Dear Colleagues,
I have given a lot of thought to my recent reappointment as dean of Berkeley Haas. I am honored and looking forward to continuing my work on behalf of our outstanding community for another five years. But before I start my second tenure, I have decided to take a sabbatical this fall to continue my research and to get a fresh perspective on making Haas the best it can be.
Haas will be in great hands. I am able to embark on a sabbatical because we have such a strong staff and faculty, and I am surrounded by a very talented and collaborative leadership team that has really coalesced over the last few years.
Our current Associate Deans for Academic Affairs, Professors Jenny Chatman and Don Moore, will serve as acting deans during my sabbatical. Don will serve in this role from July through September and Jenny from October through December.
I am also happy to announce that Professor Terry Taylor will start his tenure as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs on July 1. This will ensure that we have the same excellent level of support for our faculty hiring and promotion while Jenny and Don serve as acting deans. I will make a separate announcement on this shortly.
On sabbatical, I will focus on important research into the gender pay gap in the hope that new insights will benefit our students and alumni as well as my own daughters. Women are not the only ones hurt by this gap. Their partners, children, and families–indeed all of us–are affected by these lost wages. In order to create meaningful change, we need to understand the root causes of this gap. Fairly little research exists on this, and I hope that my co-author, Professor Laura Kray, and I can start to change that. Doing so will lift women everywhere. It will also benefit the reputation of Haas as a pioneer in creating this knowledge.
I am proud of all we at Haas have accomplished together in the last four years. Our programs are strong and growing, our larger ladder and professional faculty groups are more diverse than ever, and our alumni are re-engaging and giving back to make our network even stronger. Last year was a record fundraising year. Thanks to your help we tied for first place in the Faculty/Staff Challenge for having the most staff and faculty donors in this spring’s Big Give! This allows us to move our strategic plan forward by further strengthening our faculty and our collaborations within Berkeley, elevating our students’ experience, and advancing our teaching, research, and practice mission. I am proud of all that we have accomplished in the area of ISI–innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and climate change, and diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging.
If you have any questions about the transition, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, Jenny, or Don.
Go Bears!
Appreciatively for all you do,