“Sustaining that will be a challenge, probably requiring steady quantities of energy and innovation. But there’s every reason to be optimistic; every faculty member and administrator I met, campus-wide, believes strongly that inclusion is an ingredient of excellence for a world-class institution, and that Berkeley’s special mission at ground zero of America’s demographic change makes inclusion an absolute imperative,” he added.
Beyond dealing with minority enrollment issues, Edley said he intends to create a branch of the Harvard Civil Rights Project at Berkeley.
In addition, he will have to confront a statewide budget crisis that continues to afflict public education.
“The fact that the school and university face fiscal pressures means that it’s a tough job and that is part of the attraction,” Edley said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday.
—Staff writer Andrew C. Esensten can be reached at esenst@fas.harvard.edu.