At the February 2026 annual Deans and Chairs Retreat, campus leadership at UC Berkeley gathered around a clear and resonant message: Berkeley’s challenges are real, but so is its capacity to meet them. With a shared commitment to innovation and resilience, the university is not only navigating change, it is helping to define what comes next.
In his remarks, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Benjamin Hermalin acknowledged the structural and financial pressures facing higher education today, from budget uncertainty to shifting national dynamics. Even so, he underscored a deep confidence in Berkeley’s trajectory, noting that “together, we can continue to attract the best talent, fulfill our mission at the highest levels, and further strengthen Berkeley’s position as the leading public university in the world.” He also reminded leaders of their role in shaping that excellence and optimism, emphasizing that “we can be honest dealers in hope because we have every reason to be hopeful.”
That sentiment was present across leadership working groups. A central component of the retreat was an interactive working session in which deans, chairs, and senior leaders broke into facilitated roundtables aligned around three strategic priorities: Investing in Faculty Success, Equitable Success for All Students, and Research for Global Challenges. Each group was charged with generating bold, forward-looking ideas—initiatives that could strengthen existing efforts while also pointing toward new areas for campus investment.
Together, these conversations surfaced a range of ideas aimed at reimagining how Berkeley supports its faculty, serves its students, and advances research in a rapidly evolving world. The exercise reinforced a collective commitment to possibility, and to a future grounded not only in realism, but in shared purpose and optimism.
