February 2007
Friends of the College of Engineering,
Our entire Berkeley Engineering community continues to mourn the loss of Dean Richard Newton, our visionary leader for the past seven years. Rich was, quite simply, extraordinary, and his contributions went well beyond the College and the University. His death leaves a tremendous void.
It was Rich’s style to always look for the best. His vision—harnessing the power of technology to engineer creative and effective solutions for society’s most stubborn challenges—will continue to be implemented through our incredible young engineering students. And while these students contribute to Rich’s full legacy, they also provide us with a more immediate source of comfort, reminding us of our mission to educate leaders.
Rich always said that we should leave the world a better place than we found it. He could not have left us a better example than the work he did at Berkeley. He has left behind a truly vibrant College, whose department chairs and faculty are dedicated and committed to continuing his vision for research, teaching and service on behalf of California, the nation and the world.
An internal search is underway, with the goal of appointing a full-term dean by July 1, 2007. In the meantime, I will serve as acting dean. I am delighted to announce that Paul Gray has agreed to serve as special assistant for space planning and development. You will recall that Paul preceded Rich Newton as Dean of Engineering, and stepped down in July 2006 from serving the campus as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. We welcome him back to the College.
Many of you have contacted us with heartfelt messages of sympathy and support. Words cannot adequately convey how much your support means to us during this difficult transition. But on behalf of all of us in the College, I thank you sincerely.
Berkeley Engineering remains strong and vibrant. Our work goes from the nanoscale, through construction, all the way to complex systems that literally encompass the globe. Engineers will also play a crucial role in the Energy Biosciences Institute just established by BP with an unprecedented investment of $500 million. This is a truly historic development for Berkeley!
Fiona Doyle
Acting Dean, College of Engineering
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