Verne A. Stadtman authors a short version of his earlier history of the University of California's first 100 years. Berkeley's 1964 characterization as the country's "best balanced distinguished university" is set against its long academic history. Botanist and former dean of the College of Letters and Science Lincoln Constance relates how that college expanded during the 1960s, not only maintaining but increasing the excellence of its offerings and the research reputations of its faculty. An account of expansion and distinction for the burgeoning College of Engineering in that period is told by former Dean John Whinnery.
These were also the years that the arts finally came to Berkeley. The long tradition of a German-style university with few amenities for students or faculty, and little relation to its surrounding community, came to an end as dormitories and playing fields were built; as the arts were integrated into Berkeley's curriculum; and as major campus venues for display and performance were constructed and took their place in the San Francisco Bay Area arts scene. Several participants have collaborated to bring us the details of that effort: Travis Bogard, Betty Connors, Jacquelynn Baas, Robert W. Cole, and David Littlejohn.