Terasaki Life Science Building Grand Opening

Speech

Thank you, Dean Sork.

Good morning, honored guests, UCLA alumni, faculty, staff and students. I’m especially pleased to welcome Professor Emeritus Paul Terasaki, his lovely wife, Mrs. Hisako Terasaki, and the Terasaki family.

This is a landmark occasion for UCLA. I’m thrilled you could all be here to help us celebrate this beautiful, state-of-the-art building and the special people who made it possible.

Even before the Terasaki Life Sciences Building came to fruition, Dr. Terasaki had contributed in many ways to UCLA’s excellence: As a three-time graduate, a distinguished faculty member, and through his monumental accomplishments in transplant medicine. He and Mrs. Terasaki are also UCLA parents, and they have long been generous supporters. Quite a legacy.

The Terasaki Life Sciences Building extends that legacy in a truly meaningful way, by creating the best possible environment for the next generation of life-changing discoveries. Innovations that — like Dr. Terasaki’s method of tissue typing — have the potential to transform health care and quality of life around the world. This is our mission as a great public research university.

We all know that UCLA is home to some of the world’s very best scientists — many of whom are here this morning. They deserve a research environment that enables them to achieve all they are capable of. The Terasaki Life Sciences Building will provide just that.

Dean Sork mentioned the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation for our faculty. It’s also critical for our students — it’s amazing to consider what they can accomplish when we encourage them to work across traditional boundaries. Having buildings that encourage collaboration — and a campus where life sciences, engineering, humanities and the medical school are so close together — gives them a tremendous competitive edge. These are advantages that you won’t find at many other top research universities.

As I have gotten to know Dr. Terasaki over the past few years, I have been inspired by his generosity and his humility. He has said that he owes his career to UCLA because the labs here gave him the freedom to pursue his innovations.

As we celebrate the opening of this magnificent new building, I am certain that generations of UCLA students and faculty will owe a great measure of their success to Dr. Terasaki and the Terasaki family.

Paul and Hisako, we thank you for your vision — and for your abiding belief in UCLA’s continued excellence.