UC Berkeley could also be greatest generally known as the birthplace of the scholar free speech motion and for its rating as one of many world’s high public analysis universities.
However as incoming Chancellor Wealthy Lyons kicked off the brand new faculty yr final week, he leaned right into a much less well-known standing: It’s the world’s No. 1 college in the case of producing venture-funded start-ups based by undergraduate alumni.
Earlier than 9,000 new college students at their welcome ceremony Thursday at Haas Pavilion, Lyons highlighted that “grand scale” of campus innovation and entrepreneurship and “the Berkeley approach” of questioning the established order to generate new concepts.
In an interview, Lyons targeted on that theme, saying new concepts are wanted to assist sort out Berkeley’s hardest drawback: bringing monetary energy to a campus struggling underneath state funding deferrals and an ongoing structural price range deficit. Within the final eight years, Berkeley has wrestled with two price range deficits and faces one other one in every of as much as $150 million in 2024-25 due partially to rising bills, comparable to mandated pay will increase. The campus has not but determined whether or not to additional dip into its reserves.
UC Berkeley’s new chancellor, Wealthy Lyons, provides a pep discuss to new college students after convocation held at Haas Pavilion on Thursday.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Instances)
However the campus can probably generate an eye-popping $1 billion in new revenues over the following 10 years although entrepreneurial ventures, mentioned Lyons, who beforehand headed the Haas College of Enterprise. A professor of economics and finance, Lyons additionally served as affiliate vice chancellor and chief innovation and entrepreneurship workplace earlier than taking up in July.
“It must be one thing recent. It must be one thing new,” mentioned Lyons, clad in denims and a “Berkeley Changemaker” high as he laid out his concepts. “It must be giant sufficient … to be transformative.”
Protests: ‘We plan to be agency’
Lyons, 63, additionally addressed protests, that are anticipated to ramp up this week as college students returned to campus. Final spring, pro-Palestinian supporters drew world consideration after they arrange tent encampments at Berkeley and elsewhere. Some have been peaceable gathering spots for solidarity actions — Berkeley managed to achieve settlement with protesters to finish their encampment voluntarily. Others grew to become battle zones with counterprotesters and have been forcibly dismantled by regulation enforcement.
Protest actions this fall will draw new scrutiny after the College of California and California State College directed all of their campuses to take a zero-tolerance method to those that violate guidelines towards encampments, blocking entry to buildings and walkways and masking to hide identification whereas committing wrongdoing. The directive was pushed by state lawmakers who instructed UC and CSU to develop a “systemwide framework” to offer constant enforcement of guidelines — and are withholding $25 million in state funding from UC till President Michael V. Drake delivers a report on his efforts by Oct. 1. No state funding is immediately concerned for CSU.
Lyons mentioned he would honor free speech rights however implement guidelines about how and when to train them.
“There are a whole lot of locations on the Berkeley campus for college kids to specific their free speech rights,” he mentioned. “It’s a part of our tradition. We’re a free speech college. However to deliberately break the foundations … now you’re on the planet of civil disobedience and we’re going to consider penalties.”
College students line as much as fill Haas Pavilion through the welcome convocation at UC Berkeley on Thursday.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Instances)
He mentioned the important thing situation of when to escalate motion towards those that break campus codes underneath UC’s “tiered response” framework will depend upon the scenario — whether or not they’re college students or outsiders, whether or not they’re repeat offenders, whether or not the motion is intimidating and jeopardizes the rights of all college students to really feel welcome and secure.
“There is no such thing as a apparent reply right here,” he mentioned. “Because the chancellor, timing is my name. We plan to be constant and we plan to be agency and we plan to abide by the directive.”
Concerning the ban on masking, which has drawn widespread questions, Lyons clarified that Berkeley wouldn’t problem face coverings until worn by somebody who was violating guidelines or legal guidelines. The campus’ written coverage states, “Individuals are permitted to masks, and campus workers won’t ask them why they’re masked, so long as they don’t seem to be violating regulation or coverage whereas carrying the masks.” It additionally specifies that “persons are not prohibited from carrying masks for the aim of avoiding being doxxed, however they should adjust to coverage and regulation whereas masked.”
