UC Berkeley’s Social Sciences Division recently celebrated its faculty and staff at Social Sciences Fest, an annual gathering dedicated to recognizing the remarkable contributions and accomplishments of the Berkeley Social Sciences community.
Berkeley Social Sciences Dean Raka Ray welcomed guests by first acknowledging the current challenges facing higher education, while commending faculty and staff for remaining dedicated to Berkeley’s core values during these uncertain times.
“Through it all, you remain resolutely committed to doing the work that makes Berkeley Berkeley,” Dean Ray said. “You pursue excellence, you fearlessly defend free speech and you fight for equitable access.”
She added: “You continue to show up through all the impossibilities. You show up for your students, for each other, for the university. Even when the path forward isn’t obvious, you figure it out with each other.”
Ray also celebrated the latest U.S. News graduate school rankings, where the Economics, Psychology and Sociology graduate programs were ranked No. 1, with Political Science and History at No. 2.
“This is not a coincidence,” she said to the faculty. “It is the result of your brilliance, your dedication and your commitment.”
The celebration included the presentation of the Distinguished Teaching and Service Awards, which are given annually to a faculty and staff member for their extraordinary contributions to their departments and to Social Sciences.
This year’s Distinguished Teaching Award was presented to Political Science Professor Desmond Jagmohan, a scholar of African American and American political thought.
Ray recognized him for bringing “a rare depth of lived experience to his teaching” and “mentoring his students through the complexities of political theory and helping them grow as scholars.”
Upon receiving his award, Jagmohan emphasized the importance of being there for students during these tumultuous times, when students are worried about so many other things beyond their academics.
“I think one of the things we need to do is just put into perspective their level of attention and try to ground what we’re doing,” he said. “There are other things in their lives right now that are taking priority.”
He ended his remarks with a powerful sentiment: “I just think the essence of being a good teacher is perhaps just being a student to them.”
The Distinguished Service Award was presented to two honorees this year. The first recipient was Serena Groen, director of administration for the Political Science Department. Ray thanked her for “running such a tight ship” in political science, and for mentoring younger staffers and supporting Scott Straus, the department’s chair.
Groen thanked her team, faculty, students and family for supporting her on her journey.
“This award inspires me to keep striving and learning and continue serving with the same passion and dedication that brought me here,” Groen said.
The second Distinguished Service Award was given to Sandy Richmond, administrative manager for the African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies Departments. Ray thanked Richmond for her 34 years of service to Cal, saying that “the entire space of the fifth and sixth floors [of the Social Sciences building] is a space of community created by your sense of community, so that when people come to those spaces, they feel the love.”
“The team approach has been key for me in everything I've accomplished over these 34 years,” said Richmond, who is planning to retire after the spring term. “It's never about the individual — no one gets anything done alone — but about the collective energy we bring together to push this campus forward.”
The event brought faculty and staff together for camaraderie and great conversation. Many of them brought their partners and families for food, fun, face painting and balloon animals.
