Chancellor Julio Frenk shared this message with the Bruin community.
Dear Bruin Community:
As we begin a new year and a new quarter together, I hope the months ahead are productive and filled with purpose for all of us.
Before the winter quarter begins in earnest, I would like to pause for a moment to reflect on what was a remarkable year. An exceptional new class of students joined us, our faculty continued to produce life-transforming scholarly and creative work, and our staff showed heart and dedication at every juncture. It has been a true privilege to serve this extraordinary institution and to learn from so many of you over these past 12 months, as I mark the culmination of my first year as chancellor.
The year behind us was not without its challenges. Disruptions in federal funding brought tremendous uncertainty and fear, and financial challenges remain very much with us. And we continue to carry the memory and impact of the terrible L.A. wildfires that broke out last January. I will have more to say about that tragedy on Wednesday, as we note its one-year anniversary. Those early days of 2025 were particularly heartbreaking for all of us, but I also remember watching countless Bruins step forward to help our community heal. We came together and stayed connected.
One UCLA
That spirit of connection informed our listening exercise, which involved every school and unit across campus, as well as alumni. More than 6,300 of you shared your insights and aspirations for our university. And it was your voices that shaped One UCLA, our collective vision for building an institution that is even more connective, impactful and exemplary.
I want to keep our focus there. Even as we respond to immediate challenges, we must rise above them, and not lose sight of our mission of research, education and service. It is key that we remain a top comprehensive research university. Our core values and academic freedom are more important than ever. And by working together, we will continue to bring lasting positive change to our community and to communities around the world.
To get us there, we launched four flagship initiatives that are guiding our work. I want to revisit them briefly here, as a reminder of our shared aspirations.
UCLA Connects bridges divides and builds connections – on our campus, across Los Angeles and around the world. Through Campus Community Conversations, partnerships rooted in service, Olympic-related academic and cultural programming, our continued work to combat hate and bigotry through the Initiative to Combat Antisemitism, and the leadership of our Office of Inclusive Excellence, we are strengthening the ties that bind us and building spaces that inspire connection, respectful engagement and meaningful growth.
UCLA Research and Innovation Blueprint is creating an integrated innovation ecosystem across Southern California. We are advancing the UCLA Research Park — anchored by initiatives in quantum science and engineering and in immunology and immunotherapy — while deepening partnerships with industry and philanthropy to support discovery, technology transfer and new pathways for societal impact.
UCLA for Life is expanding what it means to receive a UCLA education. From new models of continuing education to pedagogical innovation in our classrooms, we are working to ensure that learners of all ages can access the knowledge, skills and opportunities necessary for the 21st century.
Effective UCLA is modernizing the administrative systems that support our academic mission. By unifying and streamlining processes across campus, we are stewarding our resources wisely and positioning UCLA for long-term strength.
Staying Connected
To realize these ambitions, we must work together. Building on the conversations that began with our campuswide listening exercise, I am continuing to meet consistently with faculty, students and staff. These discussions range from small faculty lunches and in-person conversations with the Academic Senate to meetings with the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC), Graduate Students Association (GSA) and the Staff Assembly. Each discussion is critical in creating a feedback loop, one that brings your ideas and concerns to me and enables me to respond directly.
Also critical is trust. I believe that trust must be continually earned. When I sat down with the Senate faculty in December, I shared that trust rests on four principles: competence, showing that our leadership and decisions are guided by expertise and care; benevolence, reflecting our genuine intent to act in good faith and support the wellbeing of every member of our community; integrity, shown by consistent, fair and value-driven actions; and openness, which means making transparent decisions and explaining clearly why we make them. These principles shape every step we take as we build a more connective university. Through our actions and results, we will show that we are trustworthy.
Trust also requires your participation – a willingness to engage openly and share your perspectives. We all want the best for this university and our community. Remembering that shared belief means our discussions will always start from common ground.In November, I announced an Executive Budget Action Group, which I am chairing. This group brings together key campus leaders — including the chair of the Academic Senate — to help guide principled, transparent budget decisions in a time of real financial pressure. Its charge is to ensure that we align our resources with our highest academic priorities, strengthen shared governance and navigate our challenges with clarity and purpose.
Celebrating Successes
This past year, our community celebrated a number of successes. As just a few examples, five of our faculty earned prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships, and six early-career researchers received Sloan Research Fellowships — the most among U.S. public universities.
Our staff contributed to major gains across campus, advancing everything from student services to research support, while our students continued to push the boundaries of scholarship, creativity and service. In Athletics, women’s basketball and gymnastics, as well as men’s volleyball, water polo and baseball, all had remarkable seasons. And we welcomed Bob Chesney as our new football coach.
In October, UCLA alumnus Fred Ramsdell received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking work in immune-system regulation. And two alumni — Gala Porras-Kim and Garrett Bradley — were named MacArthur Fellows, bringing the total number of Bruin recipients to 23. Over the past three years, roughly one in every 10 MacArthur Fellows has been a Bruin.
Let’s continue to build on this momentum. Let’s remember that we are part of a truly extraordinary university. And let’s make this year our best ever.
We are One UCLA.
Julio Frenk
Chancellor