Rich Lyons takes over as UC Berkeley Chancellor, welcomed by Jaydn Ott

Chancellor Rich Lyons introduced himself as a proud California Golden Bear.

Rich Lyons officially took over as Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley on Monday, July 1, succeeding Carol Christ.

We’ve already gone over why we feel Lyons is the best possible hire the University could’ve made to support athletics at this critical juncture—Lyons is the first Cal undergrad to assume the chancellor role, and he will have the best understanding of any leader how important the athletic mission is to the general health of the best public school in the world. Hopefully he is up to this monumental challenge!

Here is his opening message to the larger Cal community.

“Hello, UC Berkeley community. I'm Rich Lyons, your new Chancellor, and I couldn't be more excited for Berkeley's next decade and beyond and what we will build together.

I bring to this role more than 30 years of service and personal experience at Berkeley. I love this place and I have profound respect for the values and the capabilities, including access, excellence, and so much more, that set Berkeley apart. These values and my dedication to them are steadfast and enduring.

Because we are one of a kind, our past, the very foundation of our values,  where our values come from, will not restrain us. Our history serves as a launching pad for even greater excellence and benefit to society.

I'm homegrown. The first undergraduate alum to serve as your Chancellor. More than any place else, UC Berkeley has had the most impact on my life. No contest. This element of who I am is a great source of motivation and meaning for me.

I'm here to serve the whole university. What makes Berkeley, Berkeley, is our scope, our ability to  come at every challenge and every opportunity from every conceivable angle. Our embrace of, our engagement with, the full range of human endeavor and interests and our collaboration between them, that separates us from the crowd.

Our combination of access and excellence occupies a truly singular place in higher education. That singularity is an opportunity to leave a bigger mark on society and make our capabilities understood even more widely around the world.

Why is this important? Berkeley can be a messy place. Ideas that break new ground can be messy business, but for impact, look no further than Berkeley.

We can make UC Berkeley the university of choice for faculty, staff, students, and alumni who want to have an impact. This is my aim.

I also aim to redouble our commitment to our principles of community. These principles which emphasize integrity, diversity, excellence, freedom of expression, and access, help us to navigate overlapping ideals like free speech, academic freedom, commitment to diversity of perspectives, origins and identities in our community. Chancellor Christ and our campus leadership have been guided by these principles to help sustain a stronger, more cohesive community. We have opportunity together in this area as well.

At this stage, I'm in listening mode, naturally. There are so many great ideas you've shared with me. Keep it up, please. Your partnership makes all the difference to our ability to make meaningful, positive progress that benefits all of Berkeley and beyond. I will take advantage of the summer to meet with a broad range of stakeholders with a broad range of perspectives  and interests.

Thank you.

Go Bears.”

Jaydn Ott was among several Cal representatives who welcomed Lyons to the new role of Chancellor.

Chancellor Lyons, a little more than a century and a half ago  UC Berkeley was chartered. At the time there were 10 instructors and 40 students, but its mission was already set: educate the public, or as the state constitution put it, "contribute even more than California's gold to the glory and happiness of advancing generations.”

It's grown since then. More than 20,000 staff and academics work to ensure the university is a world-class institution. More than 45,000 students come from around the world. 30% of Berkeley's undergraduates are first-generation college students.

UC Berkeley's outstanding faculty teach 10,000 graduate and undergraduate courses. Research from Berkeley has found new elements and new ways to understand  ourselves, the cosmos and the atoms that make up our world.

Berkeley has been recognized with more than 60 Nobel prizes. Student-athletes have won 104 national championships. And there's more to do.

This is where you come in Chancellor Lyons. You'll be the 24th leader of this university,  a university that belongs to all of us. Where a marketplace of ideas brings out our best. Research flourishes. Everyone thrives. And alumni change-makers are leading innovation and entrepreneurship.

This is Berkeley, the world's number one public university. We are thrilled to see how you'll lead this institution so that it may continue to contribute to the  glory and happiness of future generations.

Fiat Lux and Go Bears!