Christopher Edley

Christopher Edley and Stephen Rosenbaum Discuss Academic Freedom, Professional Conduct

The Daily Californian, April 28, 2009 by Zach E.J. Williams
http://www.dailycal.org/printable.php?id=105468

“Given his long history of very good teaching and his prolific but controversial scholarshipֽ I can’t imagine dismissal unless and until there is a criminal conviction and direct appeals are exhaustedֽ” Edley said in an e-mail.

“Members of the UC academic community have an obligation to speak outֽ” Rosenbaum said. “Academic freedom and due process are principles that must be respectedֽ (but) they do not trump moral outrage.”

Christopher Edley Reiterates Importance of Academic Freedom

Contra Costa Times, April 4, 2009 by Christopher Edley Jr.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_12065994

Berkeley administrators have spoken publicly and repeatedly about the importance of Professor Yoo’s academic freedom and First Amendment rights. During an interview with your reporter, I made it very clear that premature disciplinary procedures would raise a ‘McCarthy-era problem’…. Short of criminal conviction, the rules are somewhat vague, but the importance of academic freedom is not. Like others at Berkeley, I will watch developments regarding Professor Yoo carefully, even as we guard academic freedom zealously.

Chris Kutz and Christopher Edley Address Questions about Professor’s Off-Campus Legal Work

San Jose Mercury News, March 20, 2009 by Matt Krupnick
http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_11962421

Edley, who was on President Barack Obama’s transition team and who has held positions in two Democratic administrations, said he and others on campus are conflicted about how to handle Yoo…. “All of us need to work through the tension of the principles that preserve the excellence and independence of the university versus the principles that govern society.”

“A criminal conviction is not necessary,” said Christopher Kutz, a law professor and vice chairman of the UC Berkeley Academic Senate. But discipline based on anything less is “new territory, and it’s dangerous territory,” Kutz said.

Christopher Edley Believes Law Profs Must Follow Higher Ethical Standards

The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 20, 2009 by David Glenn
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i28/28a01201.htm

Mr. Edley also says that a higher standard should apply to law professors and other instructors in professional schools. In those fields, Mr. Edley says, the university should investigate credible allegations of serious off-campus professional misconduct, even if a criminal conviction is nowhere in sight. “Law professors, after all, are charged with preparing the next generation of professionals to live their lives according to our ethical canons,” he says.

Christopher Edley Describes Benefits of New UCDC Law Program

Contra Costa Times Political Blotter, February 26, 2009 by Josh Richman
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2009/02/26/california-law-students-nab-dc-internships/

“This is a direct and powerful way to expose students to aspects of lawyering in Washington and thereby broaden their thinking about professional paths available to them,” says Berkeley Law Dean Chris Edley Jr., who recently advised President Barack Obama’s transition team. “Our new classroom technology will also enable us to connect our students and experts in Washington with law students on campus, combining resources for dynamic interactive instruction.”

Christopher Edley Recommends Rainy Day Fiscal Relief

San Francisco Chronicle, February 17, 2009 by Christopher Edley
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/17/ED7315TQ48.DTL

If California, for example, could borrow when revenues fall, it would help meet expenditure demands for programs the public wants and needs, rain or shine. Of course, it’s best to balance borrowing with enough fiscal discipline to retire the debt when times are good. What is needed is a kind of “rainy day fund,” but financed with medium-term borrowing instead of savings.

Christopher Edley Heads Task Force to Smooth Transition from Community College to UC

Contra Costa Times, February 16, 2009 by Matt Krupnick
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_11717823

The task force, Edley said, hopes to improve upon past attempts, particularly a 1997 agreement between UC and the community colleges that laid out broad goals for improving transfer rates. “The earlier (pact) created a check-the-box culture based on meeting a head count target more than a culture of lifting up the whole education system,” he said. The goal of the new endeavor “is making sure students know where the on ramps are so they can get back on track.”

Christopher Edley Battles Top Tier Schools for Best and Brightest

Contra Costa Times, February 15, 2009 by Matt Krupnick
http://www.contracostatimes.com/alamedacounty/ci_11711949

“I have three (offers to Berkeley professors) that I’m worried about right now from Harvard,” said Edley, who himself was lured from Harvard in 2004 to lead Boalt Hall. “And three more that are likely to develop from top-five schools in the next year…. “Our private competitors, despite the declines in their endowments, have been as tough as ever,” he said. “We’ve won (retention attempts) many more times than we’ve lost, but that could change any day.”