The campus reacts to Chancellor-designate Christ’s appointment

By Public Affairs

Below are a selection of campus reactions to Carol Christ’s confirmation by the UC Regents as Berkeley’s next chancellor.

Napolitano-200

“One of the key reasons I chose Dr. Christ as my choice to become Berkeley’s 11th chancellor is because she is the very best of what UC Berkeley – and the University of California as a whole – represents. She is committed to, and upholds, the core values of our great university. She builds strong relationships, and trust, with diverse groups and diverse individuals, and then forms consensus and finds solutions. In challenges, she uncovers opportunities and improves upon them.”

— Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California

Dirks-200

“For the last eleven months, I have had the privilege and pleasure to work in close concert with Carol on the widest possible range of issues, opportunities, and challenges facing the university. Throughout that time I have been continuously and profoundly impressed with her intelligence, leadership, compassion, and strategic acumen. Carol’s understanding of what makes this amazing place tick is nuanced and comprehensive. Her dedication to, and belief in Berkeley – and all that it stands for – is powerful and passionate. For these and so many other reasons I, like so many of you who have had the opportunity to work or interact with our next chancellor, know we will be in good hands and that our best days lie ahead.”

— Nicholas Dirks, Chancellor of UC Berkeley

William-Morrow-200

“From the student perspective, I am excited to see the vision that Carol Christ will bring to the chancellorship. Her work as a scholar, her history as a champion of Title IX, and her commitment to the ideals of UC Berkeley align her with the priorities of today’s students that Berkeley remain an academically-rigorous, equitable, and public mission-driven University. I am optimistic that she will approach serving as chancellor with the same tenacity, passion, and empathy as she has this past year serving as interim Provost. In our current global climate, having strong female leadership at the country’s preeminent public University matters, and it is a signal to the rest of the world that UC Berkeley remains committed to the pursuit of social progress that has defined it for the past almost 150 years.” 

 — William Morrow, President of the Associated Students of University of California and member of the chancellor search committee

Kathleen-Valerio-200

“I’m pleased Carol Christ was willing to accept Berkeley’s offer to be our next chancellor. She has done so much for the campus over the years. Clearly, she loves Berkeley and has established herself as a trusted leader.  I remember staff feeling relieved when she agreed to come out of retirement to see us through these challenging times. Her calm and competent leadership is already working to get us on the right track. Hiring someone who already knows what’s really going on here, will save us months in transition time, freeing us up to get on with filing several other Sr. Leader positions.”

— Kathleen Valerio, training coordinator at UC Berkeley, Governing Council member of the Berkeley Staff Assembly, and member of the chancellor search committee

Robert-Powell

“Carol Christ’s appointment as the next chancellor is terrific news. Her open and engaging management style has earned her enormous goodwill, and she is held in very high regard across the campus. Berkeley is at a critical juncture and very difficult decisions have to be made that will do much to shape the future for a long time to come. In the best traditions of shared governance, the Academic Senate looks forward to partnering with the future Chancellor Christ in helping navigate the coming challenges and opportunities. It will be great to have Carol at the helm.”

— Robert Powell, Robson Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Berkeley Academic Senate

Susan-Chamberlin-200

“As the vice chair of the UC Berkeley Foundation Board of Trustees, I am delighted that Carol Christ has been named as the next chancellor of Berkeley. I have had the privilege and honor of working with Carol over the last year, and have been incredibly impressed by her ability to find a path through difficult and complex issues. I have appreciated her honest assessment of the challenges facing our great university and will look forward to working with her to solve some of these issues. I am also delighted that UC Berkeley has its first woman chancellor.” 

— Susan Chamberlin, Berkeley alum and Vice Chair of the UC Berkeley Foundation Board of Trustees