Dear Graduate Student Community,

photo of Lisa Garcia Bedolla standing on the steps of Sproul Hall

Welcome to the start of a new academic year! To our continuing students, we can’t wait to see what inspires you this year. For our new graduate students, I want to extend a very warm welcome. We are so lucky you chose Berkeley! I know many of you are busy attending your departmental orientations or our New Graduate Student Orientation happening virtually this week (Recordings will be available soon). 

First-time GSIs, please be certain to attend the Fall Teaching Conference, August 17-18.

Berkeley is a big place and the Graduate Division is here to support you along your journey. As you navigate campus, the Graduate Student Resources Guide is a hub of services and resources for graduate students. We hope this helps you navigate Berkeley. 

To kick off this year, all graduate students — master’s, professional, and doctoral, both new and continuing — are invited to attend our 3rd annual Grad-stravaganza; a grad student welcome event on Wednesday September 6, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Enjoy free food,giveaways, music, entertainment, family-friendly activities and an opportunity to connect with your peers in-person. In order to make certain we have enough food, we ask that you please register for this event.

I wanted to make you all aware of a staff departure from the Graduate Division – Denzil Streete, who has served as Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Studies & Chief of Staff and Director of the Office for Graduate Diversity, will be pursuing a new opportunity on the east coast. Please join me in wishing him well and sharing my gratitude for everything he has done for our graduate student and campus communities during his time on campus. 

We are very much looking forward to seeing you in person on campus, and sharing in the joy of our vibrant campus community.

Fiat Lux and Go Bears!

Lisa García Bedolla

Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division