Before UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk took his seat in front of the packed Town Hall room at Belmont Village Senior Living Westwood on Tuesday morning, many of the best spots had already been saved — with purses, jackets and shawls — as attendees gathered outside around high-top tables, coffee cups and breakfast plates in hand. 
At the start of the program, community leaders, neighborhood advocates, business owners and longtime Bruins filled every chair, eager for the opportunity to hear directly from UCLA’s newest chancellor and, perhaps more importantly, to ask their questions.
Hosted by UCLA Government and Community Relations and Belmont Village, the gathering brought together representatives from dozens of Westwood and Westside organizations for a candid conversation about UCLA, the surrounding community and the shared future of both.
“UCLA and Westwood have been connected and grown up together for nearly 100 years,” said UCLA alumnus Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council, in opening remarks that framed the morning’s discussion. “So this morning is about campus, community, connection, conversation and, I hope, a shared commitment that we must continually strive to work together.”
Throughout the discussion moderated by Julie Sina, chief of staff to the chancellor, Frenk emphasized the role universities should play not only within cities but as active partners in the communities around them.
‘A university of Los Angeles’
“UCLA is not just a university in Los Angeles, it is a university of Los Angeles,” Frenk said. “And our most immediate part of the city is Westwood. We’re of here, belong here. This is our place. That will not change.”
He spoke openly about the values that shape his leadership approach, including respect, integrity and service. Reflecting on his family’s history of fleeing antisemitism in Germany and finding refuge in Mexico City, Frenk described kindness toward strangers as a defining lesson in his life and career.
He said those experiences shaped his belief that universities and their leaders have a responsibility to serve others and engage communities with empathy and respect.
Frenk also stressed the importance of creating opportunities for people with differing viewpoints to interact respectfully with one another.
“Universities are about having different opinions,” he said. “We cultivate disagreement. We don’t run from disagreements. We actually want to have disagreements.”
At the same time, he emphasized that universities must foster an environment where disagreement can happen safely and constructively.
“We tend to see freedom of expression and providing safety as opposing values,” Frenk said. “But actually, they reinforce each other.”
The conversation concluded with an audience Q&A that touched on a wide range of community concerns and perspectives, from public safety and student access to economic vitality in Westwood Village, federal research funding and the future of UCLA Research Park. Alan Kaye of the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association pressed Frenk on whether he believed the federal accusations against UCLA had merit and what the scrutiny meant for researchers and grants.
Frenk said the university has focused on supporting researchers with bridge funds, maintaining open communication and continuing to advocate for the value of academic research. “We’re talking about research that literally saves lives,” he said.
UCLA for Life
The discussion also touched on UCLA for Life, Frenk’s initiative aimed at expanding lifelong learning opportunities beyond the traditional four-year college experience. As technology and the workforce evolve rapidly, Frenk said universities must rethink how they serve learners across different stages of life and throughout their careers.
The morning’s setting itself reflected the longstanding relationship between UCLA and Belmont Village Westwood, which opened in 2009 as Belmont’s first university-affiliated senior living community.
In welcoming attendees, Belmont Village President Mercedes Kerr described the collaboration as a defining partnership for the company and noted that many UCLA emeriti and retirees continue to call the community home.
“Belmont Village Westwood is a true flagship within our company,” Kerr said.
Even after the formal program concluded, small groups of attendees waited to speak with Frenk individually, continuing conversations about Westwood, UCLA and the future of both.
