Appointment Announcement: Executive Director of University Business Partnerships & Services

June 23, 2015

Vice Chancellor Wilton sent the message below on June 8, 2015.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Solly Fulp as the Executive Director of University Business Partnerships and Services (UBPS). After completing a thorough review of internal and external candidates, the search committee selected Solly for this important position, which will be responsible for leading and managing our recently launched campus initiative, the University Partnership Program (UPP). In addition, Solly will oversee Cal Recreational Sports, with Cal Rec Sports Director Mike Weinberger reporting directly to him. The new reporting relationship for Rec Sports will allow it to not only benefit from Solly's deep experience in athletics, but also to explore new revenue generating opportunities that can support the health and fitness programs we provide to our entire student body. 

In Solly’s previous roles as Cal’s Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer of intercollegiate athletics and a lecturer at the Haas School of Business, Solly has demonstrated a deep commitment to our campus and our mission.  He brings extensive experience in securing new revenue and fostering strategic partnerships in both the public and private sectors. As a member of the California Memorial Stadium Visioning Committee, Solly played an instrumental role in transforming the stadium into a dynamic, multi-use facility benefiting multiple academic and campus units. Most recently, he led Berkeley’s efforts to secure a partnership with Kabam at California Memorial Stadium, which included nearly $18 million in support for the stadium financial model, an annual donation to the library, scholarships, an internship program, and additional partnerships on campus around innovation and technology. He also brings comprehensive experience in higher education. Prior to joining the Cal Athletics team, he served as adjunct faculty at the University of San Francisco and managed the multi-media rights business for seven Pac-12 universities including Cal, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA, as well as the Rose Bowl property.

The University Partnership Program will provide campus units with the infrastructure to work collaboratively across the university to develop comprehensive relationships with business partners. As part of UC Berkeley’s broader efforts to identify and generate additional revenue to support its public mission, the program will unite similar, existing partnerships; leverage the size of our campus to maximize the opportunities and value for Berkeley and our students; and seek partner agreements in alignment with the university’s values and mission. As part of our initial work, we have established an advisory board comprised of key campus stakeholders and we are developing a governance structure to ensure proper engagement and alignment with the values and aspirations of our campus.  We will share more information about UPP in the weeks ahead as we work in collaboration with our campus partners and advisory group to establish this new campus office.

In his new position, Solly will report to me and will serve as a member of my executive leadership team. Please join me in congratulating him on this important leadership appointment and wishing him the greatest success in his new position.

Sincerely,

John Wilton
Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance