Professor of sociology and South and Southeast Asian studies Raka Ray '85 has been named the new Dean of Social Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. The social sciences is the largest academic division at the university, comprised of 12 academic departments.
In the appointment announcement, Chancellor Carol Christ and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Paul Alivisatos wrote, "An award-winning mentor, a highly collaborative leader, and skilled consensus-builder, Raka has also demonstrated an abiding commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in both her academic life and administrative work."
Raka will begin her new role as Dean of Social Sciences on January 1, 2020. She majored in sociology and minored in history at Bryn Mawr.
"Bryn Mawr meant the world to me. It was there that I learned to take myself seriously—both as a scholar, and as a woman. It was there, through the Honor Board, that I first learned leadership and responsibility. And it was there, both within the classroom and without, that I experienced the joy and passion of shared intellect and community. All of these lessons stayed with me and guided my future choices—through graduate school and my years as a professor at Berkeley." —Raka Ray '85