Golden State Today

In an interview before her retirement, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ reflected on the social turmoil of her years in office, the values that have guided her, and the essential lesson she learned from students.

One might expect that a leader, just weeks before retirement, would be quietly winding down. But for UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ, campus turmoil arising from the Hamas-Israel conflict and a looming budget shortfall have left little time for celebration ahead of her departure at the end of June.

It is striking that Christ’s last weeks have been so much like her first weeks. She moved into her California Hall office in July 2017 and was immediately forced to deal with a debilitating budget crisis and an ongoing federal probe of sexual harassment on campus. The school was still reeling from the winter riot that had canceled a talk by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, raising questions about support for free speech at Berkeley.

In the ensuing years, she has had to confront challenges presented by other controversial speakers, the COVID pandemic that shut down in-person classes, wildfires that covered the campus in smoke, a strike by graduate student workers, and the drive to build desperately needed student housing, which included closing and preparing People’s Park for development.

There is broad agreement that Christ navigated these crises with acumen and concern for the community—advancing solutions often through collaboration, dialogue, and compromise. While headlines often focused on tumult, she and her leadership team achieved historic progress on student housing, fundraising, and expanding Berkeley’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.

In an interview with Berkeley News, Christ talked about leading one of the world’s most influential universities:

“Well,” said Christ. “Berkeley is certainly much bigger now than it was when I first came in 1970. It has 43,000 students now...”

Reflecting on changes over time:

“Berkeley was largely a white institution when I came... When I joined the faculty only 3% were women; now it’s about a third.”

Despite these changes:

“Many things have stayed the same... structures that define it—Sather Gate, Campanile... Berkeley sees itself as a place for changemakers... defining history.”

On recent crises:

“A number of crises... made us feel more fragile... wildfire smoke events... loss of power on campus... political turmoil.”

Christ emphasized:

“It worries me a great deal... We’re losing capacity to talk across differences.”

She noted shifts in media consumption:

“There’s nowhere you can go to hear somebody say ‘That’s the way it is’ anymore.”

Building strong teams was key during challenging times:

“During COVID we organized working groups... building strong teams is really helpful.”

Decision-making is crucial:

“One of the worst qualities of a leader is indecisiveness… ability to reach decisions promptly is important.”

Christ recalled changes over decades:

“In late 1980s you got your mail in a folder each morning… whole process took more than a week! Now hundreds of emails expect answers within 24 hours.”

Fundraising has become central:

“In 1970s chancellor wasn’t involved significantly in fundraising… now it’s probably biggest part of my job.”

She highlighted major decisions during her tenure:

“Proceed aggressively with building housing… specifically People’s Park.”

Discussing free speech evolution:

“My views about free speech have changed—they’ve deepened… Free speech essential but needs context of principles of community."

On modern challenges:

“I think we no longer have free marketplace of ideas… dozens isolated boutique shops not interacting much."

Regarding protests directed at her:

“It’s important to say ‘This isn’t about me’… this anger at institution for some value or stand protesters disagree with."

On student body evolution:

“They are digital natives… more anxious than students were in 1970s…”

What she learned from students:

“They come with ambition they can change world… belief 'I can make difference'."

Concerning empathy deficit today:

“So important putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes…”

Looking forward fifty years:

“What will stay same—Berkeley's commitment educating students creating new knowledge… What will change—educational structures becoming more flexible relying more on AI digital communication."

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