Chancellor Julio Frenk shared this message with the Bruin community
Dear Bruin Community:
Earlier this afternoon, a small group of Bruins gathered on the steps of Schoenberg Hall for a moment of reflection to mark the one-year anniversary of the Los Angeles wildfires. We came together to hold space for one another on a day that carries deep meaning for our city and for our community.
The fires marked the worst natural disaster in our city’s 244-year history. The devastation they caused — the homes lost, the neighborhoods forever altered, the lives disrupted — is still deeply felt by many. Our gathering allowed us to acknowledge that grief and loss, and to find solace in coming together and staying connected.
Central to our healing are the arts. Through music, we can find a keener sense of our shared humanity. At today’s gathering, members of the UCLA Chamber Singers, featuring soloist Madison Chamberlain, performed “Only in Sleep,” under the direction of Professor James Bass, chair of the music department at the Herb Alpert School of Music. In its hushed beauty, the music mirrored both the tenderness of our loss and the hope that emerges in moments of collective reflection.
Following this performance, we moved from reflection to action, and took turns sprinkling wildflower seeds as an act of healing. In turning our thoughts from wildfires to wildflowers, we acknowledged both the devastation our region endured and the promise of renewal.
Many of you recall that the wildfires began on my second day in the office. And in those early days, I witnessed the Bruin spirit firsthand. While the loss was heartbreaking, the sense of community that arose was heartening.
Faculty, staff, students and alumni checked in on one another, opening their hearts and their homes. We provided space at the UCLA Research Park for a disaster recovery center that served our broader community. And we launched the Bruin Wildfire Relief Funds to support students and employees.
We also partnered with elected officials and community leaders to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission, bringing together the expertise of more than 40 UCLA scholars from across campus to help our region better understand risk, recovery and resilience.
Just as the arts help us heal, so too does our research and scholarship. Across UCLA, scholars are advancing climate and fire-risk modeling to inform how communities prepare for what lies ahead. Engineers are studying post-fire hazards and infrastructure resilience. Public health experts are examining air quality and long-term health impacts. Social scientists, humanists and artists are helping us understand the human dimensions of loss, displacement and rebuilding.
This is what great universities like UCLA do. Our work reaches beyond our campus and touches the lives of the people we serve. Let’s mark this anniversary as a Bruin family, and let’s also remember all the ways that we showed up — and continue to show up — for our community. Let’s keep this spirit of connection and service alive.
We are One UCLA.
Julio Frenk
Chancellor