On May 18th, Chancellor Carol Christ awarded the Berkeley Citation to Bob Jacobsen, Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the College of Letters and Science. This prestigious award is bestowed upon distinguished individuals whose contributions to UC Berkeley go beyond the call of duty and whose achievements exceed the standard of excellence in their fields. For more than 25 years, Jacobsen has met and exceeded both criteria through his outstanding teaching, service, and research at Berkeley.
In 2016, Jacobsen received the Berkeley Faculty Service Award for his contributions to the Senate and to shared governance. His Senate Service culminated in his selection as Vice Chair (2010-11) and then Chair (2011-12) of the Berkeley division. In addition to his university service, he also excelled in teaching, winning a series of awards for teaching and advising: the Goldman award for Distinguished Advising of Undergraduates (2002), the Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2003), and then the coveted Distinguished Teaching Award in 2004.
Prior to stepping into the role of Dean of Undergraduate Studies in 2014, Jacobsen held other administrative leadership positions in L&S, as Associate Dean and Executive Associate Dean. As Dean, he has led the campus-wide Council of Undergraduate Deans and served on every important committee touching on the undergraduate experience. He has been indispensable to the university because he understands so much about so many aspects of undergraduate education at Berkeley. He has also remained fiercely invested in the experiences of undergraduate students, starting from the moment he shares his cell phone number with them during Golden Bear Orientation. As Jacobsen prepares to conclude his deanship this summer, we want to thank him once again for his leadership and dedication, and offer our sincere congratulations for this well-deserved award.