General Motors’ surprise announcement the Monday after Thanksgiving that it would eliminate 14,000 jobs and shutter five plants sent traumatic shock waves across the industrial Midwest and into Canada, putting a dark cloud over the holiday season. While these changes will affect autoworkers today, they will undoubtedly be felt by all working Americans in the … Continue reading »
The grim reality of racial segregation in the S.F. Bay Area
A new series of maps illustrates the reality of segregation in the Bay Area — not merely diversity, racial concentration and clustering, or mere demographics.
Peter Berck RIP — a distinguished scholar and member of the ARE family
This year we lost Peter Berck, a prominent member of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ARE) and the College of Natural Resources as well as a cherished friend and colleague of mine. Peter was born in New York, fell in love with Berkeley as an undergraduate and after completing his Ph.D. at MIT, … Continue reading »
Exit, voice and loyalty for graduation speakers
This is an edited excerpt from remarks Monday, May 14, at the graduation ceremonies for the Goldman School of Public Policy Public policy analysis deals with the hard problems faced in the public and non-profit sectors where we must bring political values to bear in the most effective way to solve difficult public problems. In … Continue reading »
My annual review 2017
This year moved very quickly, and it was relatively quiet on a personal level, which is good. I really enjoyed playing with my grandchildren as they grow up. Our sons and daughters-in-law are doing well. Leorah is enjoying her retirement, and maybe one day I’ll join her. She is really creative with her knitwear and … Continue reading »
A holiday message for the Berkeley campus
As the semester winds down and the holidays approach, I want to share with you a few reflections about where we as a campus have been and where we are headed. Please view this short video message for some of these thoughts: I hope your holiday break is invigorating, and I wish you a very … Continue reading »
Thinking about food, education and change in the land of the Incas
I first visited Peru 10 years ago and fell in love with the country. I enjoyed Lima’s wonderful coastline and the impressive old city. I will always remember my visit to Machu Picchu, which is one of my top-five favorite global destinations. With coca tea, I survived the altitude of the magnificent Cusco, the capital … Continue reading »
Nationalism and the future of higher education
(These remarks were delivered at the opening of a Nov. 16-17 conference observing the 60th anniversary of UC Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education, held in partnership with University World News, and exploring the influence of nationalism on major national universities around the world.) With varying levels of intensity, university are extensions of the … Continue reading »
The dangerous data hack that you won’t even notice
A recent wave of cyberattacks — from WannaCry and Equifax to the alleged Russian influence on the U.S. election — has demonstrated how hackers can wreak havoc on our largest institutions. But by focusing only on hackers’ efforts to extort money or mess with our political process, we may have been missing what is potentially … Continue reading »
A fall semester update
As we approach the yearly rituals of the season—the Big Game and the holidays—we have an opportunity to reflect on the fall semester. Free Speech and Community Values The semester was an eventful one, as we tried to balance our commitment to free expression with our values as a community. The discussions and conversations we … Continue reading »
Remembering the Filipino veterans of World War II
For many years, unbeknownst to many of my friends and colleagues, Veterans Day has held special significance for my family and I. During World War II, my Lolo (the Filipino word for grandfather), Braulio Ceniza, served as a soldier and later captain of the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) in the … Continue reading »
Beyond the First Amendment: the impact of police presence on campus
The campus has embarked on a series of Free Speech seminars to discuss both the benefits and limits of speech in our society. The most recent to be announced is a panel discussion next week titled “Beyond the First: Healing and Harmful Speech,” which will focus on the impact of hate speech on our community. … Continue reading »
When Cal chose ‘academic stuff’ over college football
The proverbial visitor from Mars would surely conclude that the primary purpose of American universities is to promote football and that teaching and research are secondary activities. The coaches are paid more than university presidents and chancellors. The largest and most expensive buildings are to stage football games a few times a year. I am … Continue reading »
What I learned about research strategies and authorship
Before I came to Berkeley, I consulted my cousins, my professors and my friends on the secrets for success in Ph.D. programs. Most suggested that you have to work hard, but not too hard, and you must have a life. They also emphasized that achievement in class is important, but the most important thing is … Continue reading »
Reflections on Las Vegas, and resources for the campus
Like many of you, I am struggling to process the tragedy that unfolded Sunday evening in Las Vegas. The immense loss of life, the hundreds of injuries, the panic on the ground brought to life in video and audio recordings, the renewed acrimony about gun control, and the search for answers all weigh heavily. I extend my deepest … Continue reading »
A time to reflect and move forward together
The past several weeks have been trying ones for Berkeley. In demonstrating our firm commitment to the free speech protections of the First Amendment, this week we have seen speakers come to campus who brought with them ideas that run counter to our Principles of Community and to our belief in the fundamental value of every individual … Continue reading »
Retirement by fiat
“Farewell Angelina, the sky is on fire and I must be gone.” Now that my fete/festschrift is over, my colleagues here and abroad have posed the obvious question: Why in the world did you retire? But I had threatened to do so for many years. Once in the late 1980s I filed papers for early retirement … Continue reading »
The false media focus on violence: If it bleeds it still leads
On Sunday, August 27, in downtown Berkeley, I witnessed thousands of protesters raising their voices against a planned white supremacist “Patriot Prayer” rally. In my decades as a documentary filmmaker of activism and now an academic studying movements and media, it was one of the most positive, diverse and unifying gatherings I ever experienced. While … Continue reading »
Free speech is who we are
This fall, the issue of free speech will once more engage our community in powerful and complex ways. Events in Charlottesville, with their racism, bigotry, violence and mayhem, make the issue of free speech even more tense. The law is very clear: Public institutions like UC Berkeley must permit speakers invited in accordance with campus … Continue reading »
Back to school, and my priorities
The beginning of the school year is always a magical time for me — a blank sheet of paper, the first page of a novel. You feel the excitement of all the beginnings that surround you — new students embarking on their college or graduate school years, new faculty beginning their Berkeley careers. It was … Continue reading »