BERKELEY -- Robert Berdahl's first April as chancellor of University of California, Berkeley was nothing like his last April, for more than the obvious reasons.

Seven years ago this month, when Berdahl and his wife, Peg, were less than a year into his new job, the couple returned to their on-campus home to find an obscenity burned into the lawn, a dubious tribute to the nascent chancellor's first deeds.

Thursday, the Berdahls received tributes of a more fitting sort, including a pair of Berkeley Citations, one of the highest campus honors, and a new scholarship that will bear the Berdahl name.

The twist was not lost on Peg Berdahl.

Then, she recounted, the laconic police officer who responded to the vandalism said, "Mrs. Berdahl, this is April, this is Berkeley, and this is going to happen."

"Well, this is April, this is Berkeley, and something wonderful has happened," Peg Berdahl said near the end of a nearly two-hour tribute to the couple.

Robert Berdahl, 66, retires in June.

The tribute came during the UC Berkeley's annual Charter Day celebration, which commemorates the university's founding 136 years ago.

Alumni young and old, students, faculty, staff and members of the Berkeley community turned out for the Charter Day ceremony and to celebrate Berdahl's tenure.

Speakers said the past seven years have been marked by Berdahl's measured leadership, compassion, humor and unwavering and enthusiastic support of students, staff, faculty and the university.

"In short, greatness," said Ron Gronsky, chairman of the Berkeley Academic Senate. "A great institution under a great chancellor. That's the way it will read in the historical record."

George Miller, a trustee of the UC Berkeley Foundation -- who went to high school with the Berdahls in South Dakota -- said the chancellor's work with students will be his enduring legacy. To honor that work, Miller announced the creation of the Berdahl scholarships, which will offer 36 students over the next 10 years two-year stipends of "just under" $10,000.

A grateful Berdahl said he was touched by all the honors.

"Serving as chancellor has been the highest honor and greatest privilege I have ever had," Berdahl said.

Under his tenure, the campus built or renovated more than a dozen buildings, including new residence halls and a new music library. The campus raised more than $1.5 billion in fund-raising campaigns and created new partnerships with the city of Berkeley and local school districts. Berdahl helped create a new scholarship program to recruit and retain talented students from low-income families, and his wife helped create child care programs on campus, worked tirelessly with community organizations and supported young musicians.

The outgoing chancellor, who delivered the keynote address Thursday, said the university still faces many challenges, including continuing its commitment to students and academic excellence in the current budget crisis. And despite his accomplishments, Berdahl said he remains troubled by the inability to attract more qualified minority applicants, especially black and Latino students.

"California public schools are still not preparing students at many public schools for prestigious universities," said Berdahl, who said the university should strive to become more representative of the state's population if it wishes to maintain public support.