Berkeley Online: Parents Edition

November 13, 2009

Welcome to Berkeley Online for Cal Parents, the monthly electronic newsletter from the University of California, Berkeley.

In this issue:

Cal Parents: upcoming dates to remember
Gifts from parents restore full library hours
UC Berkeley dominates rankings
Study supports role of gym class in fight against childhood obesity
The Promise of Berkeley spotlights newest alumni and soon-to-be graduates
Site of the Month: The Berkeley Blog

Cal Parents: upcoming dates to remember

Here are some important upcoming dates to keep in mind:

Nov. 26–27: Thanksgiving holiday
Dec. 9: Fall semester instruction ends
Dec. 12–19: Final exams
Dec. 13: Fall semester graduates convocation
Dec. 20: Residence hall move-out

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Gifts from parents restore full library hours

Thanks to gifts from Berkeley parents, library hours across campus will return to normal, and weekend reductions forced by state funding cuts will also end. This support will allow the Gardner (Main) Stacks and Moffitt Library, the campus hub of late-night studying during finals, to remain open 24 hours a day during the final exams period this academic year. Richard and Lisa Steiny donated $30,000 in October upon learning of the dilemma of the library hours, recognizing the impact it would have on students. They know best: the Steiny's are parents of two Cal students; Lisa earned her bachelor's degree at Berkeley in 1984; and Richard is a 1979 alumnus and a trustee of the UC Berkeley Foundation. The two are vice chairs of the Cal Parents Board.

Every year, Cal parents are invited to make a gift to The Cal Parents Fund to ensure ongoing excellence of a Berkeley education. The 2009–10 drive so far has raised more than $700,000 from 1,500 Cal parents. The goal is to raise a record $2 million.

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> Give to The Cal Parents Fund

UC Berkeley dominates rankings

The 2009 rankings from the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China place UC Berkeley among the top three universities in the world. Meanwhile, UC Berkeley continues to be ranked the top public university in the U.S. News & World Report annual survey, and was ranked the no. 1 university in the country in a new, innovative survey by the Washington Monthly magazine.

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Study supports role of gym class in fight against childhood obesity

Kids who participated regularly in school-based physical education classes had better heart health and lower body mass index, according to a new study led by researchers at UC Berkeley and UCSF. Findings from the study of 9,268 seventh- and ninth-grade students at California schools in low-income communities support the importance of PE class in the fight against obesity.

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The Promise of Berkeley spotlights newest alumni and soon-to-be graduates

Some of Berkeley’s newest alumni and soon-to-be graduates are already making their mark on the world. See the impact that that they are already making in fields ranging from science to art, and business to athletics. You can also learn about the new company formed to manage Berkeleyís endowment and get updated on the latest health research by reading the fall edition of The Promise of Berkeley.

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Site of the month

> The Berkeley Blog

Today, UC Berkeley is widely known as the preeminent public university in America. Years ago, Berkeley was known as the home of the Free Speech Movement. The Berkeley Blog bridges these two worlds.

The campus created this interactive site to give voice to the ideas and opinions of our professors in a forum that encourages public comment. The authors include more than 140 UC Berkeley professors and scholars who will be sharing their thoughts on topical national and global issues. As the nation searches for answers to a litany of burning questions and issues, this site serves as a virtual blackboard for the game-changing ideas pulsing around the campus.

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