The original mission statement of the California Alumni Association, when it was founded in 1872 by the first graduating class of the University of California—“The Twelve Apostles,” they called themselves—was to promote “good fellowship and kindly feeling among its members, and the fostering of liberal and scientific culture on the Pacific Coast.”
It’s worth considering when it was written: seven years after the Civil War, four years before the Centennial, ten years before the Chinese Exclusion Act. It’s safe to say that kindly feeling and liberality were not exactly abundant just then. The high-minded words were aspirational—but then, that’s what mission statements are for.
The sentiments feel equally aspirational today, at a moment when our political divisions run deep, the government is flouting the rule of law, and scientific culture is under sustained assault. Universities, dependent upon federal funding and wary of becoming targets of the Trump administration, have found themselves in a tight spot, caught between principle and self-preservation. As an institution, do you stand up and risk getting cut down, or keep your head low and hope to escape the crossfire?
For Berkeley Law Professor Claudia Polsky, J.D. ’96, it was never really a question. When the administration began terminating federal grants to UC scientists and scholars on grounds that had nothing to do with the merits of their research, Polsky felt compelled to fight back, even without institutional support. Ultimately, she spearheaded a class action suit, Thakur v. Trump, and recruited a team of litigators comprising faculty and alumni, all working pro bono, that has so far restored nearly a billion dollars in funding to the UC system. You can read my interview with Professor Polsky here.
Catherine Breed ’15, who graces our cover, is on a different kind of mission—a more physical and personal one. A former Cal varsity swimmer, she will set out this summer to swim the length of California’s coastline, from Oregon to Mexico. She’s doing it, essentially, because it’s there. If she succeeds, let it remind us how far beyond our own perceived limits we can push ourselves. Read her story here.
Mission has been very much on my mind as we’ve worked to refresh the look and editorial mix of this magazine. Among the changes, you’ll notice a new sports section, The Play, the partial return of Class Notes, and a new back page, Collections. Perhaps most significantly: California is returning to quarterly frequency. You’ll see your Fall issue in September.
Founded in 1895, this magazine has a long, proud history of editorial independence—one befitting a university that has for so long worn the mantle of free speech. My personal articulation of California’s mission runs like this: If you went to Cal, we want you to be proud that this is your magazine. If you didn’t and you stumble upon a copy, we want you to wish you had.
Only you can say whether we’re hitting the mark.
Write to us at californiamag@alumni.berkeley.edu. And have a great summer!
