The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost routinely commissions small task forces and working groups to study and develop solutions to various campus issues or pursue strategic priorities. Current and past initiatives of this sort are listed below - click each section to learn more about it.
Past initiatives:
Academic Advisory Committee on Social and Ethical Implications of Computing and Data Science (2023)
A committee to advise campus leadership on how Berkeley can best invest in research and teaching related to the social and ethical implications of computing and data science.
Key Documents:
- Year 1 Annual Report - September 19, 2024
- Charge Letter - July 24, 2023
The Joint Academic and Administrative Work Group on the University Library (2023)
The Joint Academic and Administrative Work Group on the University Library, a working group convened to examine the University Library and devise a set of readily deployable recommendations that capitalize on the 2013 Report of the Commission on the Future of the UC Berkeley Library to submit a to plan for implementing recommendations in fiscal year 2024.
Key documents & links:
- Administration Response to DIVCO Letter - April 9, 2024
- DIVCO Comments on the Final Report - February 23, 2024
- Administration Response to Final Report - September 19, 2023
- Work Group Final Report - June 30, 2023
- Charge Letter - May 2, 2023
- Report of the Commission on the Future of the UC Berkeley Library - October 14, 2013
Spring 2023 Post Strike Implementation (2023)
Following the conclusion of the 2022 UAW contract negotiations, the campus established several workgroups to begin the process of rebuilding and managing post-strike recovery efforts. The workgroups included: financial planning, academic & instructional planning, faculty experience and campus climate and healing.
Key links: Working Groups, Reports, and Message Archive
Working Group to Analyze Enrollment Scenarios (2022)
Analytic work group to assess scenarios for increases in enrollment at all levels (undergraduate, freshmen and transfer students; academic masters; professional masters; doctoral degrees) with consideration of in-residence in Berkeley and online, or offsite residency.
Key links: Charge Letter - May 6, 2022
Proposal Committee for the formation of a Department of Neuroscience (2022)
A committee to submit a proposal for the formation of a Department of Neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, within the College of Letters & Science (L&S) Division of Biological Sciences..
Key links: Charge Letter - April 15, 2022
Proposal Committee for the formation of a Department of Data Science (2022-2023)
A committee to draft a proposal for the formation of a Department of Data Science within the future College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS)
Key documents & links:
- Charge Letter - September 2, 2022
- Committee Report - April 17, 2023
- Administration’s Response to Report - August 14, 2023
Working Group on Student Housing Strategic Plan Update (2022)
A working group to provide high level advice regarding what project sites and capacities the campus should prioritize for feasibility study.
Key documents & links: Charge letter - April 18, 2022
Remote and Hybrid Education Program Development and Instructional Resilience (2019-2021)
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Remote and Hybrid Education Program Development and Instructional Resilience is a community collaboration to create and use a new approach for Berkeley to become much more resilient to power outages, air quality challenges, or other events that could disrupt ordinary instruction in the future.
Key documents & links:
Academic Year 2020-21
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Deans Work Group for Remote and Hybrid Education
Academic Year 2020-21
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Academic Year 2019-20
- Announcing Instructional Resilience Week Cal Message - October 28, 2019
- Instructional Resilience Week - Follow-up Cal Message - November 6, 2019
- Task Force on Instructional Resilience Charge Letter Updated - January 10, 2020
- Online Exam / Proctoring Working Group Charge - April 3, 2020
- Fall 2020 Instructional Planning Task Force Charge - April 30, 2020
- Instructional Resilience Task Force Report - May 12, 2020
Instruction Planning: COVID-19 Recovery (2020-2022)
The Instruction Planning committee’s objective was to consider guidance and recommendations about academic policies and instructional strategies, in response to the changing conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with the Academic Senate, the Division of Undergraduate Education, the Graduate Division and many other divisions and offices, the committee developed plans for instructional activities in remote, in-person, and flexible modes spanning the fall 2020, spring 2021, fall 2021, and spring 2022 semesters.
Key Documents:
Academic Finance Reform (2018-2021)
The Finance Reform Leadership Committee has been tasked with recommending a new campus policy on the strategic issues and priorities related to the finance reform initiative. Three working groups have been tasked to offer recommendations on key areas of finance reform including academic funding, common good funding, and revenue sharing.
Key Campus Documents:
- Finance Reform Leadership Committee Charge Letter - August 15, 2018
- Finance Reform Working Group on Academic Funding Charge Letter - October 4, 2018
- Finance Reform Working Group on Common Goods Funding Charge Letter - October 4, 2018
- Finance Reform Working Group on Revenue Sharing Charge Letter - October 4, 2018
- Letter to Council of Deans on Changes to Implementation of Academic Finance Reform - July 31, 2020
- Joint Academic and Administrative Taskforce on Campus Finance Charge Letter - November 17, 2020
Divisional Initiatives documents:
- Arts and Humanities for the Future Task Force Charge Letter - June 26, 2020
- College of Chemistry Project Align Charter - June 22, 2020
- Project Align Final Report - June 18, 2021
- GSE Academic Programs & Fiscal Sustainability Task Force Charge - October 14, 2020
- Executive Report Summary - June 16, 2021
- School of Social Welfare Comprehensive Review Charge Letter - Novermber 11, 2020
- Executive Report Summary - December 10, 2021
Joint Senate-Administration Task Force on the First-Year Undergraduate Academic Experience (2021-2022)
The Joint Senate-Administration Task Force on the First-Year Undergraduate Academic Experience was charged with providing recommendations on how to ensure that every entering first-year student is able to enroll in a set of courses that will enable them to make timely and meaningful progress towards their degree.
