A Note of Gratitude to Professor Jeremy Rue

Dear Berkeley Journalism Community,

We don’t do this enough. We don’t remember to thank people who have performed extraordinary service. I want to make sure we do. And so I am writing this note of gratitude to Prof. Jeremy Rue who has returned his focus to teaching after service to the community for the past two years which was nothing short of heroic.

Jeremy Rue (’07)

This past year, he filled in as chief administrative officer and head of student services when those positions were vacant–all the while also serving as associate dean and continuing to teach and lead the multimedia track.

Much of Jeremy’s work was behind the scenes, which is why I am writing this note of thanks so that you are all aware of the extent of his service and can join me in expressing gratitude.

Jeremy will continue to teach, lead the multimedia track, chair the curriculum committee and play a key role in coordinating hiring for lecturer positions. But at his request, he will this next year return more of his focus to the multimedia track, which it deserves.

What many of you may not have realized is that Jeremy has played an outsized role at the school since I became dean two years ago. At the time, I was new to university administration, and the top three staff people at our school had been here for only a few months. None of us had any institutional knowledge.

Jeremy was our senior leadership’s source of information on the school’s historical precedents. He was our go-to person when we had a difficult problem to solve or a new initiative to launch. He proposed and implemented a key part of our anti-racism plan to diversify our instructors. This required relentless and creative outreach to recruit a diverse group of people into our applicant pools and coordinate (and often lead) about a dozen searches for new instructors each year.

I reached out to a few members of our community to ask them to share their thoughts. Here’s what they said:

Prof. David Barstow: Every great band has that rock-steady bass player who holds the whole thing together. That’s how I think of what Jeremy Rue means to Berkeley Journalism. He’s the one who keeps the beat. And he does it with integrity, humility and total devotion to our community.

Senior Student Affairs Director Blaine Jones: Jeremy and I shared the work of leading the Student Services team during the staffing transition period, and his support made all the difference helping me decide to take on the senior director role, and for that I’m eternally grateful.

Senior Assistant Dean Amy Utstein: I can’t imagine how I would have been able to get up to speed during my first month in the job without his help, and I am beyond grateful to have had a chance to work with – and learn from – him.

Prof. Elena Conis: No one stepped up like Jeremy did, no matter the moment, the crisis, or need. From teaching J200 to staying on top of the school’s behind-the-scenes administrative requirements, Jeremy did it all.

We, as a school, are the beneficiary of Jeremy’s generosity and expertise. And on behalf of all of us, Jeremy, thank you.

Geeta Anand
Dean and Professor
Robert A. Peck Chair