Lisa García Bedolla

Lisa García Bedolla became the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate Division in July 2019. The chief advocate for graduate education and research at Berkeley, she is a member of academic and administrative leadership groups convened by the Chancellor and the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. She works with the Graduate Council of the Academic Senate on policies that sustain the world-renowned excellence of more than 100 graduate programs. The Dean of the Graduate Division ensures equity and fairness across the disciplines, collaborates across the spectrum of campus stakeholders, and builds diverse sources of academic, financial, personal, and professional development support for more than 11,000 doctoral and master’s students throughout their studies.

• Manages the Office of Graduate Diversity (OGD) staff to support the outreach to, recruitment, admission, academic success, and graduation of students who will enrich the diversity of graduate programs at the University of California, Berkeley.
• Provides students from historically underrepresented backgrounds with graduate resources regarding the admissions process, academic support, financial advice, professional development, and a forum to share ideas and programs to enhance their educational experience.
• Supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of OGD’s pipeline, academic success, and recruitment programs.
• Designs and implements outreach strategies to increase the number of competitive underrepresented applicants and matriculants.
• Works with internal campus departments/colleges/schools and external partners to expand and support pipeline programs and outreach efforts.

• Oversees fellowship matters and other student financial support matters
• Oversees student well-being and welfare issues
• Oversees Graduate Student Professional Development programs and liaises with the Graduate Council subcommittee on Graduate Professional Development
• Represents the Graduate Division in academic program reviews (shared with Gail Brager)
• Associate Professor in the departments of African American Studies and Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

• Oversees admission allotments
  
• Reviews academic program proposals and requests for exceptions to academic policies
  
• Oversees the Interdisciplinary PhD program; the GSI Teaching and Resource Center, Graduate Writing Center, and Mentoring programs
• Represents Graduate Division in supporting the campus’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
• Serves as liaison to the Graduate Council of the Academic Senate
• Represents the Graduate Division in academic program reviews (shared with Brandi Catanese)
  
• Professor of Architecture, Building Science
• Director of the Center for Environmental Design Research
• Associate Director, Center for the Built Environment

• Manages the staff and overall operations in the Admissions, Fellowships, Appointments, Degrees, and Student Life units
• Implements new policies and executes changes to existing policies related to graduate student services
• Approves exceptions as delegated by the Associate Deans to policies and regulations and makes recommendations to the Director of Academic Affairs and Associate Deans on specific issues or cases
• Advises departments and students on issues of probation, lapsing, and dismissal, and sensitive student matters
• Oversees processes to ensure compliance of students and department administrators with existing requirements and policies related to academic progress, enrollment, appointment eligibility, terms of financial awards, admissions procedures
• Develops communication plans and schedules trainings and informational sessions to inform and educate campus academic departments, administrative offices, and outside agencies
• Acts as coordinator of Graduate Division role in instances of deaths of graduate students
• Represents the Graduate Student Services unit to the campus community and relevant external constituencies

• Senior advisor to Graduate Division leadership and campus on graduate educational policy matters.
• Advises on development of new or proposed changes to graduate educational policy.
• Advises on and oversees academic program requests for exceptions to or waivers from graduate educational policy.
• Advises on the development of new graduate degree and non-degree proposals, as well as changes in the requirements of existing graduate academic programs.
• Advises on formal graduate student appeals and oversees the process on behalf of the vice provost and dean.
• Acts as liaison to the Graduate Council.
• Coordinates graduate group snd self-supporting graduate professional degree program reviews conducted by the Graduate Council.
• Oversees graduate academic conduct and climate matters.

• Leads new graduate academic misconduct policy rollout.
• Advises graduate students on their responsibilities surrounding academic conduct.
• Collaborates with Center for Student Conduct on graduate student academic misconduct cases.
• Collaborates with other campus partners to address and improve climate issues within departments that affect graduate students.

• Provides leadership and vision for graduate student professional development, GSI Teaching and Resource Center
• Supports the work of Graduate Council standing committees
• Supervises and guides the work of Graduate Division professional development staff
• Works with graduate students, faculty, and departmental staff to ensure compliance with Graduate Council policy on GSI preparation for teaching
• Designs, oversees, and evaluates centralized programs for GSIs
• Designs and facilitates workshops on a wide range of topics pertaining to teaching and mentoring in the Graduate Division and in departments
• Teaches GSPDP 301, Mentoring in Higher Education, and GSPDP 375, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
• Co-directs the Summer Institute for Preparing Future Faculty

• Graduate admissions & enrollment planning & analysis
• Institutional data reporting
• Dashboard and data visualization development

• Serves as senior advisor on Graduate Division-specific and campus-wide priorities. Including:
  • Improving graduate student experience, diversity, inclusion, and campus climate.
  • Enhancing graduate student professional development opportunities.
  • Providing overall support for the graduate student community.
• Directly supports the Vice Provost to advance the institution’s priorities, anticipating emerging issues, 
• Keeps the Graduate Division team well-informed of emerging campus issues, and develops creative options to resolve complex problems. 
• Provide oversight of the various Graduate Division functions to ensure the division is highly professional, proactive, and responsive to all stakeholders.

• Ensures smooth daily operations across finance, human resources, and risk management.
• Oversees and manages the Graduate Division’s budgets, crafts and implements policies, and drives improvements while ensuring compliance with university regulations.
• Responsible for the Graduate Division’s HR functions and serves as a key liaison to various campus departments.
• Analyzes financial data, forecasts budget scenarios, and spearheads process enhancements to keep the division running efficiently.

• Advises on policies pertaining to Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs (SSGPDPs)
• Assists academic units with new SSGPDP proposals and Academic Senate reviews
• Provides ongoing program support

• Oversees management of the Dean’s calendar, briefing book, and associated meetings
• Facilitates communication with internal and external constituents of the Graduate Division
• Provides administrative support for the Dean’s Office and other senior staff
• Triages department requests to the appropriate unit for resolution

Hallie Smith, PhD, as a Future of Higher Education Postdoctoral Fellow, is supporting staff in Graduate Student Services and campus academic units by creating and sharing student handbook templates, facilitating the GSAO Coordinating Committee, and serving on internal teams that plan and implement various student events such as New Graduate Student Orientation and Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week.