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Statement on the Richmond Bay Campus

By Public Affairs

UC Berkeley issued this statement late Thursday, Aug. 25:

UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks met with members of the Richmond Community Working Group earlier this evening to thank them for their service and inform them that due to the continued need to address significant budgetary challenges confronting the university, UC Berkeley is indefinitely suspending plans to build the Berkeley Global Campus at Richmond Bay.

The University will, however, continue to explore options for the site that reflect new priorities for the campus around enrollment growth and housing in the near future. The campus is also committed to continue working closely with the City of Richmond on their Richmond Bay Specific Plan and existing partnerships in workforce training, procurement and education. Campus representatives also agreed to work with the City of Richmond to follow up on the Community Working Group’s recommendations when the university’s plans for new large-scale construction in Richmond are clear.

Chancellor Dirks expressed his regret that the project will not be moving forward as earlier anticipated, and conveyed his sincere respect and appreciation for the time and effort expended by so many community members who came together to participate in the Community Working Group, united by their shared interest in and aspirations for the City of Richmond and its people. The chancellor noted that the work of the CWG has provided an invaluable foundation for all future projects on the Richmond Bay Campus when we are able to launch them, and said that the experience gave him great hope for and confidence in the future of city-university partnerships.