Thursday, June 09, 2016

University of California, Berkeley

My faculty colleague Dana Weiser visited UC Berkeley (also known as "Cal") a while back and was kind enough to provide photos of the campus. Berkeley is one of my favorite campuses; I've visited it several times, but all before I started operating this blog.

From its strong academics (here and here) to its left-wing politics, Berkeley is one of the most famous universities in the U.S., if not the world. Campus architectural icons include Sather Tower (also known as the Campanile) and Sather Gate, shown in the following photos...




One can see the tower in the background from much of the campus...


As noted on the following plaque, Berkeley was the first University of California campus, opening in 1873...


The California Golden Bear mascot (coinciding with the bear symbol on the California state flag) is ubiquitous on campus...


The next several photos show a range from very old to moderately old to very new buildings. South Hall is an original building on the Berkeley campus...


Vigorous discussion is common on campus and the University Library (also known as Doe Library) is no exception. Opened in 1911, the Library currently is embroiled in a debate over whether to maintain the book stacks of the past or move forward in the digital era.


Next is what appears to be a former home of the Department of Psychology. Tolman Hall, which has housed Psychology from 1963 to the present, looks nothing like the building pictured below. In fact, Tolman also will be going by the wayside, with a new facility scheduled to open in 2017 or 2018.


Berkeley has also been constructing new buildings, of course. Stanley Hall (below) houses several programs in science and technology. One is "QB3," short for the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, a multisite program with UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, and non-university entities.


The Haas School of Business has a somewhat funky low-rise layout...


The following piece of public art is adjacent to the Haas Business School...


Next are the major athletic facilities. First is the renovated Memorial Stadium (football), whose additions included a new press box (shown on far-right of picture). A close-up of the bear outside the stadium is also shown...


Below is Haas Pavilion (basketball; formerly known as Harmon Gym)...


The campus also features some interesting historical markers. The Free Speech Movement, which began during the Fall 1964 semester in an attempt to lift restrictions on students' on-campus political organizing and campaigning, is now honored with a cafe...


There are also murals that were funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program under Franklin Delano Roosevelt...


Finally, the campus features some rustic areas, which I don't recall from my visits to Cal. These are located in the Strawberry Creek area.


Below is Anthony Hall, formerly known as the "Pelican Building."


(I have lightly edited the text to update the locations of some of the structures discussed above, based on information from Dana Weiser.)