Charles Huang ’93, chair of the UC Berkeley Foundation Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Light the Way campaign. Photo by Keegan Houser.
What distinguishes Berkeley faculty?
One admirable trait of Berkeley’s ethos is that if something is great, we give people access to it. Our faculty are examples.
As an undergraduate, I met Yuan T. Lee, a personal hero because he was the first person from Taiwan, where I was born, to win a Nobel Prize (1986, chemistry). At that time, he was teaching introductory chemistry — a big class even by Berkeley standards. It blew my mind that a Nobel laureate would teach freshmen, and not just graduate students.
Fast forward 30 years, my daughter, Charlotte, took Computer Science 61A — our largest undergrad course by enrollment! It was taught by John DeNero, a winner of Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award. To teach 1,700 students at such a high level is amazing.
World-class researchers and teachers who teach the biggest classes. That’s Berkeley faculty!
Where can philanthropy make a difference?
The most impactful gifts are those that help establish new positions, enable faculty to expand their research, and inspire them to stay when other universities are trying to lure them away.
“Adding more faculty positions allows Berkeley to create new spots in emerging fields or hire more diverse faculty, rather than wait for someone to retire or leave. We can think outside of the box …” — Charles Huang
The Hellman Fellows Fund, for example, made a generous gift to create a challenge match that will establish 32 endowments, which provide sustainable funding in perpetuity. These endowments, referred to as the Society for Hellman Fellows, support early-career faculty whose research shows great promise in the arts and humanities, social sciences, STEM fields, and professional fields. While being a young faculty member is exciting, external grants are hard to come by. The Hellman Fellows funds provide the critical push they need to produce research and advance their careers. To date, nine of the 32 named endowments have been fulfilled.
As of July 1, 2022, more than 5,000 donors had given over $400 million to faculty excellence.
How does adding more faculty positions benefit Berkeley?
I protested for more faculty diversity as an undergraduate. Looking back, I see that change in the faculty happens very slowly. Adding more faculty positions allows Berkeley to create new spots in emerging fields or hire more diverse faculty, rather than wait for someone to retire or leave. We can think outside of the box to meet the moment and stay ahead as disciplines rapidly evolve.
