Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. Click on each candidate's name or scroll down to see their website, nominators, and statement (if provided).
- Deborah Blocker (French)
- Abhishek Kaicker (History)
Deborah Blocker (French)
https://french.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/deborah-anne-blocker/
Nominators
- Diego Pirillo (Italian Studies)
- Richard Kern (French)
- Alexander Von Rospatt (South & Southeast Asian Studies)
- William Fithian (Statistics)
- Chris Hoofnagle (Law)
Statement
I have a been member of the faculty at UC Berkeley since 2005 and teach in the Department of French, with an affiliation in Italian Studies. My research focuses on the social and political uses of literature and the arts in early modern Europe. I have previously served the Academic Senate on a variety of Senate committees. I was a founding member of the Senate committee on Demonstrations and Student Actions (2012-2015). I subsequently sat on the Committee on Research (2017-2019) and on the Library Committee (2019-2025). I am currently an elected member of the Executive Committee of the College of Letters and Sciences (2024-2027). I would welcome an opportunity to serve the faculty as an elected member of DIVCO in 2025-2027. As an elected member of DIVCO, I would be an advocate for excellence in research, freedom of speech and academic freedom. At a time of great political and economic uncertainty, I also would stress the need to keep the welfare of both our graduate and our undergraduate students at the center of the campus’ preoccupations.
Abhishek Kaicker (History)
https://history.berkeley.edu/abhishek-kaicker
Nominators
- Jonathan Sheehan (History)
- Carla Hesse (History)
- Duncan Macrae (Ancient Greek & Roman Studies)
- Susanna Elm (History)
- Ethan Shagan (History)
Statement
I am a historian of South Asia and an associate professor in the department of History. My previous service has been within my department and the institute of south Asian studies, and I was a member of the search advisory committee constituted to hire a new University Librarian in 2023. As a historian of premodern South Asia, I am personally committed to supporting those parts of our intellectual community that are oriented beyond our national horizons.
Mindful of the many stresses already apparent upon our faculty, I believe it is of paramount importance to preserve Berkeley’s excellence as a global center of research during what will undoubtedly be a period of further difficulty for our campus. If elected to DIVCO, my primary goal will be to uphold every effort that preserves or augments Berkeley’s research excellence in any domain.