Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know that Geeta Anand has decided not to renew for a second five-year term as Dean of Berkeley Journalism and will return to her position as a professor at the end of her term on June 30, 2025.
UC Berkeley is deeply grateful for Dean Anand’s transformational leadership in these challenging times. She began her tenure as interim dean in July 2020, during the first summer of the pandemic and time of reckoning about racial injustice. After a nationwide search, she was hired as the school’s permanent dean. During COVID-19, Dean Anand co-led an effort to turn Berkeley Journalism within one week into a working newsroom with students covering the pandemic for the New York Times. In the summer after George Floyd’s murder, she led the Berkeley Journalism community in crafting an anti-racism plan to help “change the face of journalism.” As part of the plan, she created a scholarship program for first-generation college students, or Dean’s Fellows, which includes full tuition, living expenses, and wraparound support in financial literacy, writing, and wellness.
Today, Berkeley Journalism is flourishing. Under Dean Anand’s leadership, the school has raised $50 million from private and public sources. This includes a five-year, $10 million pledge — the largest individual contribution the school has ever received. The infusion of philanthropic support has enabled the school to double its financial aid this year and put Berkeley Journalism on a path toward a “debt free” education for all. Through the end of her term, Dean Anand will be continuing her strong leadership of the school to advance several key initiatives. Berkeley Journalism will continue its five-year Campaign for Berkeley Journalism, deepen its commitment to local news, strengthen its cutting-edge journalism curriculum, make its online undergraduate minor and certificate programs available to students around the world, advance efforts to reshape coverage of the climate crisis and build its Business Journalism program. Dean Anand will ensure a smooth and successful leadership transition.
You can read more about Dean Anand’s accomplishments on the Berkeley Journalism website
Chancellor Rich Lyons and I are committed to the success of Berkeley Journalism and to ensuring that excellent leadership continues to be a hallmark of the school. We thank Dean Anand for her many contributions as dean and look forward to many more contributions she will make at Berkeley during her final year as dean and through her career as a journalist and professor.
Although search timelines often change, our current goal is to post the advertisement for the permanent dean position in fall 2024 and announce the new Journalism dean in spring 2025, aiming for a July 1, 2025 start date.
Sincerely,
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost