Announcing Co-Chairs of UCLA’s Committee on Honorific Namings

Campus Update

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the UCLA campus community.

Dear Bruin Community:

Last June, I shared with you an update on UCLA’s effort to ensure that the names of our campus buildings and physical spaces reflect both the diversity and values of our institution. We are now entering a new phase of this initiative, with the launch of the Committee on Honorific Namings, to be co-chaired by Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael J. Beck and Professor Emeritus Teofilo F. Ruiz. They will serve through the 2023–24 academic year.

Beck and Ruiz each bring distinct and important perspectives and experiences to this work. Having served as UCLA’s administrative vice chancellor since 2016, Beck has oversight of a range of relevant campus units, including facilities; housing and hospitality; and environment, health and safety. Ruiz, who was selected by UCLA’s Academic Senate to represent the faculty, is a celebrated historian with a strong track record of service and thoughtful engagement with many campus issues.

Applying the guidance shared in the report on principles, criteria and processes for honorific namings, unnamings or memorials (PDF) developed by the Campus Honorary Naming Advisory Committee, this next iteration of the committee is tasked with two major functions:

1. Reviewing Proposals to Remove Honorary Names from Buildings and Spaces
   The committee will create a process to collect and review proposals for un-naming buildings and spaces in cases where the namesake’s words or actions may not align with campus values. This process will include soliciting comments on those proposals, applying guiding principles and making final recommendations to my office.
2. Reviewing Proposals to Name Honorary Buildings and Spaces
   Looking at the inventory of campus buildings and spaces that are available for honorific naming or memorialization — outside of those designated for philanthropic naming — the committee will create a process to take naming proposals from the greater campus community, solicit comments on those proposals, apply guiding principles and make final recommendations to my office.

Working with the co-chairs, we are currently assembling the full committee membership, which will represent a spectrum of stakeholders from across campus including students, staff, faculty, alumni, emeriti/retirees and representatives of the traditional stewards of the land now occupied by campus. We will share the membership list on the naming website. For more information, please contact the committee at namingcommittee@ucla.edu.

I am delighted we are making progress on this important initiative, and I look forward to seeing all that this committee will accomplish under the leadership of our co-chairs.

Sincerely,