Biz Comm Email Archive

Dear Class of 2027,

 

I am writing to share an important update about your EW205D Business Communications in Diverse Work Environments course. This year, the course will be held in Berkeley instead of Napa. We understand this change may be unexpected, and we want to acknowledge the disappointment some of you have expressed while addressing your questions. Our goal in providing this context is to reaffirm our commitment to delivering an immersive, high-quality academic experience that reflects the values of Haas.

 

Academic Experience vs. Offsite Retreat

This immersion course has sometimes been referred to as the Mid-Program Academic Retreat (MPAR), which has distracted from our priority of creating an optimal learning environment for your final, required, and graded core course for the degree. As a result, we take the feedback received in the course evaluations about the faculty and curriculum seriously, in addition to what you share with the Program Office and your EWMBAA leadership.

 

Over the last few years, students shared feedback that the Napa location was inconvenient. The lack of easy access to public transportation in Napa posed logistical challenges for anyone traveling outside of the immediate Bay Area, which added complexity and additional expenses. In addition, students found it frustrating that the course utilized only indoor hotel spaces and that there was no engagement with the surrounding region or “retreat” amenities of a hotel stay. This further validated that we needed to set expectations about academics vs. relaxation.

 

The nature of hotel venues as a classroom also presented limitations, often leading to a more impersonal, conference-style experience that did not foster deep, rigorous academic discussions, given the academic grading component of the course.

 

Haas Values

A critical factor in our decision is the need to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all participants. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have encountered persistent operational issues with the hotel in Napa. More significantly, a serious incident of mistreatment occurred last year, which involved discrimination against our students and staff. This behavior is entirely unacceptable and goes against our fundamental principles. While we cannot share specifics due to ongoing matters, we want to be clear that we will not tolerate any form of mistreatment when it comes to members of our community, and that particular hotel relationship has ended.

 

Additionally, feedback from your VPs of Academics and Academic Cohort Reps highlighted concerns about the propriety of hosting a course on communicating inclusively across differences in a location like Napa, given its historical context.

 

What are the benefits?

In response to student feedback, EW205D has undergone significant revisions. We recognize the desire for more personalized instruction and facilitated small group discussions to develop executive-level coaching. The updated curriculum will feature expanded modules on critical topics, including distinguishing problems from polarities, stress-testing assumptions, conducting difficult conversations, collaboratively navigating interdependent tensions, and communicating complexity to diverse stakeholders.

 

Hosting the course in Berkeley allows us to fully utilize the Haas campus. This move will enable us to use multiple classrooms and breakout spaces, hire a larger faculty instruction team, and integrate a more diverse team of facilitators and coaches. This structure is designed to provide the executive-level training and sophisticated facilitation that reflect the advanced nature of this course and your professional roles, which will better meet your needs and align with the high-quality learning you expect.

 

Community and Tradition

This immersion weekend is a unique opportunity for the entire Class of 2027 to connect in person. To help you make the most of this time together, the Program Office will continue our cherished traditions of giving you Haas-branded swag and organizing a special Saturday evening event that will be held off campus. The moments inside and outside of class will help foster our community and create time and space for you to build stronger relationships with your classmates, including those peers you know and those you haven’t yet had the chance to meet.

 

What’s Next?

You will receive a required enrollment form on October 20th to gather critical logistical information needed by the Program Office to arrange your course participation and your Haas-provided hotel accommodations at the DoubleTree. We will share more information about weekend food, accommodations, and parking as it gets closer.

 

Dr. Brandi Pearce, your lead instructor, will share information regarding the course expectations and pre-work via bCourses by December 1st, 2025.

 

We look forward to connecting with everyone from January 16 to January 18, 2026!

 

Best,

Leah

You are enrolled in EWMBA205D, Business Communication in Diverse Work Environments (Biz Comm), taking place at UC Berkeley Haas from Friday, January 16 (8:00 AM PT) – Sunday, January 18 (~4:00 PM PT). Please note that start and end times are subject to change. Please see below for details regarding action items for Biz Comm 2026:

EWMBA Biz Comm 2026 Enrollment Form
UC Berkeley Haas Jacket Sizes
Early Arrival Requests
Risk Waiver
Additional Information

EWMBA Biz Comm 2026 Enrollment Form
For your first deliverable, we need you to submit the EWMBA Biz Comm 2026 Enrollment Form by Sunday Nov 16 at 11:59PM PT (CalNet authentication required). This information will support a meaningful experience for everyone both in and out of the classroom. If you require accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or need information in order to fully participate for the weekend, please contact Robby Cortes with as much advance notice as possible and at least 10 days in advance of the event.
The form will ask you to:

• Acknowledge your understanding of the unique aspects of this course
• Confirm other personal information needed for the weekend (i.e. dietary restrictions and food allergies, emergency contact)
• Provide the size for your EW Program jacket gift (see below)
• Provide your roommate request for the Biz Comm weekend

UC Berkeley Haas Jacket Sizes
All attendees will receive an official UC Berkeley Haas Jacket. To best accommodate everyone, we are asking for folks to identify their jacket size in the Enrollment Form. In order for you to choose the most appropriate sizing, please reference the Jacket Sizing Chart to determine your preferred size.   

Please note that this jacket comes in unisex sizing, so it has a straight cut without curved sides for hips. This design ensures a more relaxed fit for everyone.

If you do not indicate a preferred size on the Form by the deadline, then you will receive a size Large by default. The Program Office will not be facilitating size exchanges.

Early Arrival Requests
Eligible students, those who live Out of the Bay Area*, can request to arrive one day early at the DoubleTree Berkeley Marina, and check in on Thursday, January 15, 2026. This request must be submitted with the EWMBA Biz Comm 2026 Enrollment Form, and will be tentatively confirmed/denied the week of November 17, 2025.

*“Out of the Bay Area” (OOBA) is defined as residing outside the nine counties that directly border on San Francisco Bay: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, and Marin Counties.”

Risk Waiver
The second, required deliverable for this course is the Off-site Event Waiver. Please complete this waiver no later than January 11 at 11:59 PM PT.

Additional Information
Information about your academic pre-course deliverables will be messaged out by the faculty over the next few weeks through bCourses.

Be sure to check out the EW205D – Biz Comm 2026 website for more information about the weekend, including Frequently Asked Questions. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2026!


Sincerely,
The Evening & Weekend Program Office

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