When I sat down to speak with Professor Nadesan Permaul, I had a few questions prepared. What I wasn’t prepared for was the warmth, humility, and sheer magnitude of his story, a story that began in the fall of 1967 when a skinny freshman stepped onto Sproul Plaza and never quite stepped away.
Professor Permaul is many things: a triple Cal alum (B.A. ’72, M.A. ’73, Ph.D. ’90), a long-time lecturer in Rhetoric, Sociology, and Political Science, a campus administrator, a board president, a bow tie connoisseur. And now, a 2025 recipient of the Berkeley Citation, one of the highest honors awarded to individuals “whose contributions to UC Berkeley go beyond the call of duty and whose achievements exceed the standards of excellence in their fields.”
When I congratulated him, he simply said: “I’m humbled by it.”
That humility runs through every chapter of Professor Permaul’s life at Berkeley. He arrived intending to finish his undergrad in political science and possibly join the State Department. But the Vietnam War complicated that dream. He chose instead to pursue graduate work, eventually earning a PhD focused on American political theory and 19th-century literature.
What followed was a series of unexpected pivots that turned into a 34-year career in university administration. From launching Berkeley’s first emergency preparedness program to directing the ASUC Auxiliary, Nad’s work reshaped the campus landscape in quiet but enduring ways. He helped create the Class Pass program, oversaw renovations to Eshleman Hall and the César E. Chávez Student Center, and remained a steadfast advocate for student welfare and access.
And he never stopped teaching.
In 1994, a serendipitous hallway conversation with the chair of Rhetoric brought him back to the classroom. That year, Berkeley launched its American Cultures requirement, and Nad’s proposal was the only one accepted by the department. For over three decades, he’s taught courses that cross disciplines and interrogate the core of American identity, from classical theory to modern civic life.
“I loved being a student. I loved being a graduate student. And I have loved every moment teaching here,” he told me. And it shows.
“Every generation of students that’s come through Cal has left enduring gifts to the people of California, the nation, and the world. I hope succeeding generations carry on that responsibility.”
Nadesan Permaul ’72, M.A. ’73, Ph.D. ’90
His dissertation, “Before the Days of Jubilee,” examined the American founding through a moral and rhetorical lens. Decades later, his findings feel startlingly prescient. “I discovered a way to understand America that was both powerful and potentially dangerous,” he said. “What we see going on in the nation today has, sadly, verified much of what I came upon in that research.”
But Nad’s legacy is not just academic. It’s personal. It’s generous.
As past President of the Cal Alumni Association (2003–2005), he helped restructure the board to better serve and reflect the alumni community. As a donor, he and his wife have endowed a scholarship for the Achievement Award Program, and included Cal in their will, so that future students might walk through Sather Gate the way he once did, bolstered by a dream and someone’s generosity.
He’s traveled the world as a Cal Discoveries lecturer, advised Oski through his mischievous years, and never missed a chance to don a blue-and-gold bow tie at a campus event. His favorite one? A gift inspired by a childhood uncle, later reaffirmed by none other than Chancellor Heyman.
“Every generation of students that’s come through Cal has left enduring gifts to the people of California, the nation, and the world,” Nad said. “I hope succeeding generations carry on that responsibility.”
As our interview wrapped up, I found myself quietly moved by what he represents: a lifelong belief in public education, in legacy, and in lifting up others.
Receiving the Berkeley Citation is not a capstone to his career. It’s a reflection of it, a mirror held up to a life that has shaped the very soul of this university.
“Your journey,” I told him at the end, “is a testament to what it means to belong to a university in every sense, not just to study here, but to teach, serve, travel, and lead with intellect and heart.”
And in his signature bow tie and with his characteristic grace, Professor Permaul smiled and said, “I hope to continue to live up to it.”
