Timeline

Gene Block named new UCLA Chancellor

The University of California Board of Regents appoints Gene Block, biologist and provost of the University of Virginia, UCLA’s new chancellor after a nationwide search. Block, who replaces Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams, will take office in August 2007.

Chancellor Block’s inauguration

On May 13, Chancellor Block is formally inaugurated at a Royce Hall ceremony attended by more than 300 dignitaries, including faculty, staff and alumni leaders, delegates from over 40 universities, former Gov. Gray Davis, the UC regents, UC President Robert Dynes and chancellors from UCLA’s nine sister UC campuses.

UCLA opens hospital of the future

The new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center begins operation. Housing the UCLA Medical Center, Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, and the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, the structure features the most advanced medical technology in the world and is the biggest construction project in UC history.

Operation Mend: Healing wounded warriors

With support from longtime donors Ronald and Maddie Katz, UCLA launches Operation Mend, a partnership between the campus and a military medical facility in Texas to provide free medical, surgical and psychological treatment to U.S. military personnel wounded during service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

‘Father of the internet’ receives National Medal of Science

President George W. Bush awards the National Medal of Science to UCLA computer science professor Leonard Kleinrock for creating the packet-switching technology that helped lead to the development of the internet.

NCAA championships 101, 102 and 103

Women’s tennis, women’s water polo and men’s golf take home top honors.

After 70 years, degrees for interned Japanese American students

During World War II, nearly 200 Japanese American UCLA students were forced to leave campus, many for incarceration camps. Seven decades later, Chancellor Block confers their degrees.

Research funding surpasses $1 billion

For the first time, UCLA breaks the $1 billion mark in competitively awarded research grants and contracts, with a total of $1.1 billion.

New life sciences building

UCLA opens and names the Terasaki Life Sciences Building, thanks in part to $50 million from former faculty member and organ transplant pioneer Paul Terasaki. The new building features laboratories and facilities designed to encourage multidisciplinary research, and houses UCLA’s Broad Stem Cell Research Center.

NCAA championships 105 and 106

UCLA’s women’s gymnastics and softball teams are crowned.

Student and alumni startup program

Startup UCLA launches with its Summer Accelerator, the first-ever on-campus program for digital startups brainstormed by students and alumni. Ten years later, the program has supported more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, and accelerator participants have raised $100 million in funding.

Judea Pearl wins A.M. Turing Award 

The UCLA professor emeritus of computer science receives the A.M. Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery, widely considered the “Nobel Prize of computing,” for innovations that have contributed to the development of artificial intelligence.

Lloyd Shapley wins Nobel Prize

Lloyd Shapley, UCLA professor emeritus of economics and mathematics, shares the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on “the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design.” He is the sixth faculty member to win a Nobel Prize.

National Humanities Medal for Teo Ruiz

President Barack Obama awards Teofilo Ruiz, professor of history and chair of the department of Spanish and Portuguese, the National Humanities Medal for his research and writing on medieval Spain and Europe and his work on how society has coped with wars and other human-made catastrophes.

Enrollment management division is UC’s first

Work begins to build a cohesive enrollment strategy for the entire campus, involving outreach, recruitment, admissions and enrollment.

A new and improved Pauley

Following a wide-ranging $136 million renovation project, Pauley Pavilion reopens with a wraparound concourse, additional seating, a new Pavilion Club, improved amenities for athletes and a statue of Coach John Wooden outside.

The Hill adds two residence halls

Gardenia Way and Holly Ridge open in the DeNeve Plaza complex as part of UCLA’s long-term plan to accommodate more undergraduate students on campus.

Applicants grow in numbers and diversity

UCLA receives a record high 91,500 overall applications for fall and admits its most ethnically, geographically and socioeconomically diverse freshman class to date. Building on the UCLA Principles of Community, the campus develops a series of events, curricula and programs focused on diversity, including a seminar taught by Chancellor Block.

Tops in U.S. in giving

The campus benefited from $402 million in private giving during the 2011–12 fiscal year and is recognized as the nation’s top public university in fundraising by the Council for Aid to Education. Among this year’s gifts, the UCLA School of Public Health received $50 million from Jonathan and Karen Fielding — the largest gift in the school’s history.

Centennial Campaign for UCLA

The Centennial Campaign, the largest fundraising effort ever undertaken by a public university, seeks to raise $4.2 billion by 2019 to expand student scholarships and fellowships, faculty support, research programs, capital projects and the university’s endowment.

A startup campus

Chancellor Block announces the creation of a new not-for-profit company to protect and optimize campus discoveries and inventions. UCLA is the source of more than 100 active startup companies based on student- and faculty-led discoveries. It also holds nearly 700 active patents.

Economic impact on L.A.

