BERKELEY — Richard Lyons, UC Berkeley’s associate vice chancellor for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and an alumnus of the university, on Wednesday was named as the replacement for Chancellor Carol Christ, who plans to retire by the end of this semester.
Lyons’ connection to the university goes back decades. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business and finance from UC Berkeley in 1982, and returned as a faculty member about a decade later after earning a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and teaching at the Columbia Business School for six years, according to a press release announcing his appointment.
During his time as a UC Berkeley professor, Lyons specialized in the study of international finance and global exchange rates, according to the press release. Lyons became the dean of the Haas School of Business in 2006, helping to establish two new degree programs connecting the College of Engineering and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. He also oversaw the construction of Connie & Kevin Chou Hall, a modern learning laboratory.
Heading into his new role, Lyons said his focus will be on strengthening the university’s economic model, further supporting the research arm of the campus and stewarding the university through big changes with a focus on values.
“My goal as a leader then, and now is to facilitate and sustain a culture that supports diversity of perspective, provides every student with a true sense of belonging and encourages educational innovation,” Lyons said in the press release. “When we are great as educators, it’s identity-making. We’re helping students and others see identities in themselves that they couldn’t see.”
Lyons was questioned during a press conference on how he would handle two controversial issues on campus currently — developing student housing on a 2.8-acre lot known as People’s Park and often contentious protests regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
Lyons said People’s Park is a “profoundly important and symbolic part of Berkeley’s history” that is honored within the proposal to build housing for 1,100 university students and 125 homeless residents within two dorm buildings. That proposal will move forward if permitted by the state under Lyons tenure, he said.
“There are parts of where we’re landing that some people are unhappy with. I believe Carol and the campus have struck a very sensible balance and I plan to continue it,” Lyons said.
Addressing campus protests related to the conflict in the Middle East, Lyons said Berkeley has been a “pioneer in free speech and academic freedom” and that “it must remain so.” But he also said he leans toward “institutional neutrality” when it comes to speaking on major national and international issues on behalf of the university.
“To speak for the institution when I don’t believe it serves the mission of the institution, I don’t think that’s a good choice,” Lyons said, noting it’s not a hard and fast rule.
Lyons’ tenure as chancellor will begin July 1 and he’ll earn a salary of $946,445, a 35.8 percent increase of Christ’s $697,164 base pay.
Christ, who announced her retirement after seven years leading the university, was the first woman to hold the position and rose to the role after decades as a professor and administrator.
“I am both thrilled and reassured by this excellent choice. In so many ways, Rich embodies Berkeley’s very best attributes, and his dedication to the university’s public mission and values could not be stronger,” Christ said in a press release. “I am confident he will bring to the office visionary aspirations for Berkeley’s future that are informed by, and deeply respectful of, our past.”
