This was a difficult column to write. I’m penning it in late April, knowing it will not land on your doorsteps until early June.
On the one hand, I cannot ignore the fact that we are under federal scrutiny—our university is targeted in multiple investigations. We will likely soon face threats to our independence and be presented with difficult choices. At the same time, I am unable—in fact, it would be reckless—to describe how we plan to respond to unpredictable and fast-moving developments that have yet to unfold.
Consider this column a time capsule that we bury for a few weeks. When opened, it will reveal how I was thinking and feeling about the challenges we face and about Berkeley’s rare and precious attributes that demand our protection. If anything, these looming threats have focused my mind and strengthened my resolve to preserve what we treasure most about Berkeley—all that we do, and the resources we require, to uphold our position as one of society’s greatest assets—this we must defend.
I will defend our capacity to discover. At the most fundamental level, a sharp loss of funding for Berkeley’s basic research would interrupt and cripple our faculty’s contributions to human health, the scientific understanding of our world and universe, and the arts and humanities. New technologies and inventions that advance the greater good, our national security, and the socioeconomic well-being of our country might never be conceived or realized.
Defending our research capacity against federal shocks will call for creative funding sources to keep our research enterprise thriving. Our planning includes a number of source options, many of which we will use only in the event Berkeley loses a drastic amount of federal funding, while some will be used to help cover the reduction in funding that has already begun.
I will defend our community. At some targeted universities, the stated reason for freezing funding has been their alleged failure to confront antisemitism. On this front, Berkeley has invested and continues to invest heavily in prevention, including new training and curriculum, updated time/place/manner rules, targeted communications, and collaborations with various Jewish organizations. To address antisemitic expression or actions that occur on campus, we have invested in new reporting, investigative, and enforcement resources to support existing laws and policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination. Defending every part of our community means continuing to improve in this important, ongoing work.
I will defend our norms and values. Our work to confront antisemitism is an example of, and is consistent with, our broader values and culture. Freedom to speak/learn/discover, equitable access, the constructive collision of ideas, respect for differences, and diversity of perspective are essential not only for a teaching and learning environment where every student feels safe, welcome, and respected, but also for a healthy society. Together we will defend these norms and values.
I will defend the aims and benefits of diversity, in the fullest sense. The government is also taking aim at diversity programs accused of violating civil rights law that prohibits discrimination. To be clear, harassment of, or discrimination against, any member of our community is antithetical to all that we stand for, and we abide by California law and our own policies that have, since the 1990s, prohibited us from taking race, gender, religion, or ethnicity into account in admissions and hiring. Diversity at Berkeley extends beyond origins and identities; it includes diversity of viewpoints and beliefs, and of academic and extracurricular interests. We defend the aims and benefits of diversity to safeguard our excellence and our culture. They drive remarkable outcomes, like Berkeley lifting more students further up the socioeconomic ladder than any other university in the country.
What I am not defending is the status quo. We in higher education have lost the trust of too many Americans. Too many students feel their beliefs and perspectives are not welcome, and they fear expressing themselves on campuses. There is a perception that universities have programs that are exclusionary and that have lost connection with their original purpose.
So, this also has been a time for reflection. We can acknowledge that, historically, university culture and higher education more broadly haven’t always gotten it right. But change should come through constructive engagement, not threats, and by consensus, not decree. It should be executed thoughtfully, based on a true understanding of all that a great public university like Berkeley is, does, and stands for.
In so many ways, Berkeley is a quintessentially American institution. We embrace and advance exploration, innovation, individuality, socioeconomic mobility, entrepreneurship, and freedom of thought and expression. As a public university, we were built by the people, and for the people, and I wake up every morning committed to ensuring that we will forever be so.