Retaining impartial on social, political points
Lyons mentioned he would transfer Berkeley towards “institutional neutrality,” a coverage that holds that schools and universities shouldn’t usually take positions on social and political points, however ought to as an alternative encourage college students and college to debate them. The College of Chicago adopted the coverage in 1967. Different universities have adopted after the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on southern Israel and Israel’s army retaliation in Gaza fueled strain for statements condemning one facet or the opposite.
USC, the College of Texas system and Johns Hopkins College additionally introduced this month they’d chorus from talking out on social and political points until they have been immediately pertinent to their institutional missions and operations. Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse and Harvard took comparable stances earlier this yr.
“There are going to be fewer pronouncements about an institutional place for Berkeley, however we’re not going to zero,” Lyons mentioned.
To assist ease the searing divisions over Israeli-Palestinian points, Lyons mentioned a number of organizations throughout campus are working to foster dialogue. Initiatives embrace coaching on media literacy, empathetic listening, therapeutic collective trauma and a possible new course on “openness to opposing views.”
Urgent wants
On different issues, Lyons famous that Berkeley has elevated the enrollment of California college students by 25% within the final decade and mentioned funding was wanted to proceed progress and preserve excellence. Philanthropy can assist, he mentioned, noting a $12-million contribution from entrepreneur Scott Galloway to Berkeley and UCLA to help college students who aren’t aiming for a four-year diploma however need coaching in particular fields. Berkeley is utilizing its share to fund scholarships for adults to discover introductory programs in knowledge analytics, services administration or undertaking administration.
Different urgent wants — supporting humanities analysis, doctoral college students, campus libraries — require new methods to finance, he mentioned. Berkeley estimates that potential state funding reductions may quantity to $14 million much less through the 2024-25 fiscal yr than anticipated underneath the unique compact cast with Gov. Gavin Newsom and presumably climb even larger subsequent yr.
Enter innovation and entrepreneurship, the topic that almost all lights up Lyons. In rapid-fire recounting of various methods to lift funds, punctuated by loads of arm-waving, the chancellor laid out varied ventures he mentioned might be monetary sport changers for Berkeley.
UC Berkeley’s new chancellor, Wealthy Lyons, provides a pep discuss to new college students after convocation held at Haas Pavilion on Thursday.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Instances)
He mentioned the campus is negotiating to obtain fairness positions in startups, usually with a decrease royalty price, for licensing its mental property and now holds such inventory in additional than 100 firms. Philanthropists have given the campus about $75 million over the past yr to spend money on enterprise capital funds that make investments principally in Berkeley firms. The campus has been gifted 10% of the returns on six completely different enterprise capital portfolios. Berkeley additionally constructed an organization — Second Lab — that rents out unused scientific gear, recruiting founders from its alumni to spin it out, and negotiated to retain 16% of the agency’s shares.
“Individuals may take a look at this and say, ‘That’s simply loopy market stuff,’ however then you definitely see we now have a billion {dollars} that we’ve acquired in a values-consistent approach,” Lyons mentioned. “We’re discovering recent methods to ship into that.”
Lyons’ vitality and imaginative and prescient have stirred pleasure. Whereas his predecessor, Carol Christ, was deeply admired, she was saddled with a number of crises — the pandemic, enrollment pressures, price range deficits, protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict, lawsuits and demonstrations towards her housing plan at Individuals’s Park.
“I take a look at it as going from an age of resilience to an period of hope,” mentioned Oliver M. O’Reilly, vice provost for undergraduate training.
Shrinidhi Gopal, undergraduate pupil physique president, additionally mentioned she is optimistic about Lyons and impressed by his monitor report of integrating the values of variety, fairness and inclusion within the enterprise faculty. She mentioned pupil priorities this yr have been security and the way forward for Individuals’s Park, which is slated for pupil and supportive housing initiatives after the state Supreme Court docket eliminated the ultimate authorized barrier to growth in June. Gopal mentioned college students wished to proceed conversations in regards to the park.
Lyons additionally gained followers on the welcome convocation for brand spanking new college students. After his remarks, the chancellor leaped to his toes to bounce with Oski, the Cal Bears’ mascot, drawing roars from college students because the marching band performed on.
“We beloved your dance!” one pupil instructed him.
