Berkeleyan
News Briefs
17 January 2007
Feb. 11 event honors Richard Newton, chancellor matches campus memorial gifts
The College of Engineering invites all to an on-campus event on Sunday, Feb. 11, to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dean A. Richard Newton, who died on Jan. 2 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 55. The event will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m., with a reception to follow. Those planning to attend are asked to register online by Jan. 29 at www.eecs.berkeley.edu/IPRO/Newton/regform.shtml. Information on event location and parking will be sent by e-mail to those who register.
Chancellor Birgeneau has announced that his office will match gifts from faculty, staff, and students to the Dean A. Richard Newton Memorial Fund, to support an endowed graduate fellowship in synthetic biology. Donations can be made online at givetocal.berkeley.edu (click on the link to the fund on that page) or by mailing a check (made out to the UC Berkeley Foundation) to the Berkeley Center for Synthetic Biology, QB3 Institute, UC Berkeley, 227 Hildebrand Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3220.
Sherwood steps down as Extension dean, Wu to serve in interim
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer announced this week that UC Berkeley Extension Dean James Sherwood will step down, effective Jan. 31. Sherwood will, at Breslauer's request, serve an additional year as a special academic assistant to the EVCP and a senior fellow at the campus Center for Studies in Higher Education. Extension Associate Dean Diana Wu will serve as acting dean, effective Feb. 1.
Nominations and applications sought for L&S social-sciences dean
Applications and nominations are being accepted for the position of dean of the Social Sciences Division in the College of Letters and Science. The current search is restricted to tenured faculty at Berkeley, with the appointment effective July 1, 2007. Submissions received by the deadline - Wednesday, Feb. 14 - will be given prompt consideration, but earlier submissions are strongly encouraged.
The L&S position has administrative responsibilities for the full range of operations in the division. See vpaafw.chance.berkeley.edu/deansearches.html for a full description of the position and its responsibilities.
Applications should contain a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names of at least three professional references. Nominations must include complete contact information and are kept strictly confidential; they should be sent to Chair, Social Sciences Division Dean Search, UC Berkeley, 200 California Hall #1500, Berkeley, CA 94720-1500. Electronic submissions are encouraged; submit these to ssd_deansearch@berkeley.edu.
AIDS/LifeCycle info meeting is Jan. 20
Those interested in joining the Cal Team for the 2007 AIDS/LifeCycle, or in "roadie-ing" or volunteering for local events leading up to the June 3 to 9 ride, are invited to attend an informational meeting on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Recreational Sports Facility's pro shop. RSVP to calfit@berkeley.edu.Those who cannot attend the meeting but are interested in participating may contact Christine Shaff, cshaff@berkeley.edu, or Devin Wicks, dwicks@berkeley.edu.
Schweitzer Fellowship expands to Bay Area, applications due Feb. 1
Three Bay Area universities are collaborating to bring the Albert Schweitzer Fellowships to California grad students, and to bring the famed humanitarian's passion for service and reverence for life to local communities. Students at Berkeley, Stanford, and UCSF are invited to apply for the yearlong fellowships, during which they design and carry out a health-related service project in collaboration with a local community agency, contributing at least 200 hours of direct service to an underserved population. Each fellowship carries a $2,000 stipend. Students enrolled in any graduate or professional-degree program at the time of the fellowship are eligible, and faculty and staff are urged to inform promising students of the new opportunity.
The fellowship, which began in Boston in 1991, grew to include programs in seven other eastern states and Chicago, awarding nearly 150 fellowships nationally each year. The Bay Area program will be the first west of Chicago. Applications for 2007 are due Thursday, Feb. 1; for details visit www.schweitzerfellowship.org or contact Dale Ogar (289-8407, daleogar@schweitzerfellowship.org).
RSF payroll-deduction memberships to renew automatically
The Cal Rec Club has instituted automatic membership renewal for campus employees who pay their annual membership fee via monthly payroll deduction. Up until now, annual staff and faculty memberships expired after 12 months; members were required to fill out new enrollment forms to renew their membership. Those who do not want their RSF membership renewed automatically should notify Cal Rec Club at crcinfo@berkeley.edu. For more information, contact the club at the same address.