Lloyd Cotsen has been supporting archaeology at UCLA since 1966, when he donated $10 to the UCLA Friends of Archaeology for the field trips in which he was participating. In 1999, he gave $7 million to UCLA's Archaeology Institute, which was renamed in his honor.

Now Cotsen has multiplied his first contribution a million-fold, pledging $10 million to the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA - a gift which, when added to a $7 million endowment, establishes him as the largest individual donor in the history of the College of Letters and Science.

"Lloyd Cotsen brings together his passion for understanding past cultures with his vision for building the best archaeology research and teaching program in the world here at UCLA," said Patricia O'Brien, executive dean of the college. "The campus is fortunate to have Lloyd as its committed partner and friend. His transformational gift ensures the future excellence of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and its dominance as an international leader."

The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, with 75 faculty members and research associates, is home to the nation's largest collection of working archaeologists. They conduct interdisciplinary research that spans the globe, with particular emphases on Mesoamerica, South America, California, China, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Europe.
Cotsen's gift provides the Institute with one of the largest endowments in the world for the study of archaeology.
"Lloyd Cotsen's vision for the Institute is based upon his belief that UCLA plays a vital role in the future of archaeology," said Scott Waugh, professor of history and dean of the division of social sciences at UCLA. "His support significantly advances the Institute's work at the leading edge of this discipline."
Cotsen, the former chair and CEO of Neutrogena Corp. and current president of the Cotsen Management Corporation, a private investment firm in Los Angeles, worked as a volunteer on archeological digs in Greece for more than 20 seasons. He maintains a deep-rooted passion for the field.
"It's an adventure story," he said. "The real thrill is being out there, seeing and touching and feeling what remains of a group or culture. It gives you a different view of the world."

Of the Institute, Cotsen said: "There's only one word I'd use: excellence. If you can't be the best, don't try. I think UCLA has the elements - vision and leadership - to take a strategic leadership position in the field of archaeology. You need a visionary, some smart people and some funds, in that order."

Anthropology professor Charles Stanish, director of the Cotsen Institute and holder of the Cotsen Chair in Archaeology, said that the initial endowment transformed the Archaeology Institute into one of the leading archaeology research centers in the world for the interdisciplinary study of ancient human societies. The new contribution, he said, ensures "that archaeology at UCLA will thrive indefinitely, allowing us not only to study and preserve our global heritage, but to change people's lives positively through the practice of archaeology."

Cotsen's $10 million gift supports several major initiatives at the Cotsen Institute. The Cotsen Faculty Recruitment Program will assist in recruiting the finest scholars to UCLA. The Cotsen Graduate Fellowship Program assists in recruiting top students and enabling them to embark upon projects and digs around the globe, facilitating the Institute's involvement in the latest and most significant finds of the coming decades. The Cotsen Undergraduate Scholars Program will enable 10 undergraduate students annually to take part in archaeological research, and the Cotsen Interdisciplinary Field Research Program will connect non-archaeology faculty with Institute faculty, facilitating greater interdisciplinary research.

In addition, the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Publications Fund supports the production of important archaeological monographs for the future. The endowment also establishes the Lloyd Cotsen Prize to honor a team of top archaeological scholars and graduate students from around the world.

Cotsen's interests include arts, education, academic and research libraries, and museums. In addition to serving as president of the Cotsen Family Foundation, he has served on the boards of numerous educational and cultural organizations, including the Huntington Library, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Public Library and the Music Center of Los Angeles County.

The Cotsen Institute presents public lecture programs, publications and research seminars as well as field research grants to its members. The Institute also trains professional archaeologists through an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program. For more information, visit http://www.ioa.ucla.edu/index.php.

California's largest university, UCLA enrolls approximately 38,000 students per year and offers degrees from the UCLA College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools in dozens of varied disciplines. UCLA consistently ranks among the top five universities and colleges nationwide in total research-and-development spending, receiving more than $820 million a year in competitively awarded federal and state grants and contracts. For every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA, the university generates almost $9 in economic activity, resulting in
an annual $6 billion economic impact on the Greater Los Angeles region. The university's health care network treats 450,000 patients per year. UCLA employs more than 27,000 faculty and staff, has more than 350,000 living alumni and has been home to five Nobel Prize recipients.

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