Inside Bay Area's Interview with Chancellor Birgeneau 

Inside Bay Area has an interview with Chancellor Birgeneau about his tenure in Berkeley so far. It primarily focuses on the poor diversity numbers of the university.

Reassessing admissions policies needs to be part of the solution if the University of California, Berkeley, is to reverse the dismal enrollment figures of blacks and Latinos, the university's new chancellor said in an interview last week.

While Robert Birgeneau isn't ready to lay down specifics, he acknowledges a little tinkering should go hand in hand with other efforts — such as strong outreach programs — to prepare and attract blacks and Latinos to the prestigious campus.

He also talks about his experiences at Cal with the students...

One of his biggest surprises has been the reception from students, who, at least in this first blush of newness, are treating him like a rock star.

Almost daily, groups of students stop Birgeneau on campus and accost him on the streets of Berkeley. They pull out cell phone cameras to take pictures of him, then e-mail the snaps to their mothers.

"This has never happened to me before in my life," said a delighted Birgeneau, who said the undergraduates are among the most engaged he has ever met.

"The student body is very different from the stereotype that people have of Berkeley as a place with a student body who's only interest is in oppositional politics," he said. "Our students are the exact opposite."

and the city of Berkeley.

But it hasn't all been cell phones and proud parents. Birgeneau also has found himself at the center of a lawsuit threat from the city of Berkeley over the campus's 15-year development plan, and has clashed with Berkeley city officials over recently announced plans to renovate Memorial Stadium and other parts of campus.

Strangely enough, though, Birgeneau doesn't make any mention of this on his weblog.Email This Post!