The Bruin Scholars Initiative aims to generate $500 million for graduate student fellowships and undergraduate scholarships by June 30, 2013.
"UCLA's standing as one of the world's leading academic institutions is based on the excellence of its students, faculty and staff," Block said. "With the economy straining household finances in the short term as student fees increase and state support shrinks, now more than ever it is imperative that we bolster the endowed funds that that provide a predictable, ongoing stream of financial support to aid students. We must ensure that students have the financial means to attend and thrive at UCLA."
Among the initial gifts to the Bruin Scholars Initiative was a personal commitment of $100,000 from the chancellor and his wife, Carol.
"Maintaining access to UCLA for the very best students and building on our academic strengths are top priorities, and Carol and I think it's important to demonstrate how strongly we feel about ensuring that our students can afford to attend UCLA," Block said.
The Bruin Scholars fund drive builds on the success of the Ensuring Academic Excellence initiative, launched in June 2004 by then-Chancellor Albert Carnesale to raise $250 million over five years to help recruit and retain the very best students and faculty. That initiative reached its goals a year early, at the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year, generating more than $113 million to fund new endowed professorships and more than $137 million for student scholarships and fellowships.
Bruin Scholars aims to generate an additional $300 million for fellowships and $200 million for scholarships by 2013, including $240 million for endowed fellowships and $160 million for endowed scholarships, or 80 percent of the money raised. That would more than triple the amount of student support generated by the Ensuring Academic Excellence initiative and double the amount of endowed funds dedicated to student support. Block said UCLA continues to generate funding for endowed professorships.
The chancellor emphasized that fellowships are critical to attracting top graduate students, which in turn is critical to recruiting and retaining faculty.
"Many of our peer institutions have far greater resources at their disposal," Block said. "Quite simply, we need more funding for graduate student fellowships to maintain our broad excellence in research and academics."
As part the Bruin Scholars Initiative, the chancellor has named areas of priority consistent with his long-term goals for the campus, beyond maintaining access and affordability; they include fostering a service ethic, encouraging world citizenship and bolstering research opportunities, especially for undergraduates. This focus seeks to expand opportunities for students to participate in study-abroad programs as well as civic engagement and service learning programs that link classroom work with fieldwork and internships.
"At UCLA, our goal is to leverage resources to develop young adults with a passion for citizenship while enhancing the world around us; this is what it means to be a public university," Block said. "To maintain our success and momentum, philanthropy will play an increasingly critical role."
State funding has fallen over many years and now makes up approximately 16 percent of UCLA's total revenues, down from 37 percent about 30 years ago. That trend is expected to continue, with the state facing a budget deficit of more than $40 billion. Most recently, the governor has proposed reducing the amount of money the state makes available for student grants.
Tracie Christensen, associate vice chancellor for development, expressed confidence in generating gifts during difficult economic times. She said the number of gifts to UCLA since July 1, 2008, is on par with the same period last year, despite the challenging economy.
"Our many generous donors are clearly engaged and eager to help UCLA maintain its excellence," Christensen said. "Donors recognize that a gift to support students at UCLA helps to provide a brighter future for students while also improving the economy over the long term through an investment in a skilled work force."
Christensen added: "Now is the time to redouble our efforts, not pull back, while maintaining sensitivity about the effect of the economy on donors and prospective donors."
UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 323 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
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