UCLA receives an Eddy award from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation for its outstanding leadership in economic development and its contributions to the health and vitality of the Los Angeles region.

New housing in the Village and on the Hill

The expansion of undergraduate student housing continues. UCLA opens the new Landfair and Glenrock off-campus apartments in the North Village and the newly renovated Hitch suites on the Hill. The Hill’s Saxon suites are undergoing renovations and will open in 2015.

Wasserman Building opens

Campus leaders dedicate the Edie & Lew Wasserman Building, a new research and patient care facility built to meet the expanding needs of the Stein Eye Institute and provide space for UCLA’s Department of Neurosurgery and Institute of Urologic Oncology.

Ostin Music Center opens

The new Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center, funded in part by a $10 million gift from music industry executive and philanthropist Morris “Mo” Ostin, features spaces for rehearsal and teaching, a cafe, social space and an internet-based music production center.

NCAA championships 111 and 112

Men’s water polo and women’s tennis take home crowns.

Olympics coming to UCLA

UCLA is selected as the site of the Olympic Village for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

Centennial support for students

With the Centennial Campaign more than halfway toward its goal of raising $4.2 billion, Chancellor Block launches the UCLA Chancellor’s Centennial Scholars Match Program, aimed at garnering $150 million for undergraduate scholarship support.

First music school in the UC system

The UC regents vote to formally establish the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as a professional school with its own dean. The school was initially launched in 2007 after a $30 million gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation.

J. Fraser Stoddart wins Nobel Prize

Northwestern University’s J. Fraser Stoddart, who was a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA from 1997 to 2008, shares the Nobel Prize in chemistry “for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.”

Technology Development Group created

The Technology Development Group succeeds the Office of Intellectual Property and Industry-Sponsored Research as the campuswide unit for securing patents and licenses for UCLA inventions. At the time, UCLA is No. 3 in the nation in launching startups based on faculty members’ research, according to the Association of University Technology Managers.

Luskin Conference Center opens

The UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center features 25,000 square feet of conference space, 254 guest rooms, a restaurant and underground parking. Located in the heart of campus, the center provides space for the campus community to host academic summits and events aimed at addressing some of society’s most vexing problems.

UCLA is No. 1 again

UCLA is once again named the No. 1 public university by both U.S. News & World Report and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education survey. Forbes ranks UCLA the No. 1 “best value” university in the U.S.

Centennial Campaign surpasses goal

UCLA’s Centennial Campaign meets its goal of raising $4.2 billion 18 months ahead of its December 2019 target. The campaign continues to fundraise in key areas, including scholarships, so that students from all backgrounds can afford a UCLA education.

Growth in student internships

Nearly half of all UCLA students now serve at least one internship with a corporation or community organization before earning their bachelor’s degrees. 

Project Welcome reaches out

UCLA’s Office of Enrollment Management creates Project Welcome to reach out to middle and high school students who believe a UCLA education may not be affordable or attainable. The project provides them with regular information about why college matters, how they can become highly competitive applicants and how they can obtain financial resources.

Office of Strategic Communications created

Chancellor Block announces that UCLA’s University Communications and Public Outreach will become the Office of Strategic Communications.

Engineering VI building opens

The state-of-the-art facility includes research and teaching spaces that will help the Samueli School of Engineering accommodate its planned growth in students and faculty over the next few years.

UCLA acquires historic Crest Theater

The School of the Arts and Architecture and its performing arts program, the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, acquire the Crest Theater in Westwood Village, a landmark venue that will be transformed into the UCLA Nimoy Theater, a new off-campus performing arts space scheduled to open in September 2023.

An economic engine

A study by the Beacon Economics consultancy finds that UCLA contributes $11.06 billion annually in economic activity to the California economy, with more than $4 billion in the city of Los Angeles. The report also shows that the campus is the fourth-largest employer in Los Angeles County, behind the county itself, LAUSD and the city of Los Angeles.

NCAA championships 115 and 116

Women’s gymnastics and beach volleyball reach the top.

COVID hits campus — and UCLA commits to not lay off any staff 

In response to the growing COVID-19 crisis, Chancellor Block announces that UCLA will transition to almost completely remote learning and working. By December, the pandemic has had a significant financial impact on the campus through increased costs and lost revenue. UCLA leadership institutes budget reductions along with other measures but makes a commitment to not lay off any staff throughout the pandemic.

Pitching in against the pandemic

UCLA Health becomes one of the first academic health systems to develop in-house COVID-19 testing, and two vaccine clinical trials are held at UCLA. Bioengineers use 3D printers to create face shields for frontline medical workers; staff from the Fielding School of Public Health help train the public in contact tracing; researchers from the Samueli School of Engineering create a machine-learning model used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to predict the spread of the virus; and the Depression Grand Challenge partners with Beyonce’s BeyGOOD in developing tools for well-being.

