Prompted by a decline in the number of freshman applications for fall 1999 from underrepresented minorities, Berkeley will intensify efforts to recruit minority applicants in the coming year.

Among California residents applying for admission, the number of African American applicants declined from 1,073 for fall 1998 to 959 for fall 1999 -- a 10.6 percent decline. Chicano applicants dropped from 2,117 last year to 1,794 -- a 15.3 percent reduction.

"The numbers leave us unequivocally dissatisfied," said Genaro Padilla, vice chancellor for undergraduate affairs. "We must do more. We are reassessing our recruitment strategy in order to improve long-term application rates," he said. "This past fall we increased our recruitment efforts, but apparently those aggressive campaigns were not sufficient."

Padilla stressed that diversity remains of paramount importance to UC Berkeley. "We need to get the message to students, parents, principals, counselors, and community leaders that Berkeley is giving minority applicants every opportunity it can to get in the door and succeed," he said.

Bob Laird, director of undergraduate admission and relations with schools, said his office for the first time in November held receptions in southern California targeted at African American and Chicano applicants. The southern California staff also placed more emphasis on community college outreach.

Laird pointed out that UC Berkeley is the second most popular UC campus for African Americans.

The total number of applications for spots in the fall 1999 freshman class at Berkeley -- 30,303 -- are up 4.1 percent from last year.

Save these dates

April 17: Come to Cal Day, UC Berkeley's annual open house. The story is on page 1.

April 21: Campus visit and public address by Prime Minister Simitis of Greece. For information, call (510) 642-3687.

April 30: Join alumni, parents, and friends to honor 1998 Alumnus of the Year Adrian Kragen at the California Alumni Association's annual Charter Banquet at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel. For more information, call (510) 642-1892.

September 24-26: Homecoming, Reunion, and Family Weekend. We look forward to having all our Cal Parent families come home for another great weekend of lectures, football, tours, receptions, rallies, and reunions. Invitations will be mailed in June. For assistance with accommodations, which should be booked early, contact the Berkeley Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-847-4823, bconvis@ix.netcom.com or www.berkeleycvb.com. For more information, call (510) 642-7147.

Following a nationwide search, professor of English Donald McQuade assumed the post of vice chancellor for university relations Feb. 16.

McQuade, 57, takes the helm of fundraising and public affairs operations at UC Berkeley -- including the Cal Parents program -- overseeing a staff of 180 and an operating budget of $12.3 million.

Among his immediate responsibilities is leading Berkeley's Campaign for the New Century to a successful conclusion. The campaign is well on its way to its goal of raising $1.1 billion by 2001.

McQuade is an "accomplished scholar who has completed several challenging administrative assignments with distinction," says Chancellor Berdahl.

McQuade succeeds C.D. Mote, Jr., who left in August to assume the presidency of the University of Maryland at College Park. John Cash, who has served as interim vice chancellor since Mote's departure, will resume his duties as associate vice chancellor for university relations and director of the capital campaign.

McQuade has served as dean of undergraduate and interdisciplinary studies in the College of Letters & Science, where he founded the American Studies program and the Undergraduate Research Apprentice program.

A great advocate of the arts on campus, he served as acting chair of the Department of Dramatic Art and led the faculty in founding the Center for Theater Arts. He is a member of the board of trustees of Cal Performances.

McQuade has written, edited and co-edited many books on writing, American literature, and advertising and has two books due out this year -- Volume 9 of the "The Correspondence of William James" and "Seeing and Writing: Double Takes on Contemporary American Culture."

Before joining the UC Berkeley faculty in 1986, McQuade taught at Queens College, City University of New York. He received his MA and PhD from Rutgers University.

McQuade was a member of national championship teams in swimming and water polo and was an international and Olympic-certified water polo referee.

He is married to Susanne Batschelet McQuade, a program coordinator in the campus's recreational sports program. Their daughter is a 1996 graduate of UC Berkeley and dances with the New York-based Streb Company. Their son is a third-year student at UC Berkeley majoring in architecture.