Rosemary JoyceDear Graduate Students,

I’ve been glad to meet some of you at various activities for graduate students that have already taken place this semester: the New Graduate Student Orientation, the Conference for New GSIs, some departmental receptions, even a panel on Central American immigration (one of my particular interests). I look forward to meeting many of you at events, large and small, throughout the coming academic year.

You may have seen news of the latest feather in our collective cap: for the 17th consecutive year, the most recent rankings by U.S. News & World Report placed UC Berkeley as first among public universities in the nation.

Most of Berkeley’s academic programs ranked among the top 10 of all institutions, public and private, examined by USNWR in its study — and, in nearly all cases, among the top 5. Chemistry was ranked 1st; Physics was ranked 2nd; Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics were each ranked 3rd; and Biological Sciences were ranked 4th. Within those broad disciplinary fields, many of our individual programs were ranked 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

External indicators and assessments by academic peers validate what we faculty and staff experience day to day in our classrooms, libraries, labs, and meetings with you, the stellar students who choose Berkeley for your studies and preparation for your future careers. The intellectual synergies and creative ferment found at Berkeley are unsurpassed by any other setting. Each of you helps make this happen by sharing your curiosity, passions, and ambitions with all those around you.

And we in the Graduate Division are here to help each of you navigate your path at our large and complex institution as smoothly as possible. If you have a question, look on our website for a wealth of resources — and feel welcome to contact us directly!

Warm regards,

Rosemary A. Joyce
Interim Dean of the Graduate Division
Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor
of Social Sciences and Professor of Anthropology