Meet Rich Lyons: UC Berkeley's First "Homegrown" Chancellor

The official job description always was daunting: Oversee the entire operation of UC Berkeley, including more than 46,000 students, 1,642 full-time and 630 part-time faculty and 8,820 staff members, about 10,000 courses, and an endowment of roughly $7 billion; and “lead this unique institution into a new era of excellence.”

In addition, when Rich Lyons became the 12th Chancellor of UC Berkeley one year ago, he faced a large budget gap and the campus just had endured a year of turmoil over the war in Gaza and free speech. Yet he could not have anticipated the additional challenges he would face in the new Trump Administration. Would Berkeley, arguably the top public research university in the world, be able to achieve the goals he expressed on his first day on the job:

“Our combination of access and excellence occupies a truly singular place in higher education,” he said. “That singularity is an opportunity to leave a bigger mark on society and make our capabilities understood even more widely around the world. We can make UC Berkeley the university of choice for faculty, staff, and students who want to have an impact. This is my aim.”

Chancellor Lyons will discuss those challenges at Arts & Culture on Wednesday, July 2, at 7 p.m. as he reflects on his first year as chancellor. He’ll also talk about his priorities, town-gown relations, and the university’s long-range plans.

Tickets for this program are $5 for club members and students and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably.