Carol T. Christ
CHANCELLOR
200 California Hall #1500
Berkeley, CA 94720-1500
510 642-7464
chancellor.berkeley.edu
September 16, 2022
Membership
Patrick Holmes, Co-Chair, Executive Director of Communications & Marketing,
Communications & Public Affairs
Oliver O’Reilly, Co-Chair, Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education
Julie Conner, Deputy Campus Counsel
Cameron Deptula, Undergraduate Student
Jay Dillon, Executive Director of Alumni Relations, University Development and Alumni Relations
Ty-Ron Douglas, Associate Athletics Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging & Justice
Markeisha Everett, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Athletics
Neil Freese, Creative Director, Communications & Public Affairs
Khira Adams Griscavage, Associate Chancellor
Diana Harvey, Associate Vice Chancellor, Communications & Public Affairs
Eryn Hong, Associate Director of Brand Protection
Elisa Diana Huerta, Interim Senior Director, Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement,
Division of Equity and Inclusion
Sarah Juckniess, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, Cal Alumni Association
Richard Lyons, Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer
Bahar Navab, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Division of Student Affairs
Bill Pearce, Continuing Professional Faculty, Haas School of Business
Jennifer Simon-O’Neill, Chief of Staff, Athletics
Colleen Rovetti, Executive Director, External Relations and Marketing Communications
University Development and Alumni Relations
Mary Ann Smart, Vice Chair/Chair, Berkeley Division, Academic Senate
Re: Berkeley/Cal Identity Task Force
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for agreeing to serve as a member of the Berkeley/Cal Identity Task Force. As a member of this
committee, you will represent the diverse perspectives of our UC Berkeley/Cal community — alumni,
students, faculty, staff, donors, Golden Bear fans and others — and make important decisions that will shape
the future of our university.
Below you will find additional information about the charge of this committee. I expect you to complete
your work and be prepared to present a recommendation by no later than December 31, 2022.
Your work should be in support of furthering our mission and, among other things outlined below, help us to
foster a sense of inclusion and belonging on campus.
Thank you again for your participation and for all that you do in service to our mission.
Carol T. Christ
Chancellor
Background
UC Berkeley was originally named the University of California and wasn’t reorganized into a system of
campuses until 84 years later. Various forms of the campus’ original identity as the University of California,
such as the nicknames “California” and “Cal” have endured to this day and are steeped in tradition.
Over the years, the campus has assumed two distinct identities: UC Berkeley and Cal. UC Berkeley is most
often associated with academics and research. Cal is most often associated with athletics but is also an
important part of the identity for alumni, students, faculty and staff. Some have said that UC Berkeley is the
head and Cal is the heart of the institution.
Over the years, several decisions have been made that further separated the two identities. Current guidelines
preclude the mixing of Berkeley and Cal marks and names and the word “bears” and imagery of bears is not
allowed to be mixed with the Berkeley name.
Challenges
1. Having two distinct identities for one entity is highly problematic from a branding perspective. This
would be akin to Apple being known simultaneously as “Mac” and “iPhone” without the Apple
brand to associate the two. Some people do not realize that UC Berkeley and Cal are the same
university, which means that the breadth of the institution is lost on some people. Others may know
that it is one university but continue to form independent associations with each name due to the way
the identity is bifurcated.
2. Current guidelines preclude campus (non Intercollegiate Athletics) units from using the Cal name
and marks and disallow the use of the word “bears” or bear imagery with the Berkeley name. This
leads to a great deal of confusion and frustration as many people within UC Berkeley consider the
names Berkeley and Cal to be interchangeable and are surprised when they learn that they cannot use
“Cal” or bears in their name. Sometimes departments do not learn that they are in violation of these
rules until many years later.
3. Having two distinct identities has interfered with efforts to create a sense of belonging on campus.
Some students, such as student athletes, feel excluded from the UC Berkeley identity because they’re
only allowed to use Cal in athletics contexts. Similarly, multiple affinity groups have expressed
concerns that current restrictions on the use of the Cal name hinder their equity and inclusion efforts.
Charge
The Berkeley/Cal Identity Task Force’s charge is to develop a name framework for the campus. The task
force is to examine the various names used formally or informally to identify the campus and to determine
when and how these names should be used moving forward. Names currently used to identify the campus
include “University of California, Berkeley,” “UC Berkeley,” “Cal,” “California” and “Berkeley.”
The task force’s tasks are as follows:
● Review available data regarding the brand equity of the various names and marks currently in use.
● Review relevant best practices regarding branding and naming.
● Engage appropriately with relevant stakeholders, including: alumni, current students, faculty and
staff, prospective students, donors and sponsors and peer institutions.
● Consider the implications of any changes to the way the campus is identified, including: national and
international reputation; community pride and traditions; alumni and donor relations; faculty, staff
and student recruitment and retention; licensing and sponsorship agreements; and budget.
● Develop a naming framework for identifying the campus moving forward.
