A Bruin in full: Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt knows UCLA from the ground up
And perhaps no one would know better. Hunt has seen and served the campus from nearly every vantage point over the past three decades — as a student, a faculty member, a center director, a department chair, a dean and most recently as executive vice chancellor and provost. He is also a proud UCLA parent, with his daughter now entering her second year as an undergraduate.
As a champion of inclusive excellence, social justice and community-engaged scholarship, and as the principal architect of UCLA’s ambitious five-year strategic plan, Hunt has given shape and direction to the university’s mission of research, education and service — both locally and around the globe. And even in his interim role, he has done more than keep the seat warm, introducing a framework for creating a safer and stronger campus following the challenging events of last spring and working to build bridges of empathy and understanding among the diverse members of the Bruin community
Hunt’s colleagues have widely praised his work, both as a scholar of media, race and culture and as an administrator who has elevated UCLA’s values and ideals through forward-thinking programs, policies and initiatives. The superlatives that pop up most frequently? Visionary, fair, magnanimous, collaborative, thoughtful, pragmatic, consensus-building, patient, inclusive and insightful.