Chancellor Emerita Carol Christ (sixth from left) and College of Engineering dean Tsu-Jae King Liu (to the right of Christ) at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Engineering Center in 2023. Photo by Adam Lau.
Berkeley’s excellence in engineering dates to the University of California’s founding in 1868. That excellence continues today. More than 70 faculty members are members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, the college is consistently ranked among the top three engineering programs in the country, and Berkeley Engineering innovations are making an impact daily on societal-scale challenges around the world.
Enrollment has grown 80 percent since 1980. Now is the time to support that growth and fuel our students’ passion for driving change. Opening in 2025, the Engineering Center, funded entirely through philanthropy, will provide one-stop access to the programs that help our students succeed — advising, career services, tutoring, academic and social events, and our flagship entrepreneurship activities. It will also be a focal point for student collaboration, reinforcing the inclusive, team-oriented culture that is Berkeley Engineering.
Our students tell us they want a place to gather and collaborate, an open, welcoming space that showcases the vibrancy of Berkeley Engineering. We are investing in the new student center to create just that.
Physical space matters
When we renovated the engineering library a decade ago, usage went up 68 percent. About 3,000 students annually use Jacobs Hall, a maker space that opened in 2015. The new Engineering Center reimagines what’s possible for today’s students:
- Adds 35,500 square feet across two new floors
- Facilitates group study, club meetings, team projects, career services, and recruitment activities
- Centralizes entrepreneurship activities and premium events space
- Maximizes all indoor and outdoor collaboration spaces
- Fosters a welcoming culture for students across campus that unlocks our individual and collective potential
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Oski joined undergraduate students in shoveling dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony In 2023. Photo by Adam Lau.
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A hardhat and shovels from the 2023 groundbreaking. Photo by Adam Lau.
