From the Nominator

On Feb. 29, 2020, UC Berkeley launched Light the Way: The Campaign for Berkeley, a historic effort to raise $6 billion by the end of 2023. Its priorities include adding 100 new faculty, increasing fellowship and scholarship support, improving the undergraduate experience, supporting multidisciplinary research to solve today’s grand challenges, and building better housing, athletics, and academic facilities. 
 
That evening, nearly 350 of Berkeley’s most generous supporters gathered at California Memorial Stadium to celebrate the campaign opening. Guests enjoyed:

• A welcome reception with art installations
• A high-energy program featuring four videos and four faculty presentations illuminating the campaign priorities and research themes (health, environment, data science/AI, democracy/equality). Chancellor Carol Christ also made a surprise announcement of several transformational gifts, including $252 million to seed the construction of a home for data science, and $50 million to boost our leadership in addressing environmental and health challenges
• A strolling dinner, where guests could also engage in interactive learning activities and photo opportunities with Berkeley Nobel laureates, Olympians, and the Stanford Axe, a legendary symbol of the long-standing Berkeley-Stanford rivalry
• Student entertainment peppered throughout the evening, including mariachi, jazz, cello, a capella singing, and the Cal Band.

From the Judges

We really enjoyed how this event encouraged guests to move throughout the space. The event was exemplary in its work, with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as the excellent use of theming. Also an excellent example of spending budget on a professional production company. The team behind this event deserve credit for thinking outside the box, and moving away from standard event formats. We also applaud the engaging involvement of the Nobel Laureates.