Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2016

Public Mission, Private Funding: The University of California, Berkeley

by William C. Kirby and Joycelyn W. Eby

Abstract

UC Berkley, long known as one of the leading public universities in both the U.S. and the world, has seen turbulent times recently. While student enrollment and costs have increased steadily in recent years, the school, which has been fiercely proud of its public mission, received ever diminished funding from the state of California. Although Berkeley survived the financial crisis of 2008 under the leadership of Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, new Chancellor Nicholas Dirks inherited an ongoing structural deficit and a divided faculty. New controversies arose over the process of strategic planning, the building of a “Global Campus” in neighboring Richmond Bay, and allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of faculty and administrators. Can Berkeley overcome these challenges and maintain its distinguished reputation with its current governance structure and status as a privately funded public university?

Keywords: higher education; Public University; university administration; conflict management; State Funding; competition; Faculty Governance; University of California Berkeley; Change Management; Volatility; Diversity; Residency; Higher Education; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Globalization; Policy; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Design; Privatization; Problems and Challenges; Education Industry; United States;

Language: English Format: Print 32 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Kirby, William C., and Joycelyn W. Eby. "Public Mission, Private Funding: The University of California, Berkeley." Harvard Business School Case 317-023, December 2016.

About the Author

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William C. Kirby
T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies, Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration
General Management

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