When our new chancellor, Carol Christ, came on board this last summer she announced five goals for UC Berkeley. Chancellor Christ's goal of enhancing the student experience is also a top goal for us here at the College of Chemistry!
Student enhancement comes in all forms. This summer, it showed up as new tables with umbrellas on the plaza to replace older seating. Supported by donations from the 2016 and 2017 student class campaigns, Chevron, and the estates of Dr. Marjorie W. Evans and G. Douglas and Regina Gould, fifty thousand dollars was raised for the beautiful new furniture.
We caught up with CBE grad students Natalie Loh, Kara Fong, and Lorena Grundy on a recent autumn day. They said they love the new tables and chairs. The furniture is a great improvement over the old benches, both for the shade and the way they make it easy for people to work on projects together or just hang out. Students are using them all the time.
This kind of fund raising, that combines efforts from our students and alumni, is a powerful way to help make enhancements for our students possible. We are honored by this support and look forward to making more projects possible as funds become available.
Be sure to stop by and check out the new tables next time you are on campus. Plan on sharing a table with some of our students and find out what they are up to.
Photo credits:
Top photo of three students at table (image by Christyn Lundquist/Katherine Welsh)
Bottom photo of College of Chemistry Plaza (image by Leigh Moyer)