Carol Christ Speaking Fee: $10,000 to $20,000

Carol Christ is a distinguished academic leader whose career has spanned more than five decades in higher education. Born in New York City in 1944, she earned her B.A. in English from Douglass College and her M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University. In 1970, she joined the University of California, Berkeley, as an assistant professor of Victorian literature, at a time when women comprised only a small fraction of the faculty. Over the years, she rose through the ranks, serving as chair of the English department, dean of humanities, and eventually executive vice chancellor and provost. In 2002, Christ became the 10th president of Smith College, one of the nation's premier liberal arts institutions. During her 11-year tenure, she led significant initiatives, including the establishment of the first accredited engineering program at a women's college, expansion of global engagement, and a comprehensive campus capital planning program. She also emphasized diversity and sustainability, enhancing Smith's academic and cultural landscape. Christ returned to UC Berkeley in 2015 to direct the Center for Studies in Higher Education. She was appointed interim executive vice chancellor and provost in 2016 and became the university's 11th chancellor in 2017—the first woman to hold the position. Her leadership focused on fostering community, championing free speech, addressing housing shortages, and developing a ten-year strategic plan to strengthen the university's financial and academic standing. Throughout her career, Christ has been a steadfast advocate for accessible public education, the liberal arts, and diversity on college campuses. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Her scholarly contributions include two books on Victorian poetry and co-editing the Norton Anthology of English Literature. Christ retired as chancellor emerita in June 2024. She resides in Berkeley, California, and is the mother of two grown children and grandmother to two. Her late husband, Paul Alpers, was a fellow scholar and founding director of UC Berkeley’s Townsend Center for the Humanities.