At UCLA, our standing as a center of unmatched creativity, innovation and democratic values is being questioned. We must meet the moment with courage, resilience and wisdom.
In our collective vision, we aspire to be a university that is connective, impactful and exemplary.
Knowledge — the essential product of universities — is crucial to understanding the world in a meaningful way and to driving enlightened social transformation.
We must defend our institutions. Institutions provide the matrix for building durable structures that enable purposeful action.
Universities … provide the type of continuity that builds civilizations.
Excellence without inclusion deepens inequality and resentment. Inclusion without excellence leads to waste and frustration.
Our North Star will be to ensure that the resources entrusted to us by society add maximum value back to society, while always making certain that we protect our academic core mission.
Nobody on our campus should feel unsafe because of who they are or what they believe in.
This is not a time to retreat. It is a time to be bold — bold in standing up for the enlightened values of higher education, which have delivered unprecedented benefits to humankind.
I stand here with full confidence: UCLA is more than ready to meet the moment. Together. And always inspired by the Bruin spirit. Remember: We are One UCLA.
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Great universities bridge divides. They connect generations through education; disciplines through research and scholarship; geographies through global collaboration; eras through knowledge preservation; identities through inclusion; and they connect communities through service.
UCLA is the birthplace of the internet; we revolutionized cancer treatment; and we peered into the heart of our galaxy.
Now, more than ever, we must build a sturdy bridge that connects scholarship to solutions, enabling us to fulfill our ultimate duty to society.
Our ultimate obligation is to protect the legacy we have received from those who came before us and hand it, enriched, to those who will come after us. This is the foundation of sustainable progress.
At a time when many voices question the value of universities, I submit that our value is indivisible from our values. The values that I enumerated at the outset should be our beacon as we navigate the turbulent waters of higher education.
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It is relatively easy to be kind to people we know. But it is much harder to be kind to people who are different. Yet it was such kindness that saved my family’s life and made my own life possible.
Each of us is all of us. Exemplary universities must demonstrate to the larger world that such an enlightened pathway is indeed possible.
Good universities not only tolerate but cultivate diversity of thought. They stand against dogma, conformity and indoctrination.
Closed educational systems should give way to open systems designed to meet people’s evolving educational needs throughout their careers.
Preeminence and promise are the two sides of our institutional coin.
Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Fall 2025 issue.