Andrea Ghez wins Nobel Prize

UCLA physics and astronomy professor Andrea Ghez shares the Nobel Prize in physics “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.” She is the eighth faculty member to be named a Nobel laureate.

Rising to the challenge

Triggered by the murder of George Floyd, racial and social justice protests and civil unrest dominate the summer of 2020. UCLA leadership announces a broad series of responses and initiatives aimed at ensuring lasting change that will have a positive impact on the campus and its communities.

UCLA’s first virtual commencement

Commencement 2020, meant to be the final chapter of the UCLA Centennial Celebration, becomes a virtual celebration due to COVID-19, with alumnus George Takei as the featured speaker for the UCLA College ceremony.

Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution

UCLA lays out plans to achieve federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by 2025. The designation would qualify the campus for a range of federal grants to bolster educational programs and benefit Latino communities on campus.

New athletic director named

Chancellor Block names Boston College’s Martin Jarmond the next Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. Jarmond becomes UCLA’s ninth athletic director, replacing the retiring Dan Guerrero, who held the position for 18 years.

No. 1 four years in a row

U.S. News & World Report once again ranks UCLA the nation’s No. 1 public university.

NCAA championship 119

Men’s water polo earns another title

Judith Baca mural unveiled

Artist and faculty member Judith Baca creates “La Memoria de la Tierra: UCLA,” an 80-foot mural in Ackerman Union that depicts the history, present and future of UCLA and the land on which it sits.

Research funding tops $1.7 billion

Competitively awarded research grants and contracts to faculty totaled more than $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2021–22. The figure represents a 93% increase from the $892 million in grants and contracts awarded during Chancellor Block’s first full year in office.

5,000 graduate degrees

For the first time, the number of UCLA masters, professional practice and doctoral degrees awarded reaches the 5,000 mark, compared with 4,311 graduate degrees conferred in 2006-07.

Homeless Healthcare Collaborative

UCLA Health launches “customized street medicine” in early 2022, with two mobile vans that visit shelters, camps, interim housing sites and people on the street. With more than 9,000 encounters in the initial year, the specially trained caregivers address the primary and urgent care needs of unhoused adults and children.

Record-breaking giving

UCLA received $658 million in gifts and pledges during fiscal year 2021–22, the highest amount for any single year and nearly $180 million more than was received during Chancellor Block’s first year.

Continuing UCLA growth

Total student enrollment reaches more than 46,600, representing a 24% increase in the student body over Chancellor Block’s tenure. The campus’s annual budget is $10.9 billion, a jump of roughly 63% over the same time period.

No. 1 for six years running

For the sixth straight year, UCLA is named the nation’s No. 1 public university in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” rankings.

First Thursdays kicks off

UCLA inaugurates First Thursdays, an ongoing campaign aimed at revitalizing Westwood Village and restoring the longstanding link between the campus and the neighborhood. More than 35,000 students, staff, faculty, alumni and members of the local community will attend First Thursdays during its first year.

Time-to-degree efforts paying off

UCLA undergraduates are earning their degrees more quickly. Only 69% of students who entered in 2007 graduated in four years, compared with 85% of students who entered in 2018. The improvement for transfer students is even more dramatic: 56% of transfers who entered in 2007 finished in two years, compared with 74% of transfers who entered in 2020.

Bruins Rising Initiative

Building on the UC’s Native American Opportunity Plan, UCLA introduces the Native American and Pacific Islander Bruins Rising Initiative, which includes investments to enhance the intellectual community devoted to Native American and Pacific Islander peoples, create more inclusive and equitable student experiences, and provide meaningful support for staff.

First and only UC to launch a housing guarantee

Expanded residence hall and apartment space means UCLA is able to guarantee four years of housing in university-owned residences to incoming freshmen and two years to new transfer students. UCLA is the first and only UC campus to offer this housing guarantee.

UCLA expands to South Bay

UCLA acquires a new 24.5-acre UCLA South Bay campus in Rancho Palos Verdes and an 11-acre residential site, the UCLA South Bay Villas in San Pedro, which will enable the university to reach and serve more students.

More housing: UCLA apartments

With the opening of three new apartment buildings — Laurel, Palo Verde and Tipuana — and increased capacity at the Gayley Heights complex, UCLA is able to provide housing to 3,400 additional Bruins.

UCLA to join the Big Ten Conference

In a move designed to better support the campus’s student-athletes amid major changes in collegiate athletics, UCLA decides to move from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten, beginning with the 2024–25 season.

Darnell Hunt becomes EVCP

Darnell Hunt, dean of the division of social sciences and a professor of sociology and African American studies, is named UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost.

NCAA championship 120

Women’s soccer gets the W in a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

Chancellor Block steps down