May 24, 2005: Challenges facing UC Berkeley

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32:19 minutes

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Birgeneau's first months as chancellor
High-profile hires (and re-hires) for athletics, a public commitment to creating a more inclusive university, staff strikes, and the inauguration

Setting the stage for diversity
Why Birgeneau feels that Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, is a failed experiment.

Student diversity
Given that Prop. 209 is state law, how can Berkeley create a more welcoming environment for underrepresented minorities?

Faculty diversity
"When you look at faculty diversity, Berkeley's record is, let's say … mixed, on issues of race and ethnicity and gender," says Edley. How can we improve it?

Issues facing female faculty
Birgeneau discusses a study he did while at MIT that found that female faculty became more dissatisfied with their careers the more successful they were.

Faculty recruitment and retention
Minority and female faculty are often hotly recruited by other universities. How can Berkeley attract them without paying star-level salaries and alienating existing faculty?

Staff salaries
Given the restrictions imposed by University of California salary formulas, how can the chancellor improve staff compensation?

State funding
Private support is important, but Birgeneau emphasizes that it's even more vital that the state government recognize its responsibility to fund its educational institutions adequately.

Private-sector strings
Hayes points out that in the absence of public funding, researchers are looking to the private sector for support. But there are concerns about what restrictions industry funding will impose.

UC Berkeley's biggest challenge
Birgeneau explains why he thinks that the ability to access California's entire talent pool is the most critical factor in maintaining the university's record of excellence.