UC Berkeley selects new chancellor
Last March, Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau announced that he would step down as chancellor of UC Berkeley. After his announcement, an advisory committee consisting of UC faculty, students, regents, alumni and foundation representatives began the search for potential applicants. Columbia University’s Executive Vice President Nicholas B. Dirks was selected to be the 10th chancellor of UCB on Nov.8. The UC Board of Regents have yet to vote on the terms of his selection.
In 1997, Dirks was a a professor who taught history and anthropology at the University of Michigan. There, Dirks directed the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, where he went on to become the executive president for Arts and Sciences of Columbia University. For eight years, he led a major diversity initiative and wrote three books on India; “Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India,” “The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial Britain” and “The Hollow Crown: Ethnohistory of an Indian Kingdom.”
“I’m confident he will be a great fit for UC Berkeley. His global perspective, leadership of diversity efforts at Columbia and experience with both public and private universities will serve him and the campus well,” said UC President Mark Yudof.
UCR pursues outreach efforts through CollegeWeekLive
All around the world, high school students have questions about the future college that they wish to attend. Attending college fairs can be helpful, but some students still want to know more about a campus. In order to alleviate the college application process, UCR reached out to students through CollegeWeekLive (CWL).
CWL is a free service for prospective students to get more insight about a school through brochures, videos and interaction with admissions counselors. Since 2007, students have been able to look at over 300 universities and colleges around the U.S. and abroad.
Particularly to UCR, Undergraduate Admissions Counselor Malcolm Manuel and Elizabeth Lopez answer student inquiries in regards to the overall admissions process. Students use CWL to interact with the counselors through chat rooms or video chats. Through virtual interaction, only the students are able to view the counselor through chat rooms. Therefore Counselors are led to be more attentive and focused on the audio aspect of the conversation
“Our goal as counselors is to provide students with the information and resources they need to be best prepared to gain admission to our campus,” said Lopez. CWL allows prospective students to familiarize themselves with university campuses such as UCR, while clarifying any questions that they may have before applying.
UCR hosts 8th Annual Tuskegee Airmen event
On Nov. 17, UCR will host the 8th Annual Tuskegee Airmen in the Orbach Science Library from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The celebration consists of five Tuskegee Airmen from Ramitelli, Italy and four members of the bomber crew. As part of panel, the members will share their experiences of World War II, while answering questions as part of a public forum.
The event honors the 17 African American bombers, who found success in 1944 during World War II, in a time when the military was still segregated. Their achievements paved the way for desegregation of all U.S. Armed Forces, just four years later.
The UCR celebration was established in 2005 to honor the airmen and women who were part of the Tuskegee experience. An annual event is now held in UCR to celebrate the history and accomplishments that took place in Tuskegee, Alabama.
