news from around campus

Berkeley degrees

In a recent survey, UC Berkeley was the first in preparing students who go on to earn their doctorates in the United States. Berkeley awarded 2,175 undergraduate degrees to students who received Ph.D.s between 1999 and 2003. A total of 203,929 U.S. doctorates were awarded during that time period. According to the report, Berkeley was also the top-ranked school in awarding doctorates in 2003—767 doctorates, or 2 percent of all U.S. doctorates awarded. Berkeley also leads in both baccalaureate degrees leading to doctorates and in doctorates granted to women and minority students.

“It is not surprising that UC Berkeley produces the most Ph.D.s since they have wonderful role models. Our faculty is outstanding and so are our graduate students,” said Mary Ann Mason, dean of UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division. “Our undergraduates like what they see and are eager to pursue a life of research.”

Staff members to have seat on regent committees

The UC Board of Regents recently voted to include a staff member or non-Senate academic employee from the UC campuses on each of two regent committees for the next two years. While students and faculty each have a formal representative on the Board of Regents (the student regent as a voting member, the faculty regent as a non-voting member), staff as yet do not, and this is a step in that direction. The proposal faces several obstacles, including the fact that it would require a change to the state constitution.

McCredie to retire

John W. (“Jack”) McCredie, associate vice chancellor for information technology and the campus’s chief information technology officer, will retire from UC Berkeley this summer after almost 13 years. McCredie has been responsible for leading central computing and communications activities, including coordinating information technology planning and policy-making, and guiding the campuswide deployment of information technologies in the service of teaching, research, and administration.

UC retains lab contract

UC and LBNL’s six-decade relationship will continue for at least another five years, with the awarding of a contract through the DOE. Announced in Apil, the new “award-term” contract contains a number of innovative provisions intended to provide incentives for superior performance. This contract award is the first involving a major DOE science laboratory in response to Congressional legislative direction in 2003 to accept proposals for five Science and Defense Laboratory contracts that were awarded more than 50 years ago without competition. LBNL’s unique research facilities, which attract scientists from all over the world, include the Advanced Light Source, the Biomedical Isotope Facility, the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center and the National Center for Electron Microscopy. The Molecular Foundry, a national nanoscience research center, is currently under construction and is expected to be up and running in 2006.

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau

Chancellor Birgeneau inaugurated

Robert Birgeneau was feted as the ninth Chancellor of the Berkeley campusduring the occasion of the 137th Charter Anniversary festivities in April. Bigeneau, who replaced Robert Berdahl in September of 2004, has made the issue of inclusion a top priority of his tenure, pledging to provide leadership and create a diverse environment.

“As the current chancellor, I feel a moral obligation to address the issue of inclusion head-on,” Birgeneau said. “Ultimately, it is a fight for the soul of this institution.”