As the new academic year begins at the University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor Rich Lyons has delivered a video message to welcome students, faculty, and staff back to campus. In his address, Lyons emphasized the university’s ongoing commitment to its foundational values.
“Berkeley is not just a place, it’s a promise — and together we can ensure it will forever be kept,” Lyons said.
Lyons also spoke about Berkeley’s seven principles of community and outlined his vision for safeguarding the institution’s core values in the years ahead. He highlighted the importance of fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
“Berkeley is more than a place; it’s a promise,” he said. “And those principles are what enable us to deliver on that promise. They support an environment where all can thrive and feel a sense of belonging, where the freedom to teach, learn and discover is revered and protected, and where we embrace the central role of diversity and pluralism in the life of our university: the diversity of origins and identities, of beliefs and perspectives, of academic interests and pursuits.”
The chancellor’s remarks come as part of an annual tradition welcoming members of the campus community at the start of each academic term.
