Gift Backs Diversity Efforts at Berkeley

The University of California at Berkeley, barred by the state from considering race in admissions, is today announcing a major, privately supported effort to create an inclusive curriculum and campus. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a $16 million gift -- which could grow considerably with matching funds -- will pay for a variety of efforts. Among them: five endowed chairs, including one on disability and one on gay rights; funds to revise 30 courses to emphasize community and public service; and scholarships for transfer students from community colleges, who are more likely to be black, Latino or from low-income families than are students who enroll as freshmen.