UC Berkeley Press Release
Birgeneau receives Founders Award from academy
BERKELEY – University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau will receive the Founders Award from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences on Saturday (March 18) at a special program in San Francisco commemorating the academy's 225th anniversary.
 Read the full text of the citation |
In an announcement, the association said that Birgeneau "has distinguished himself as one of the world's most cited experimental physicists and a relentless advocate for access to higher education," and recognized him for his "abiding commitment to excellence in teaching and research and a long-standing determination to uphold the principles of access and inclusion."
Birgeneau became UC Berkeley's ninth chancellor in 2004, after serving as president of the University of Toronto.
Also receiving the Founders Award will be Stanford University President John Hennessy and filmmaker George Lucas. The program will take place at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio.
Academy Chief Executive Officer Leslie Berlowitz said the organizations that the three men represent have made "a profound and lasting impact on the region and the world."
 Chancellor Robert Birgeneau |
Presenting the award to Birgeneau will be Patricia Meyer Spacks, president of the academy and a professor of English at the University of Virginia. Birgeneau also will receive a citation, presented by Randy Schekman, a UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology and a fellow member of the academy.
The academy is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex, emerging problems. Its current research focuses on education, the humanities and culture, social policy, and science and global security.
The academy's 4,600 elected members are leaders in academics, the arts, business and public affairs. More information about the academy is available online at: http://www.amacad.org/.