Berkeley 2016: the year in pictures
When the campus wasn't in mourning, it was enduring the ups and downs of a memorable campaign for the White House, and, like every other year, celebrating yet another series of milestones.
December 22, 2016
For UC Berkeley in 2016, July was the cruelest month — that is, until December. Both were months in which the campus lost students and community members to unspeakable tragedy: two to terrorist attacks in Bangladesh and France, then five more to December’s horrific Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland. When the campus wasn’t in mourning, it was enduring the ups and downs of a memorable campaign for the White House, and, like every other year, celebrating yet another series of milestones, from Oski’s 75th birthday to an eager new freshman class to the day-to-day teaching, research and scholarship for which UC Berkeley is renowned the world over.
Here’s a brief look back, in pictures.
Applications for admission to UC Berkeley in 2016-17 - both as freshmen and transfers - set a new record, breaking the 100,000 mark for the first time in the campus's history. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)
Students taking the course will get free tickets to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
Quiz show fans and Bear boosters alike cheered in February as sophomore Niki Peters -- here with Alex Trebek himself -- won second place (and $50,000) in the final round of the Jeopardy! College Championship.
In a February surprise, the Cal Band marched onto the field to join headliners Coldplay in the Super Bowl 50 halftime show at Levi's Stadium.
With nary a nod to her mom's race for the White House, Chelsea Clinton (along with her dad, Bill) came to Berkeley in March as part of the three-day Clinton Global Initiative University.
April at UC Berkeley? That means Cal Day, the campus's annual open house for students, friends, families -- and prospective students, like this budding scientist. (UC Berkeley photo by Anne Brice)
May commencement featured a keynote by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, who spoke to 4,700 graduating seniors -- prophetically, as it turned out -- on the nature, and value, of resilience in the face of tragedy.
Ramadan, a holy month of Islam, arrived in June, and with it an opportunity for UC Berkeley to demonstrate its commitment to inclusiveness. Representatives of diverse religions and cultures broke bread together at this interfaith observance. (UC Berkeley photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
Days before rival Hillary Clinton would clinch the Democratic nomination, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders -- seen here with Berkeley prof Robert Reich -- came to campus to make the case for free tuition at public universities. (UC Berkeley photo by Brittany Hosea-Small)
At a July 18, 2016, campus vigil for Nicolas Leslie and others who died in the Nice terrorist attack, students write notes in memory of Leslie. (UC Berkeley photo by Hulda Nelson)
In August, the campus welcomed 10,000 new students into the UC Berkeley community. Seen here on Move-In Day: freshman Betty Birbo (right) with her family.
Also in August, Nicholas Dirks announced that "the time is right for me to step down" as Berkeley's 10th chancellor. He'll remain in the job until a successor is named, likely in spring 2017.
September brought news of a $3 billion initiative to end disease by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and pediatrician Priscilla Chan, his wife. Its first investment: the Biohub, a center to include researchers from UC Berkeley. The unveiling drew luminaries like Bill Gates, here with Berkeley neurobiologist Ehud Isacoff. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)
Oski, Cal's ursine mascot, turned 75 in September, as goofy and high-stepping as ever. Always a crowd-pleaser, the lovable bear has a way with kids, too. (UC Berkeley photo by Peg Skorpinski)
October drew thousands of Berkeley parents and alumni to campus for Homecoming, which doubled this year as a sort of birthday party for Oski (see previous photo). Here, Quinn McElroy and the rest of the Rally Committee lead the way to Memorial Stadium to watch the Bears defeat Utah 28-23. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)
In October, as Election Day grew nearer, many Berkeley students were pondering their very first votes for president. Freshman Jose Reyes, all about Lady Liberty, was with Hillary. (UC Berkeley photo by Yasmin Anwar)
Undocumented students at Berkeley will benefit greatly from $5 million in new state funding that will be shared by the campus's Undocumented Student Program and its counterparts throughout the UC system. (UC Berkeley photo by Laurie Frasier)
"Like so many of us, I was experiencing a lot of stress after the election," said UC Botanical Garden director Eric Siegel. In order to aid others in search of tranquility, admission to the 34-acre garden was waived for two hours every morning in November. (Photo courtesy UC Botanical Garden)
Finally, December brought the tragedy that devastated the Bay Area's arts community, with losses that will long be felt here on campus: an Oakland warehouse fire that took 36 lives, including five people with ties to UC Berkeley. Above, mourners stream into Zellerbach Hall for a vigil to remember those who perished. (UC Berkeley photo by Ryan Hoang)