Announcing the UCLA Veterans Initiative

Campus Update

Chancellor Block announces a new initiative to support U.S. military veterans.

Did you know that UCLA research on brain injuries has revolutionized the way soldiers are diagnosed and treated? Or that our business school faculty provides free training to disabled veterans looking to launch and manage their own small businesses? Or that our campus has been recognized as one of the nation’s best in serving the needs of student–veterans?

In fact, UCLA has a long list of people, services and research projects that support the men and women who have served in our armed forces.

To highlight our veteran-centered programs — and to increase our understanding of the veteran experience and the role each of us can play in helping returning military service members integrate into campus and community life — we have launched the UCLA Veterans Initiative.

As part of this effort, the UCLA veterans website, which serves the needs of veterans on campus, has been expanded and redesigned to appeal to a broader audience, and we are organizing a variety of veteran-related events throughout the year.

I especially want to invite you to join me Saturday, April 27, at 1 p.m. for our half-day forum, “How Are Veterans Changing America?” Journalists and experts from UCLA, nonprofit organizations and the government will come together to discuss the ways in which veterans are transforming the American landscape, particularly in the areas of jobs, health care and family life. I’m pleased that U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii — one of the first two female combat veterans in Congress — will be here to deliver keynote remarks. For more information about the event and to R.S.V.P., please visit the forum’s web page.

We can never repay our veterans for the sacrifices they have made for our country, but we can come together as a community to better understand both the challenges and the great opportunities encountered by the growing population of veterans across the nation.

I hope that you will join me in taking part in this important initiative.