Once again, UCLA is the nation’s top public university in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings. The campus has held the No. 1 spot for seven consecutive years. Chancellor Gene Block credits the hard work of students, alumni, staff, faculty, and friends for the success. UCLA also continued its streak as the No. 1 public institution for veterans, an honor it has held for seven straight years. Additionally, the university topped the category of social mobility, which measures graduation rates for first-generation and Pell Grant-receiving students. Approximately one-third of UCLA's students receive Pell Grants, while one-third are first-generation and transfer students.
The UCLA Nimoy Theater officially opened its doors to the public on September 17 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and community open house featuring live performances and local food vendors. The Nimoy Theater is an important addition to UCLA and the Westwood neighborhood, as it is scheduled to host over 50 performances during UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP) 2023-24 season.
The UCLA Barbra Streisand Center hosted its inaugural lecture on the current American political landscape. Barbra Streisand, who donated funds to establish the center, spoke on how “alternative facts” and lies have become part of everyday political discourse. The center aims to advance research on topics such as disinformation, the silencing of minority voices, the responsibilities of journalists and social media discourse. The September 12 event took place on campus and included a panel discussion with UCLA professor Safiya Noble, media studies professor André Brock, and authors Frances Haugen and Stuart Stevens.
According to a study by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, and California Lutheran University's Center for Economic Research and Forecasting, the U.S. Latino GDP grew by 7.1% in 2021, surpassing the $3 trillion mark for the first time. If Latinos in the U.S. were an independent country, their GDP would outpace that of the United Kingdom, France and India. Despite being only 19% of the U.S. population, Latinos accounted for 39% of the growth of U.S. real GDP in 2020 and 2021. The data highlights Latinos as an important source of resilience for the broader U.S. economy.
A group of two dozen experts, including top researchers in law, elections, and information security from universities, nonprofits, and the private sector, have released a set of recommendations to ensure the integrity of the upcoming 2024 U.S. elections. The report entitled “24 for ‘24” was published under the auspices of the UCLA School of Law’s Safeguarding Democracy Project and was led by UCLA professor Richard Hasen. The nonpartisan panel’s recommendations are intended for government officials, journalists, social media companies, and the public.
The first in his family to attend college, Richard Figueroa ('83) a Deputy Cabinet Secretary in Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, applies expertise in health care policy, economics and marketing strategy in service to California.
A political cartoon collection containing over 1 million items from nearly 60 countries in 30 languages and spanning 330 years is headed to UCLA thanks to a gift from Michael and Susan Kahn. The collection includes drawings, prints, magazines, books, and ephemera dating back to the 1690s. The couple is also supporting the study of political cartoons through UCLA classes and workshops.
Before UCLA was founded in 1919, a supporter of education in Southern California played a key role in establishing the first public institution of higher learning in Los Angeles. Reginaldo Francisco del Valle, who served as a state legislator from 1880 to 1886, helped establish the Branch State Normal School at Los Angeles, which opened its doors in 1882. Nearly three decades later, the Normal School's assets were merged into the University of California, creating UCLA's first campus in Southern California.
Join White House Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Chancellor Block and other university leaders for an important discussion.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid held a webinar on July 27, co-sponsored by the University of California, to explain the new options.
The annual white coat ceremony at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA welcomed nearly 200 incoming medical students on September 8. Among them were Urania Argueta, the daughter of migrant farmworkers, Zion Congrave-Wilson, a Black student who aspires to increase diversity in the medical field, and Diana Jiménez-Briseño, a kidney transplant recipient. These three students, along with 172 other medical students, were honored during the traditional ceremony held at Royce Hall. Read their unique stories about the journey towards becoming a doctor.
