Last Spring UC Berkeley undergraduates completing the campus-wide University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) were invited to nominate an "unsung hero" -- a staff person or instructor who had gone beyond the call of duty to provide them or their fellow students with help in personal or academic matters. More than 4000 students submitted nominations, chronicling extraordinary acts of kindness and dedication that had either rescued them from failure or personal tragedy or transformed their lives.

A student team who reviewed all 4000 chose Professor Benson Tongue as one of the 200 most outstanding nominees.

As Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau noted in his letter to Professor Tongue

"...these 'everyday acts of heroism' --- exemplified by your contribution --- sustain and transform the campus community, creating the fabric of connection and inclusion for all of our students. On a campus as large and as potentially impersonal as Berkeley, this is a noteworthy achievement..."

Congratulations, Benson!