Community Gatherings

Community gatherings emerged in response to faculty desires to convene, at times, with faculty with shared experiences and interests. These informal convenings, open to all*, are an opportunity for faculty to make connections across campus, exchange ideas and information, and share resources and support. 

Please also feel free to request a particular gathering.

*Please note: These gatherings are open to all UC Berkeley senate faculty members, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, and cooperative extension specialists, regardless of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or any other protected class status. UC Berkeley is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that welcomes participants from all backgrounds.

Participant feedback:

"Simply a life saver. I'd been feeling depleted, overworked, and disconnected during Covid and this group was supportive and re-affirming.”

"It was lovely, a much needed space for visibility and support."

Fall 2025 Community Gatherings

All community gatherings will be held in the Academic Innovation Studio (127 Dwinelle). Please register in advance to attend. Registered faculty will be sent calendar invites. 

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact facultylink@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days in advance of the event.

Gathering for Faculty Parents

Tuesday, September 30th, 11:30am - 12:30pm

Interdisciplinary Faculty Gathering: Artificial Intelligence and Social Governance

Tuesday, October 7th, 2:00 - 3:00pm

This community gathering brings together faculty who think about how artificial intelligence and computer-driven decision-making are reshaping the way we organize ourselves and interact with one another. Topics we might like to discuss concern the promise and peril of these systems, such as those posed by the following questions: Can AI systems bring more transparency and fairness to the way institutions operate?  Should we deploy them in sensitive areas, where humans cannot understand nor hold them accountable? Are we too readily accepting new forms of ranking and surveillance in exchange for convenience and efficiency? Come discuss how our computerized quest for automated rules and scalable processes is changing everything from hiring decisions to policymaking, and share research ideas for how we might design these powerful tools to serve more democratic purposes.

Black Faculty Gathering

Thursday, October 30th, 10:00 - 11:00am