Key Documents:
- Student Learning Center Survey Results Report on Student Perception Of Learning Loss And Gains During COVID-19 Pandemic - March 31, 2022
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Recommendations from the Task Force on the First-Year Undergraduate Academic Experience - December 10, 2021
- Task Force on the First-Year Undergraduate Academic Experience Charge Letter - September 2, 2021
Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society (2018-2020)
On November 1, 2018, Chancellor Carol Christ and EVCP Paul Alivisatos announced the creation of a new interdisciplinary division provisionally named the Division of Data Science and Information. This new division will be the centerpiece of a novel, dynamic, and adaptable organizational structure that will enable Berkeley faculty and students to work together across boundaries and to explore the foundations, applications, and implications of data science, information, and computation in a way that serves the interests of the public, the campus, and its academic community through a new teaching and discovery environment.
Key documents:
- Announcement of the Division of Data Science and Information - November 1, 2018
- Berkeley News story on the Division of Data Science and Information - November 1, 2018
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Search Announcement: Associate Provost for the Division of Data Science and Information and Dean of the School of Information - January 7, 2019
- Division of Data Science and Information Administrative Transition Working Group Charge Letter - January 22, 2019
- Data Science Transition Operations Working Group (OWG) Charge Letter - updated March 11, 2019
- Charge to the Faculty Work Group for the Data Science & Information Administrative Transition - updated May 6, 2019
- Jennifer Chayes named as Associate Provost for the Division of Data Science and Information and Dean of the School of Information - August 13, 2019
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Formally Named "Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society" - February 5, 2020
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Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society & College of Engineering Advisory Committee - December 1, 2020
Faculty Housing Strategy Working Group (2018)
The Faculty Housing Strategy Working Group has been tasked with exploring how the campus might address the increasing pressures it faces with respect to faculty housing, particularly with regard to recruiting young faculty and retaining those who may be struggling to purchase reasonable housing.
Key documents:
Campus Policy Governing PDSTs for Concurrent Degree Programs Working Group (2018-2019)
The Campus Policy Governing PDSTs for Concurrent Degree Programs Working Group has been tasked with recommending a new campus policy governing how PDST is assessed for students enrolled in concurrent degree programs.
Key documents:
- Campus Policy Governing PDSTs for Concurrent Degree Programs Working Group Charge Letter - June 11, 2018
- Wroking Group Final Report - December 10, 2018
- EVCP Response to the Working Group - January 23, 2019
Executive Education Working Group (2017-2018)
The Executive Education Working Group has been tasked with developing guiding principles, processes, tools, and infrastructure to ensure the financial and programmatic success of UC Berkeley's executive education offerings.
Key documents:
- Executive Education Working Group Charge Letter - Updated July 2017
- Executive Education Working Group - Report & Recommendations - March 5, 2018
Campus Commercial Advertising Policy Working Group (2017-2018)
The Campus Commercial Advertising Policy Working Group was charged with evaluating current university policies relating to advertising and commercial activity on campus.
Key documents:
Joint Administration-Academic Senate Task Force on Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs (2016 - 2018)
The Joint Administration-Academic Senate Task Force on Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs was designed to recommend new guidelines for these campus programs so that Berkeley can meet rising need while maintaining a commitment to excellence, rigor, and access.
Key documents:
- Updated Campus Policy on Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs - March 2018
- EVCP and Academic Senate Response to SSGPDP Task Force Report - March 2018
- DIVCO Response to SSGPDP Task Force Report - January 2018
- SSGPDP Task Force Final Report - October 2017
- SSGPDP Task Force Charge Letter - November 2016
- SSGPDP Policy Archive - 2010
Data Science Planning Initiative (2015-2017)
The Data Science Planning Initiative was an effort to develop integrated plans for data science teaching and research appropriate to the diverse interests and strengths of the Berkeley campus, and to recommend structures that would coordinate data science campus-wide.
Key documents:
- Announcement of Interim Dean, Division of Data Science - May 2017
- Call for Nominations - Interim Dean, Division of Data Science - January 2017
- Data Science Initiative: Update & Next Steps - January 2017
- Campus Input on DSPI Faculty Advisory Board Report (CalNet Authentication required) - Fall 2016
- Data Science Planning Initiative - Faculty Advisory Board Report Summary - August 2016
- Data Science Planning Initiative - Faculty Advisory Board Report - August 2016
- Data Science Planning Initiative - Faculty Advisory Board Charge Letter - November 2015
Enrollment Management Working Group (2016)
The Enrollment Management Working Group has been tasked with creating a strategic, meaningful approach to both short and long-term enrollment growth for the UC Berkeley campus.
Key documents:
- Enrollment Management Working Group Charge Letter - August 2016
Housing Initiative (2016)
In the Fall of 2016, then-Chancellor Nicholas Dirks charged the Housing Master Plan Task Force to create a long-term plan to address the need for affordable, convenient housing for undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral scholars and faculty.
Work in this realm began under then-EVCP Carol Christ and is now led by the chancellor's office under Christ's leadership. More information can be found on the chancellor's site at https://chancellor.berkeley.edu/task-forces/housing-initiative.
Incentives Working Group (2016-2017)
The Incentives Working Group is exploring how best to provide incentives for units to raise funds for faculty positions, how to ensure units maintain a fiscally and pedagogically responsible mix of types of faculty members, and how we can improve campus strategic planning and budgeting processes.
Key documents:
Public and Common Good Working Group (2017)
The Public and Common Good Working Group intends to assess the current state of and make recommendations about funding for public and common goods (enterprise administrative services, information technology services, etc.) on the Berkeley campus.
Key documents:
- DIVCO Response to Public and Comon Good Working Group Final Report - November 2017
- Public and Common Good Working Group Final Report - June 2017
- Public and Common Good Working Group Charge Letter - January 2017
For inquiries related to these task forces and working groups, please contact evcp@berkeley.edu.