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Robert Birgeneau is inaugurated as Berkeley’s ninth chancellor  What would UC Berkeley be without a demonstration? On the eve of his inauguration, Chancellor Birgeneau joins the striking UC service workers and adds his supportive voice to the cause. (A tentative agreement has been reached.) Photograph by Peg Skorpinski The crowd assembled outside Zellerbach Hall—dressed in a rainbow of gowns, caps, capes, and fedoras—looked like a wizard’s convention. Student body president Misha Leybovich irreverently dubbed them “the ones in Harry Potter robes.” But they were, in fact, academic dignitaries from some of the finest educational institutions in the world. They’d come from as far away as Cambridge and Osaka University and as near as Stanford. Wearing their respective universities’ traditional garb, they gathered to celebrate Berkeley’s newest chancellor on his inauguration day. Robert J. Birgeneau is the school’s ninth chancellor, succeeding Robert M. Berdahl. The 63-year-old Birgeneau took over last September, but as is the tradition, he was inaugurated April 15 to coincide with Charter Day, the anniversary of the founding of the school. Birgeneau’s tenure symbolically commenced when he removed his blue gown from Yale, where he received his doctorate, and put on a blue and gold Berkeley gown. UC President Robert C.Dynes then placed the chancellor’s medal around Birgeneau’s neck. Much of the ceremony was lighthearted, with Berdahl, Dynes, and Classics Professor Robert Knapp all providing some good-natured ribbing. But Birgeneau got serious when talking about his goals for the university. “Our student body at Cal must reflect the majestic tapestry of cultures and peoples that constitutes California,” he said in his address. “We must remember that education is a public good, not a private right.” Citing statistics about the decrease in enrollment of minorities, Birgeneau said attracting an ethnically diverse student body would be one of his primary objectives. “Only through experience with and appreciation of other cultures can our citizens navigate today’s globalized economy,” he said. Birgeneau came to Berkeley after four years as president of the University of Toronto and 25 years as dean of the School of Science at MIT. —Matthew Vree
Policy Debate Team members Stacey Nathan ’05 and Craig Wickersham ’06 made history this March as they became the second team in the history of college debating to reach the finals in the top two national tournaments—winning first place at the Cross Examination Debate Association tournament, and coming in second at the National Debate Tournament. In the same month, the student-run Parliamentary Debate Team—which is self-coached— won its seventh championship at the National Parliamentary Debate Association tournament in Texas. Blues in the News  Ralph J. Hexter, a scholar of classical and medieval literature and executive dean of the College of Letters and Science, was appointed president of Hampshire College in Amherst,Massachusetts, on August 1.  Dr. Jan van Wagtendonk M.S. ’68 and Ph.D ’72, a research forester at the U.S. Geological Survey, received the George Melendez Wright Award for Excellence from the George Wright Society. This is the society’s highest award, given in recognition of senior-level contributions in furtherance of its purposes.  Margaret Fortune ’94 was appointed by Gov. Schwarzenegger as director of the Governor’s Initiative to Turn Around Failing Schools, within the Office of the Secretary for Education.  Nobel laureate physicist and graduate school professor Charles H. Townes has been awarded the 2005 Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries About Spiritual Realities. This is the world’s best-known religious prize, currently valued at $1.5 million. Photograph by Peg Skorpinski  Doug Ray Ph.D. ’85 has been named chief research officer for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This is the key leadership role at the Department of Energy research facility. Kevis Goodman, associate professor in English, has been named the sole recipient of the campus’s 2005 Distinguished Teaching Award. Rica Azarcon ’05 is honored as the Kenneth Priestley Award winner this year for her outstanding student leadership and contributions to student welfare. As chair of Cal Leadership Symposium, she helped effect changes to the organizational structure that will benefit Cal leaders for years to come. Ryan Houk ’05 is the winner of the Mather Good Citizen Award for his high standard of conduct and service to the University community. He started the Student Advocates for the Homeless in his sophomore year, and he assists homeless and low-income Berkeley residents with their medical and social needs through the Suitcase Clinic. April Joy Damian ’06, ethnic studies major, has been awarded the prestigious Truman Scholar-ship. The scholarship provides $30,000 for graduate studies and is given to students who show out standing leadership and communication skills, and are committed to careers in government or the nonprofit sector. |
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Photograph by Alan Louden
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