Announcement of Vice Chancellor for Administration

August 24, 2017

Dear campus community, 

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Marc Fisher as UC Berkeley’s Vice Chancellor for Administration. Joining us from UC Santa Barbara, where he served as Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Marc will play a pivotal role in our efforts to improve campus operations so that Berkeley can meet its budgetary goals and remain the nation’s preeminent public research university. He will begin his work here on September 18th

As vice chancellor, Marc will take the helm of Berkeley’s administrative operations, leading a division of more than 1,800 staff spanning human resources, information technology, facilities management, Campus Shared Services, the UC Police Department, and other critical functions that support our academic and research mission. In addition to day-to-day campus management, Marc will address strategic priorities including developing an approach for effective administration of centralized campus services and common goods, bringing up to date campus technology infrastructure, performing necessary deferred maintenance, and devising ways for the campus to maintain operational needs and service levels amidst budget reductions. Marc will also partner with the Chancellor and EVCP to improve Berkeley’s organizational culture, focusing especially on our campus commitment to diversity. 

A graduate of West Virginia University in landscape architecture as well as the University of Pennsylvania’s architecture program, Marc has spent much of his professional life on the west coast and within the University of California system. He began working with UCLA as a consultant in 1987, and served as director of design and campus architect there from 1995 to 2002, leading the design direction for a $2 billion capital program that included projects such as the California NanoSystems Institute, Broad Art Center, and Kaufman Hall. Marc then spent fifteen years at UCSB, where he reorganized the administrative services division, introduced and rolled out a host of new technology services for the division and the campus, led the creation of UCSB’s long-range development plan, established its first sustainability plan, and more. Marc has served on numerous campus and University of California systemwide committees, and we have no doubt that his excellent record of service, as well as his familiarity with the UC organization and its processes, will make him an invaluable asset to Berkeley. 

Marc will be the first person to occupy this vice chancellor position on a permanent basis since we restructured the former Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance portfolio this summer. In part due to that change, the search committee for this role put an incredible amount of time and energy into their search, and we would like to offer them sincere thanks for their service. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Vice Chancellor Scott Biddy, who has overseen the Vice Chancellor for Administration portfolio for 18 months and who guided the unit through a period of significant transition.

With Marc’s appointment, we are thrilled to have another key member of the campus leadership team in place, and hope you’ll join us in welcoming him to Berkeley.

Sincerely,

Carol Christ
Chancellor 

Paul Alivisatos
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost