Light the Way: The Campaign for Berkeley

Berkeley a top university for upward mobility

A new upward mobility report card for U.S. colleges and universities reveals high rankings for California schools. A conclusion of researchers, who include Cal economists Emmanuel Saez and Danny Yagan: UC Berkeley is the nation’s top-ranked college for upper-end mobility. It has the largest fraction of students who come from families in the bottom fifth of the income scale and end up having earnings in the top 1 percent among colleges with at least 500 students.

Cal Bears names new football coach

Justin Wilcox, who has engineered some of the best defenses in the country, has been named head coach of the California Golden Bears football team. Wilcox was Cal’s linebackers coach from 2003−05, when Cal earned trips to three bowl games. He was a defensive coordinator for the next 11 seasons, most recently with Cotton Bowl-champion Wisconsin.

Three faculty honored for “prolific spirit of innovation”

Vice Chancellor for Research Paul Alivisatos, bioengineer Amy Herr, and chemical engineer Enrique Iglesia were named fellows in the National Academy of Inventors for their involvement in “outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.” Berkeley is one of five universities that founded two-thirds of all biotechnology companies in California.

Campus mourns victims of Oakland fire

Berkeley deeply mourns the loss of five community members in the tragic Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif., in December. Four of the fatalities were affiliated with KALX, the campus radio station: juniors Jennifer Morris, 20, and Vanessa Plotkin, 21, who were roommates; Griffin Madden ’15, a former KALX volunteer who worked at Cal Performances; and Chelsea Dolan, 33, a community volunteer DJ. Alumnus David Cline ’15 had graduated with degrees in computer science and cognitive science.

Alumna casts bright light on late actresses

Alexis Bloom M.J. ’01 co-directed and produced the documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. The film chronicles the charismatic lives — and their fierce, complex love for one another — of Fisher, who was best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars, and her mother, Reynolds, a long-time film and stage performer. It aired on HBO in January, following both of their deaths in December, one day apart.