University of California

The University of California, Berkeley (also referred to as Berkeley, UC Berkeley, California or simply Cal) is a publicresearch university located in Berkeley, California. It is the flagship campus of the University of California system, one of three parts in the state's public higher education plan, which also includes the California State University system and the California Community Colleges System.

It is considered by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings as one of six university brands that lead in world reputation rankings in 2015 and is ranked third on the U.S. News' 2015 Best Global Universities rankings conducted in the U.S. and nearly 50 other countries. The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) also ranks the University of California, Berkeley fourth in the world overall, and first among public universities. It is broadly ranked first in science, third in engineering, and fifth in social sciences, with specific rankings of first in chemistry, first in physics, third in computer science, fourth in mathematics, and fourth in economics/business. The university is also well known for producing a high number of entrepreneurs.

In 1866, the private College of California purchased the land comprising the current Berkeley campus. Because it lacked sufficient funds to operate, it eventually merged with the state-run Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College to form the University of California, the first full-curriculum public university in the state.

Ten faculty members and almost 40 students made up the new University of California when it opened in Oakland in 1869. Frederick H. Billings was a trustee of the College of California and suggested that the college be named in honor of the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley.In 1870, Henry Durant, the founder of the College of California, became the first president. With the completion of North and South Halls in 1873, the university relocated to its Berkeley location with 167 male and 222 female students and held its first classes.

Beginning in 1891, Phoebe Apperson Hearst made several large gifts to Berkeley, funding a number of programs and new buildings, and sponsoring, in 1898, an international competition in Antwerp, Belgium, where French architect Émile Bénard submitted the winning design for a campus master plan. In 1905, the University Farm was established near Sacramento, ultimately becoming the University of California, Davis.[25] By the 1920s, the number of campus buildings had grown substantially, and included twenty structures designed by architect John Galen Howard.

In 1952, the University of California became an entity separate from the Berkeley campus. Each campus was given relative autonomy and its own Chancellor. Then-president Sproul assumed presidency of the entire University of California system, and Clark Kerr became the first Chancellor of UC Berkeley.

UC Berkeley has been fully accredited since 1949 and had its accreditation reaffirmed most recently in 2015 under the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) pilot institutional review process.

This process focused on the meaning, quality, and integrity of degrees; evidence of student learning at all degree levels, emphasizing undergraduates' skills acquisition; undergraduate graduation and retention rates; and institutional sustainability and strategic planning for the future.

UC Berkeley will undergo a full accreditation review next in 2024.

Life at Berkeley doesn't stand still.

        Student organizations:

• The athletic teams at UC Berkeley are known as the California Golden Bears (often shortened to "Cal Bears" or just "Cal"). The Golden Bears' traditional arch-rivalry is with the Stanford Cardinal. The most anticipated sporting event between the two universities is the annual football game dubbed the Big Game, and it is celebrated with spirit events on both campuses. Since 1933, the winner of the Big Game has been awarded custody of the Stanford Axe.

• The Daily Californian is an independent, student-run newspaper published by the Independent Berkeley Students Publishing Company, Inc.  The Daily Californian covers both the UC Berkeley campus and the city of Berkeley.The newspaper publishes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the academic year and twice a week during the summer. Established in 1871, The Daily Californian is one of the oldest newspapers on the West Coast and one of the oldest college newspapers in the country.The Daily Cal is run entirely by current or recently-graduated UC Berkeley students, and the majority of the business division of the newspaper is student-operated as well. Connect with current Daily Cal student leadership and staff by clicking here.One of the few campus newspapers in the country that is completely independent from the university it covers, the Daily Cal supports itself through advertising revenue and does receive funding from the V.O.I.C.E. Initiative, which requires all UC Berkeley students to pay $2 per semester.

• UC Choral Ensembles, also known as UCCE, offers students many exciting learning and performance opportunities including the development of musical and vocal skills and the exploration of a wide-variety of musical styles. Performances range from formal concerts with professional soloists and orchestra to participation in Cal Spirit events. UCCE is comprised of nine groups: UC Men's Chorale, UC Women's Chorale, UC Alumni Chorus, UC Men's Octet, California Golden Overtones, Noteworthy, Cal Jazz Choir, Perfect Fifth, and BareStage Productions.