Supporting the Social Sciences

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David Card Nobel Reception
WILC Basketball Game
SSCRIP September 2024
Berkeley Liberty Initiative Reception 2024
Post Election: Trade & Taxes Speakers Series
John Burris Premiere
George Papandreou Lecture
2023 Post-commencement Party with Governor Lisa D. Cook
Opening Celebration of the Nikos Kazantzakis Visiting Scholar Program

Your investment in faculty and graduate students will ignite the very core of Berkeley’s excellence and secure our intellectual future for decades to come.

Supporting Faculty

Supporting social sciences faculty addresses both near- and long-term needs by improving endowed funds targeting recruitment and retention, raising current use gifts in support of research, and securing additional funds to support career teaching positions. Supporting our faculty in this way relieves bottlenecks in gateway courses and brings teaching commitments by tenure-track faculty in line with peer institutions. Your support ensures that our students have access to the best scholars in the world and that cutting-edge research is conducted at UC Berkeley amidst our commitment and dedication to the public good.  

Supporting Graduate Student Fellowships

Recognizing the importance of graduate students to the research enterprise, as well as their impact on teaching and institutional reputation, the Social Sciences Division will expand the number and total amount of graduate fellowship endowments. Among our priorities are more stable, multi-year fellowships to ensure the size and quality of our graduate student cohorts and an increase in the amount of summer funding to ensure they remain focused on their scholarship.

Join The Social Sciences Dean's Circle!

Mail-in Form: Checks and Cash

Gifts of cash made to the UC Regents and the UC Berkeley Foundation are equally tax-deductible and are used for the purposes specified by the donor. Download the mail-in form here.

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Support Social Sciences Departments

Make a planned gift to the Social Sciences

UC Berkeley Women in Leadership Circle

Get Involved

The Fund for Excellence in Social Sciences

Support Fund

Meet the Development Team 

<h3>Christian Gordon</h3> Christian Gordon is the Assistant Dean of Development for the Social Sciences. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Christian led successful fundraising programs in science and engineering, business, and liberal arts at institutions on both coasts. He earned a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University and a master's degree from Boston University. 
Anya Essiounina Anya Essiounina is the Senior Director of Development for the Division of Social Sciences. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Anya led the development operations team at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund in San Francisco. She moved to the Bay Area from New York, where she worked for the Clinton Foundation. She holds a BA from UCLA and an MPA from USC. She was born in Vladivostok, Russia and grew up in San Diego, California. 
Erik Lehto Erik Lehto is the Senior Associate Director of Development for the Social Sciences division. Prior to joining the Division of Social Sciences, Erik worked in UC Berkeley's Principal Gifts group, where he assisted gift officers in building relationships with some of the university's most significant philanthropic partners. He holds a master’s degree in religion, ethics, and politics from Harvard Divinity School, a master’s degree in Catholic systematics from Boston College, and bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and English from Colorado State University.
Tara C. H. McCulloch Tara Choe Horton is the Senior Associate Director of Development for the Division of Social Sciences. Tara previously served in the office of international relations, where she facilitated the engagement of Berkeley's international alumni, parents, friends, and institutions for support of the campus's highest priorities. Tara holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Hagit Caspi
As Director of Annual Programs for Berkeley Social Sciences, Hagit Caspi focuses on fostering a vibrant and connected community among alumni. Her work centers on bridging alumni relations activities—like events, programming, and communications—with the division's annual fundraising efforts. Hagit collaborates across teams to develop and implement strategies that encourage alumni participation and philanthropic support, overseeing key initiatives such as the annual fund appeals, the Dean’s Circle, and the 1903 Society. She utilizes data insights to better understand alumni interests and inform outreach, always aiming to strengthen the bonds between alumni and the division while securing resources essential for supporting Berkeley Social Sciences' faculty, students, and strategic priorities.