As many of you know the Dean recently announced the Final Report of the Staff-Faculty Climate Committee. For copies of the Final Report from the Climate Committee contact Amy Utstein–autstein@law.berkeley.edu

 

The following is an excerpt from the Dean’s email announcing the report:

“Dear Law School Staff and Faculty,

I am pleased to share with you the Final Report of the Staff-Faculty Climate Committee.   The Climate Committee has worked very hard for more than two years to improve our law school.  This spring, the Climate Committee again undertook a comprehensive survey of the faculty and staff on issues related to climate.   I have closely read the survey results and am pleased that there is a sense that things have improved, largely because of the Climate Committee’s efforts and the hard work of many in the law school.  There remains much to be done and you will see that the Climate Committee report has outlined a path forward.”

New for  the academic year 2018-19, Charles Cannon will host a bi-weekly staff coffee.  These informal gatherings invite discussion,  Q&A, a forum for voicing broad administrative concerns, and a safe space for conversation.  Please drop in when you are able, beginning Wednesday, September 26, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Dean’s Seminar Room (215B Boalt).

I would like Beth to know how much her work in advancing Law scheduling by improving the entry of class data in EMS is appreciated, as well as her ‘grace under fire’ while scheduling the new semesters. No matter how many concerns are stacked on her desk she remains approachable, professional and a pleasure to work with.

Edwin Bish

The former Durant Hotel has been revamped into the Graduate Hotel (see this article in Forbes for background) and now features Henry’s Bar and Restaurant. On the corner of Durant and Bowditch, this will likely become a popular happy hour or after-work gathering spot for people on our side of campus. While it’s not cheap (appetizers range from $5 – $18), it isn’t out of synch with other Berkeley and Oakland restaurants. Its menu has variety and seasonal offerings, and the atmosphere is casual and friendly. Some of us in the development office have tried it on separate occasions and the reviews are uniformly positive.

Remember Verizon (and guessing other mobile companies, but have not done the research) provide a discount to UC Employees – 15%, so you can keep a bit more of your money!

I have had a wonderful first year of Dean at Berkeley Law.  I am so grateful to the warmth and kindness with which I have been welcomed by the faculty, staff, students, and alumni.  I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this wonderful law school.  It has been a year of great learning for me, as I have come to know this large and complex institution.

 

Overall, the law school is doing very well.   There is a wonderful administrative team and I am pleased that we have added to it some terrific administrators:  Kristin Theis-Alvarez, as Assistant Dean for Admissions; Marva de Marothy, Director of Human Resources; Mary Matheron, Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs; and Shivani Bhatia, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Dean for Finance and Budget.

 

We are emerging from the difficult budget situation and I am pleased that despite the campus cutting our expenditures by another $1 million for the next fiscal year, we will not need to cut any programs or have any layoffs.  We are creating new revenue generating programs and planning a significant increase in our development efforts.  We also are hopeful of finally being allowed to increase our tuition for the first time since 2012.  This is essential to meet our increased costs in every area.

 

We continue to create new programs, including the Consumer Law Center (thanks to a $3.5 million gift from Elizabeth Cabraser), the Berkeley Judicial Institute, and the Civil Justice Research Institute (together with UC Irvine Law School).

 

The applications for our J.D. program were up significantly and we are looking forward to particularly strong J.D. and LLM classes to begin in August.  It will be another year with countless lectures and symposia, which all contribute to Berkeley being the most intellectually vibrant law school that I have ever seen.

 

I am excited to begin my second year as dean.  My top priorities are for us to do significant hiring of additional faculty members, to put us on even stronger financial footing, and to look for every opportunity to further improve this terrific law school.

 

The Registrar’s office maintains the permanent record for Berkeley Law and our students. We are Carol Rachwald (Registrar), Claire Blide, Beth Borowski, Trish Keady (Associate Registrars), and Christin Stella (Assistant Registrar). Together we provide excellent service and official information to students, faculty, staff, alumni, administrators, main campus, and the general public. We collect, protect, and maintain student records and course information including enrollments, grades, transcripts, course schedules, instructional minutes, degree audits, bar certification, and order of the coif. Under the Federal Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) we are bound to protect each student’s privacy and not share their information without permission. We also work with instructors to schedule classes and coordinate make-up dates when classes are cancelled. If you have questions about any of these areas give us a call at 510-642-2278 or drop by our office at 270 Simon Hall at the top of the stairs and across from the Steinhart Courtyard.

Are you looking for someone to play tennis with during lunch? Find a cinephile to go watch a Kubrick retrospective at bampfa? Arrange a group constitutional around campus? Find out about events involving law school people that isn’t necessarily law school related?

Join the casual mailing list – casual@law.berkeley.edu. As an opt-in list, it emphasizes the casual side of Berkeley Law. Sign-up with your Berkeley e-mail at https://groups.google.com/a/law.berkeley.edu/forum/#!forum/casual