[1] In 1970, Christ joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, and was chair of the English department from 1985 to 1988.

[citation needed] Throughout her administrative career, Christ has maintained an active program of teaching and research.

[3] In May 2016, Christ returned to her role as Berkeley's Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (interim), replacing Claude Steele, who stepped down.

[7] She later took other steps in this direction which included moderating a panel on free expression and committing $800,000 to providing security for controversial speakers.

In a September 2017 interview, she stated that some students find the concept of free speech objectionable.

[14] In 2024 Christ received the Clark Kerr Award for distinguished leadership in higher education from the UC Berkeley Academic Senate.

[15] Christ's late husband, Paul Alpers, was a scholar of Renaissance English literature and the founding director of Berkeley's Townsend Center for the Humanities until his death in 2013.