Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that Sara Guyer has been reappointed as dean of the Division of Arts & Humanities for a second term, beginning July 1, 2026. Over the next five years, Dean Guyer will continue to build on the momentum she has created, expanding support for global languages and the creative arts and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Arts & Humanities, one of the largest and most diverse academic units within UC Berkeley.
Since arriving on campus in 2021, Dean Guyer has helped to establish new areas of research and has reinvested in the division's areas of long-standing strength. She has encouraged collaborations across departments and units. She has also supported interdisciplinary areas, including work in African Humanities, Latinx Cultural Expression, Global Indigenity, and several language programs. Under her leadership, the Division has recruited over fifty new faculty and expanded mentoring for assistant professors. With the goal of maintaining the excellence of their top-ranked graduate programs, she has worked with departments to stabilize their degree programs through redesigning the division’s approach to graduate recruitment and funding.
She is a notable fundraiser, who has meaningfully advanced the public case for the humanities and worked to re-establish the arts and humanities as core to the university’s research and teaching mission. Wonderfully, the number of undergraduates majoring in Arts & Humanities has soared during her tenure, resulting in the Division’s largest major headcount in almost fifteen years. Through her efforts and leadership, she has demonstrated that it is both possible and necessary for the arts and humanities to flourish.
Dean Guyer’s leadership will continue to be defined by a commitment to making the arts and humanities more integral, sustainable, and visible in the 21st century. Her vision centers on fostering a culture of transparency and partnership to bolster Berkeley’s core research strengths and ensure that critical inquiry remains a fundamental component of a diverse and democratic society. Under her stewardship, the Division will continue to be an essential engine of scholarly innovation, creative practice, and public impact.
Please join us in congratulating Dean Guyer on her re-appointment. Her deep intellectual foundation, proven track record of institutional revitalization and advocacy will continue to elevate the Division’s global standing and essential contribution to the university’s mission. To learn more about Dean Guyer and her accomplishments, please visit this news story.
Sincerely,
Richard K. Lyons
Chancellor
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
