Cal Family –

Greetings from Haas Pavilion!

I want to begin this month's newsletter by addressing the settlement reached last week in the NCAA vs. House case. We have been monitoring this case for quite some time and there are still many questions to be answered and much work to be done to determine exactly how the settlement terms will be implemented. With any challenge comes opportunities, and I am confident that when the dust settles – with the support of our entire Cal community – we will continue to set the standard for athletic and academic excellence at the No. 1 public institution in the world.

With the 2023-24 academic year now in the books and our last few spring sports teams making their push toward the postseason, the excitement about our move to the ACC is growing exponentially! I recently spent three days in Florida attending the conference's spring meetings. We accomplished a lot with our soon-to-be new teammates, including operational issues such as scheduling and travel along with discussions about the many crucial issues facing intercollegiate sports. I once again came away impressed with our counterparts across the ACC and in the conference office. I can say without reservation that we are joining a conference with some of the brightest and most thoughtful minds in all of college sports, and I am looking forward to officially becoming a full-fledged member of the ACC on Aug. 2!

The end of the school year always brings so much to celebrate, and the last month has been full of memorable moments and events. We held our annual academic honors luncheon at the Field Club at California Memorial Stadium, an event that always has me in awe of our student-athletes. We simply have the best of the best at Cal, and the honors and awards that we present truly demonstrates what makes us special – the elite combination of athletics and academics at the No. 1 public institution in the world. The luncheon also gave us a chance to recognize Dr. Derek Van Rheenen, who has served as the executive director of our Athletic Study Center for 23 years and will now be moving on this summer to become a full-time faculty member at the Berkeley School of Education.

We also held our annual student-athlete graduation celebration in the University Club following the university commencement ceremonies. It always brings me joy to watch our graduates celebrate with their families and share such a special day together. We had a fantastic turnout, with 125 student-athletes and over 550 supporters overall. I can't wait to see what our Class of 2024 does during the next leg of their journey. 

The Cameron Institute introduced its first-ever Job Shadow Week. The Career Development Pillar created World of Work Experiences (WOWEs) for Cal student-athletes, allowing them to explore various career options compatible with their athletic and academic demands. We believe this program can grow into a recurring opportunity for our student-athletes. To learn more about this unique experience, please follow this link! If you would like to support Cal student-athletes in this way, please sign up here.
 
Cal Football and the Cameron Institute launched the 2024 Cal Football Summer Reading Challenge and Book Drive. This annual initiative inspires reading, promotes literacy, and fights learning loss over the summer. Founded by former Golden Bear Patrick Laird in 2018, this year's challenge is led by Jack Endries and Jaydn Ott, alongside the entire Cal football team. Kindergarten - 8th grade students who complete the challenge earn two tickets to our season-opener vs. UC Davis on August 31st. Download a reading log today, and follow the fun at @calbearsread! 

We had a terrific time at Cal Night at the San Francisco Giants game! It's special to team up with another one of our Bay Area sports teams, and the Giants were terrific hosts! Running back Jaydn Ott got to throw out the first pitch (with the help of his offensive line and quarterback Fernando Mendoza), and Fernando and Rachel Klinker of our women's swimming & diving team and Teagan Wy of our women's soccer team did the "Play Ball" honors before the game started. Our student-athletes also took part in a well-received panel discussion!

If you're looking for another opportunity to see Cal Athletics in action, make sure to sign up for the 2024 Cal Athletics Caravan - Bears in the Woods, taking place at Gar Woods on June 27th in Carnelian Bay. This annual event brings a few of our outstanding coaches to the beautiful Lake Tahoe area for an evening that is always memorable and informative. 

We are thrilled that Justin DiTolla recently became our first full-time Associate Athletics Director of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) to help support our student-athletes as they explore partnerships and build their brands while at Cal. Justin has overseen our compliance office for the past two and a half years and has close to 15 years of experience in administrative roles at the Division I level. He is already hard at work – advising and consulting with student-athletes, meeting with recruits, and connecting local businesses to the California Legends Collective. We all know that there are few things more important than a successful NIL program in the current climate of intercollegiate athletics, and having a full-time administrator whose sole mission is to support our student-athletes with their NIL activities is a huge asset to our department. If you are interested in contributing to NIL, reach out to Justin DiTolla (jditolla@berkeley.edu) or contribute directly at https://calegends.com/, where Kevin Kennedy, Stephanie Rivera and John Stock are doing great work leading our efforts with the Cal Legends Collective. Thank you!

I wanted to also take a moment to give a special shoutout to Nancy McDaniel, who you may have heard announced her retirement. Nancy has been the only head coach our women's golf program has ever known. She started Cal women's golf back in 1995 and never left. Her 29 years with us produced 23 NCAA Regional appearances, 10 NCAA Championship appearances – but most importantly, a lasting effect as a role model and leader on the hundreds of young women she coached. 

It has truly been a remarkable year for us. Sixteen of our teams have made the postseason, and a few others will be on their way in the next couple of weeks. In the last month, women's water polo finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA Championships in our own pool, women's tennis advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals and men's golf finished 19^th in the NCAA Championship. Postseason lies ahead for men's and women's rowing and men's and women's track & field. I could not be prouder of every student-athlete, coach and staff member who play a role in the holistic success of our department.

Much of the success Cal Athletics experienced this year was due in part to the support of the Cal family, and last month we hosted our annual Cal Athletics Fund Thank You Luncheon and Awards Celebration to honor and thank everyone who supports our 850 student-athletes each year. This year, we recognized Chancellor Carol T. Christ (Cal Spirit Recognition Award), Renee Wright-Davis '07 (Cub of the Year), Staci Slaughter '89 (Golden Bear of the Year), T. Gary and Kathleen Rogers Family Foundation (Bear of the Year), and Alex '78 and Marie Shipman (Bear of the Year) – all have significantly impacted our department and student-athletes through their generosity.
 
As the end of the 2023-24 season approaches, I want to extend my appreciation to everyone who has given back to Cal, whether through mentoring, volunteering at events, or supporting philanthropically - it all makes a difference. Thank you!  For those who would like to enhance our support, you can visit calathleticsfund.com to learn more. 

Go Bears!



Jim