A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Dear Alumni and Supporters,

As I write this letter, the Berkeley campus has once again sprung to life with students, faculty, and staff—a welcome sight indeed!

I am so proud of the resilience and creativity of our community as they adapted to a changing educational, social, and work landscape. Over the past 18 months, thanks to your commitment to our school, we were able to invest in our strategic priorities so that Haas could reemerge stronger than ever.

For example, we launched a certificate in sustainable business to empower future leaders to bring a sustainability lens to every decision within their organizations. We created a five-year Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan. And we raised funds for a new Entrepreneurship and Innovation group and Entrepreneurship Hub that will make Haas the gateway for entrepreneurial activities across campus.

Meanwhile, our world-class faculty revised our MBA core curriculum, partnered with staff to improve classes, and worked with students to support local businesses during the pandemic. Three Berkeley Haas economists are managing the nation’s finances: Professor Catherine Wolfram and Associate Professor Adair Morse have joined Professor Emeritus Janet Yellen, who serves as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Our reputation continued to soar among our peers. We recruited the best and brightest faculty, who also had offers from top schools such as Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and Stanford. Applications increased and selectivity rose. A number of our programs—including the M.E.T. program combining undergraduate degrees in business and engineering—as well as our PhD program—admit less than 5% of applicants. We remain one of the most selective and sought-after MBA programs of the top 10 schools. Our new graduate program with the College of Engineering and new undergraduate program with the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology are also standouts in our achievements over the last three years. 

That is just for starters. On these pages you will find many more ways our school thrived during challenging times. Your generosity allows us to pursue our vision to forge leaders who can holistically build innovation, inclusion, and sustainability into their careers. Berkeley Haas is the only leading business school to make all three the focal point of its education. We truly are the heart of what’s next.

Thank you for all you do to keep Haas among the world’s top business schools.

Sincerely,

ANN E. HARRISON
Bank of America Dean