Last night we kicked off our first meeting of the year with the VCAF Student Advisory Group. I feel it's imperative that I continue to actively engage with as many students, in as many ways, as I can. We have a tough set of challenges ahead of us: if Berkeley is to continue to grow and excel, as it has despite the massive disinvestment by the state, then we must use our local intelligence to increase efficiency and expand revenue. Last year, this group inspired the creation of informational videos on our budget. This project was a success and a first step towards keeping students and the broader community informed about the university finances and our plans for the future. This year, the conversation will focus on how to broaden the reach and there were some exciting and interesting proposals on the table that we will be developing as the semester unfolds.
Our students are an incredible resource that I hope I can work alongside to help solve the very real problems we face. We started that work last night and I look forward to continuing the process throughout the year.
Stay tuned!
And if you are a student and want more information on how to get involved, please contact our New Initiatives Director, Moira Perez at moirap@berkeley.edu.