The Division of Arts and Humanities and the College of Letters & Science are delighted to announce that Les Gorske has accepted our offer to become the next Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration for the Division of Arts & Humanities (A&H). Les has been a crucial and valued member of the Dean’s office staff for the last four years. Most recently serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives, he guided organizational change and strategy for the office while managing several grants and implementing the recommendations of the Arts and Humanities for the Future Task Force. Since November 2022, Les has served as the Interim Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration.
During his tenure at Berkeley, Les has played a key role in designing and launching successful campus initiatives and programs. At the Arts + Design Initiative, Les coordinated the popular A+D Thursdays public lecture series at BAMPFA and developed new student engagement and retention programs. He also supported a number of special legacy projects for the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education under Cathy Koshland, including the Discovery Curriculum Work Group, the Faculty Creative Discovery grants program, and the campus-wide Major Maps project. For the last few years, Les has directed New Strategies for the Humanities, a $2 million project funded by the Mellon Foundation that supports collaborative graduate research seminars, arts and humanities gateway courses, and a mentored-research program.
Before his time at Berkeley, Les managed university-wide academic initiatives and programs for the Provost’s Office at the New School in New York City. At the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), Les coordinated several international fellowship programs including the African Humanities Program and the Program in Buddhist Studies
Les grew up in Antwerp, Belgium, and holds degrees in English, Film and Theater Studies, and Comparative Literature. He has a long-standing commitment to the arts and humanities and is thrilled to partner with faculty and staff in the division to ensure that our programs remain the best in the world.
Please join us in welcoming Les into his new role as Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration at the A&H.