AS A REMINDER -- CHANGES INTRODUCED LAST YEAR
A Father & Son Session
In order to help both fathers and sons to understand the vision and logistics of the CAL Forum, and to meet the mentors, fathers are requested to join their son for the first seminar on September 20th from 10 AM to 3 PM.
If the dad is not available on this date, you may alternatively request that your son's mentor reach out to schedule an in person visit.
Monthly Seminar Schedule
11:00 am
12:00 pm
1:15
2:00
Mentoring available
Seminars begin
Lunch
End; mentoring available
Scheduling Mentoring
Mentoring will take place by appointment. Mentors and mentees will agree on a time for mentoring before or after the seminar, or on a separate day entirely.
MISSION
The CAL Forum helps young men grow in character, achievement and leadership. Our seminars provide the intellectual foundation needed for a flourishing life, and our mentoring sessions help your son to apply this knowledge to his own life. Specifically, the CAL Forum aims to help your son: become great friends with his family, neighbors, colleagues, and God; prepare for college and professional life; acquire the virtues and outlook that he'll eventually need as a husband and father; and give back to community and country.
Freshmen and Sophomores
Each seminar involves a talk by a successful professional on their industry. Each seminar will also include a talk on a virtue.
SEP 20 - Father & Son Session
OCT 18 - Medicine
NOV 15 - What Can You Do With a Law Degree?
DEC 20 - Industrial Design
JAN 17 - Software Engineering & Machine Learning
FEB 21 - Science & Academia
MAR 21 - Entrepreneurship
APR 18 - From Finance to Law Enforcement
MAY 16 - Civil Engineering
Speakers will be confirmed and topics are subject to change based on speaker availability.
Note: 8th graders are invited to attend the
searchforman.com program.
Juniors and Seniors
These seminars present students with a college-like experience. The seminars involve reading and discussion.
SEP 20 - Father & Son Session
OCT 18 - Materialism
NOV 15 - Scientism
DEC 20 - Atheism
JAN 17 - Darwinism
FEB 21 - Relativism
MAR 21 - Positivism and Natural Law
APR 18 - Secular Humanism
MAY 16 - Individual Expressionism
MONTHLY SEMINAR SCHEDULE
11:00 am
12:00 pm
1:15
2:00
Mentoring available
Seminars begin
Lunch
End; mentoring available
MENTORING
Each student is assigned a mentor who will meet individually with him at the monthly sessions. The mentor will help the student make practical goals based on the material presented in the seminars. Mentoring sessions typically last 45 minutes and will take place at Garber House, or when meeting in-person is not feasible, by phone.
APPLICATION AND FEES
To apply for the CAL Forum, please fill out an application. A phone interview may be required. The seminar fee is $200 ($175 if application is submitted by September 1st, 2025). Click the 'Pay Now' button to pay online. Checks should be made payable to “Berkland Foundation” and sent to Berkland Foundation, 1827 Oxford St., #1, Berkeley, CA , 94709. The CAL Forum is open to high school men who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership abilities.
CAL FORUM STAFF
Mark Gibson, MBA, Program Director, Berkland Foundation
Douglas Tatz, Policy Analyst, UC Berkeley
James Herrick, PE, Civil Engineer, Corollo Engineers
Miguel García Valdecasas, Professor, University of Navarre
Nathan Tang, PhD Candidate, Chemistry, UC Berkeley
The Study of philosophy is not that we may know what men have thought,
but what the truth of things is.
- St. Thomas Aquinas