Berkeleyan
News Briefs
31 January 2007
Nominees sought for Coffin Award, honoring moral leadership
Faculty nominees are being sought for the Berkeley William Sloane Coffin Award, honoring campus individuals for their moral leadership. The awardee will be recognized for mobilizing the scholarly community for peace and justice, inspiring others to deep reflection and meaningful action, encouraging a spiritual understanding of the meaning and purpose of life, and/or promoting progressive religious traditions in the academic community.
Nominations are being accepted through Wednesday, Feb. 14 for this year's award (and on an ongoing basis for future years), with the 2007 awardee to be announced by the end of February and the award ceremony to be held on April 12, the one-year anniversary of Coffin's death. (In future years, staff and students will be considered for the award as well.) The award committee is made up of Berkeley staff, faculty, and students in collaboration with clergy, members, and staff of the First Congregational Church of Berkeley. For details on the award and nomination process, or to submit a nomination, e-mail Professor Richard Norgaard, norgaard@berkeley.edu.
Four-week pre-retirement program for faculty begins Feb. 21
The UC Berkeley Retirement Center is offering a pre-retirement planning program for faculty, beginning Feb. 21. This four-week program is for those who plan to retire in the next year or two, as well as those whose plans are less certain. Spouses and partners are encouraged to attend.
Sessions run from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 21 to March 14, and are free of charge. Topics include UC retirement benefits and savings plans, Social Security and Medicare, investing and financial planning, legal and estate planning, wellness, housing options, and career/life after retirement. To register or for information, e-mail projects@berkeley.edu, with "Faculty PRP" on the subject line.
Save the dates for 2007's Faculty Research Lectures
Each year, the Academic Senate elects two distinguished faculty members to deliver the campus's Faculty Research Lectures. The schedule for this year's lectures has been announced: Historian Martin Jay will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 28, followed by mathematician Vaughan Jones a week later, on Wednesday, March 7. Both talks are at 5 p.m. in the Bancroft Hotel, on Bancroft Way.
The Berkeleyan will publish details on the lecturers and their topics as those dates approach.
College of Engineering announces interim leadership
An internal search for dean of the College of Engineering is under way, with the goal of appointment by July 1. In the interim, Fiona Doyle will continue to serve as COE's acting dean, following the Jan. 2 death of Dean Richard Newton, and Paul Gray, former dean of the college, will serve as her special assistant. Gray, who stepped down last year as executive vice chancellor and provost, will assist with space planning for the college and with fundraising activities and planning.
New administrative 'homes' announced for EH&S, Parking and Transportation
Changes in the organizational location of two campus units were announced by Nathan Brostrom, vice chancellor for administration, in a Jan. 12 administrative message. Environment, Health and Safety - formerly part of Business Services - became part of Health and Human Services on Jan. 1. On Jan. 16, Parking and Transportation moved from Public Safety and Transportation to Business and Administrative Services. Physical locations and services for both departments remain as before. For a current Administration organizational chart reflecting these changes, see administration.berkeley.edu/about/index.htm.
Berkeley 'survivors' on TV next week
Two castaways with Berkeley connections, Yau-Man Chan, director of information systems in the College of Chemistry, and alumna Sylvia Kwan, principal of Kwan-Henmi Architects in San Francisco, will be among the competitors on CBS-TV's Survivor: Fiji. The 14th installment of the popular series premieres Thursday, Feb. 8, at 9 p.m.
'Stretch Break' software provides timely reminders for computer users
A software program designed to ease fatigue and discomfort and enhance productivity for computer users is now available for faculty and staff who use Windows (and is coming soon for Macintosh users). "Stretch Break" reminds a computer user to take a stretch break (at time intervals set by the user) and illustrates how to do so with animated pictures. A downloadable brochure shows how to customize the program to individual needs.
To download Stretch Break, log on to blu.berkeley.edu using your CalNet ID, click on the People tab, then Job Tools, then Stretch Break. For information, contact Ergonomics@Work manager Barbara Pottgen at pottgen@uhs.berkeley.edu or 642-8410.