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More than a few major milestones marked UC Berkeley’s 2024 calendar: one chancellor’s retirement and another’s arrival, the successful end of a multi-billion-dollar fundraising campaign, the long-awaited start of construction at People’s Park and the opening of a novel apartment building for transfer students.

Prisha Bhadra said her journey to graduate from UC Berkeley began long before she set foot on campus. Her parents, who immigrated from India, “left behind familiarity, security, and every single loved one they had” to give her the chance to choose her own path. For students with immigrant roots, she said, “This moment feels bigger than just us. It’s the product of generations of hope. … This degree doesn’t just belong to me. It belongs to them.”

Here’s what you need to know.

Moffitt Library is a meeting place for friends, a destination for doggo devotees, and one of the most popular study spots on campus.

And after fall finals this year, the beloved library will close for renovations, which, once finished, will make Moffitt an even more coveted corner of the UC Berkeley campus.

"I see this not as a personal ceremony, but as a communal one, an inauguration of another era of excellence for our university," Chancellor Rich Lyons said.

Robinson helped to transform the study of development in low-income countries, and built a network of influential former students. His win is now one of four 2024 Nobel Prizes awarded to scholars with UC Berkeley connections.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry was shared by David Baker, a biochemist who received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 1989 working with Randy Schekman, a professor of molecular and cell biology who won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Ruvkun obtained his B.A. in biophysics from UC Berkeley in 1973

"Venture capital is clearly paying attention to Berkeley-generated companies," Chancellor Rich Lyons said. "And we're just getting started." 

UC Berkeley graduates have founded more venture-backed companies than undergraduate alumni from any other university in the world, according to the 2024 PitchBook university rankings. 

Watch as he lays out the values and aspirations that will guide his tenure in office.

The 14-story building's design is intended to transform the transfer student experience by prioritizing residents' well-being and potential for success. 

On Aug. 21, when 772 transfer students step into UC Berkeley’s Anchor House for the first time, they’ll quickly discover the new 14-story building on Oxford Street is no ordinary campus housing. Instead, it’s a home designed just for transfer students, a sizable population at Berkeley with talent, drive — and a unique set of challenges.

Chancellor Rich Lyons, following new guidance on campus free speech policies from the University of California Office of the President, shared this message with the campus community on Monday. 

Ken Light, a documentary photojournalist, and two of his former students are jockeying for the best shots.

Professor and documentary photojournalist Ken Light had just watched two movies on a flight from San Francisco to the Midwest on Saturday to photograph the Republican National Convention when he tuned into CNN.

After 30-plus years, Davis is stepping down from UC Berkeley's Campanile, where he built a rare and preeminent carillon instruction program.

Jeff Davis’ workspace is rare: It’s UC Berkeley’s iconic Campanile, one of the world’s tallest clock-and-bell towers and home to 20 tons of ancient fossils, a famous falcon family and its centerpiece — a 61-bell grand carillon.

A ruling issued by the California Supreme Court on Thursday allows for UC Berkeley to proceed with plans to build housing at the park.

In an interview before her retirement, the UC Berkeley chancellor 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.