The UCLA School of Public Affairs is the new name for the graduate school housing the departments of social welfare, urban planning and public policy at UCLA. The former name was the School of Public Policy and Social Research.

"We are delighted to have a name that better captures the full breadth of our research, teaching and service," said Dean Barbara J. Nelson. "Public Affairs encompasses all work in the public interest, involving government, nonprofits, business and citizenship."

The School of Public Affairs this year also is marking the 10th anniversary of UCLA's bringing together under one roof the departments of social welfare and urban planning, and creating a department of policy studies, which now will be known as the department of public policy.

"The School of Public Affairs' 10th anniversary confirms UCLA's stated commitment to serving public needs in Los Angeles, the state of California and beyond," said Chancellor Albert Carnesale, who holds a faculty appointment in public policy. "Since our founding in 1919, UCLA has continually strengthened its ability to provide the very best in research, teaching and service for the public good."

The department of social welfare, established in 1949, offers a master's (M.S.W.) and Ph.D. degree, and is nationally recognized in the fields of mental health, child and family policy, health policy, and gerontology. The department of urban planning, which offers master's and Ph.D. degrees in urban planning, was established in 1969 and is respected for faculty and student work in regionalism, transportation, design, housing and international development.

The department of public policy (formerly policy studies) was established in 1994 and is viewed as a leading program in the application of quantitative and analytical methods to public problem solving.

The School of Public Affairs also offers a popular public policy minor, houses nine research centers, hosts a senior fellows program and annually hosts a wide range of public leaders and academics who give presentations on timely topics at the school.

This year, 53 new Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) students will join the school. Starting the Master of Social Welfare (M.S.W.) program will be 104 students along with six Ph.D. students. The urban planning program will include 65 new M.A. students and six new Ph.D. students. The year will start off at 9 a.m., Sept. 27, with the annual new student orientation. Keynote speaker is Nathan Gardels, editor-in-chief of the current affairs journal New Perspectives Quarterly, member of the board of directors of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, as well as the editor of the global viewpoint service of the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Gardels, who earned his undergraduate degree at UCLA as well as a master's degree in architecture and urban planning from UCLA, also will serve this year as a School of Public Affairs senior fellow.