards

The Townsend Center for the Humanities is currently accepting applications for research fellowships from Berkeley grad students and from assistant professors whose research projects have a significant bearing on the humanities and who will not be under consideration for tenure in 2006-07. Faculty Fellows receive a 50-percent research leave from teaching responsibilities. Grad-student fellowships come with an $18,000 annual stipend. The Fellows, together with several tenured faculty, form a fellowship group that meets regularly to discuss work in progress.

Applications must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 5. For information on the program, visit townsendcenter.berkeley.edu or contact Aileen Paterson at paterson@berkeley.edu or 643-7236.

On track for UC eligibility?

The University of California is accepting applications for fall 2006 undergraduate admission to its campuses through November. If you have a family member about to enter the admissions process, or even one who is still several years away, UC offers extensive information about admissions requirements at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions. For basic information on eligibility (plus a link to the "eligibility index" and a handy online calculator for checking UC eligibility), visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/2005/nov01.html.

General Catalog available at a discount to departments

The new 2005-07 General Catalog is still on sale at a discount to campus departments. Copies for staff and faculty may be ordered by sending e-mail to catalog@berkeley.edu. Catalogs ordered for faculty and staff through departments are $5 each (catalogs are on sale at the Student Store for $10). When sending a department or unit order, provide a contact name, department, address, phone number, number of catalogs desired, and a chart string to charge for payment. For details, inquire via e-mail or by phone at 642-0702.