Leading Through Innovation - The Berkeley MBA - University of ...

B e r k e l e y a n d t h e S a n F r a n c i s c o B a y A r e a
Where Natural Beauty Meets Endless Opportunity
Few geographical areas in the world can meet, let
alone beat, the Haas School’s central location in the
San Francisco Bay Area. The Haas community is, in turn,
profoundly shaped by its surroundings, including the school’s magnificent
facilities, the campus and the city of Berkeley, and Northern California.
The San Francisco Bay Area is perennially designated the world’s most
popular tourist destination – and for good reason. There is the area’s
stunning natural beauty, its seductively benign weather, and its atmosphere
charged with a worldly sophistication and a distinctive openness to new ways
of thinking.
The Bay Area is also home to an innovation ecosystem that is unequaled
anywhere in the world. With its venture capital firms, established technology
companies, and biotech and digital media industries thriving, the Bay Area
marks one of nation’s most unique confluxes of business centers. Many of
the most dynamic names in business, from Charles Schwab to Google, call
the region home. Innovation is a part of the ethos in our area, and you feel it
every day at Haas.
Clockwise from top: Looking over the San Francisco Bay toward Berkeley (left)
and Oakland (right) from Downtown San Francisco; a Napa Valley vineyard; Oracle
headquarters in Redwood Shores; The Pacific Ocean coastline off of historic Highway 1;
and the cliffs of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
The Berkeley campus is perched on a hillside; its upper reaches are
devoted to a vast nature preserve – excellent for a run or a contemplative
walk with postcard views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and
the Pacific Ocean beyond. Surrounding the campus is the city of Berkeley,
the quintessential university town, and a legendary one. With its multitude
of coffee houses, shops, churches, theaters, world-famous gourmet
restaurants, charming neighborhoods, beautiful gardens, and some of the
best bookstores anywhere, Berkeley is cosmopolitan, funky, friendly, relaxed,
and always stimulating.
The city of San Francisco needs no introduction, since nearly everyone on the
planet has either experienced its charms or seen it in countless films and
television shows. Entertainment, culture, nightlife, shopping, sightseeing,
architectural gems – San Francisco is the epitome of the world-class, openminded
city blessed with the best of everything.
Less than an hour north of Berkeley is the alluring wine country of Napa and
Sonoma counties. The moody, breath-taking Pacific Ocean compels a visit
to one of the many open beaches or picturesque seaside towns dotting the
coastline, including Big Sur, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Mendocino. The natural
beauty of Yosemite National Park, with its exquisite glacier-carved valley
of towering waterfalls and granite mountains, is only three hours from the
campus, as is one of the country’s premier skiing destinations – Lake Tahoe.
38 Haas School of Business Leading Through Innovation Full-time Program 2008 Haas School of Business 39