Chancellor Gene Block and his wife joined students at Hillel at UCLA, a Jewish student organization on campus, for challah, wine and dinner to celebrate Shabbat on Friday night.
After the evening services and a family-style meal prepared completely by students in the Hillel community, Block spoke about UCLA and his goals for the future. He then answered student questions.
Stacey Klein, president of Hillel, said the chancellor was invited to dinner because he is such an integral figure at UCLA.
“(I wanted to) give students the opportunity to get know the chancellor because he is the person who (best) represents the UCLA community,” Klein said.
Block is the most recent of well-known visitors at Hillel Shabbat dinners. Two years ago, actor Jason Alexander was a dinner guest. Klein said Hillel hosts speakers ranging from entertaining improv groups to more earnest figures involved in community issues.
Before discussing more serious matters, the chancellor talked about his positive experience at UCLA and the strengths of both the academic and athletic programs.
“It’s been a joy being here,” he said. “It’s a great university.”
He also talked jokingly with students about topics such as the men’s basketball team’s loss in the Final Four.
“I’m still in therapy about that,” he said.
Block outlined his goals for UCLA. He said he wants to increase the quality of all programs but specifically the interdisciplinary ones. He also said he wants to make UCLA a more diverse and more civically engaged campus.
To increase civic engagement, he said the university is in the process of developing a kind of “problem-solving institution.”
In the institution, students and faculty would work together to develop solutions to and classes about problems relevant to the L.A. area, such as traffic and homelessness.
“Maybe after two years we’ll be able to look back and say (that) UCLA has really made a difference,” Block said.
The chancellor also responded to student questions on topics such as the use of solar and other forms of sustainable energy on campus and the lack of both a business major and study abroad opportunities.
The chancellor said many of the issues students voiced concern about could be somewhat attributed to budget issues, but that the university is working toward solutions.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, the director of Hillel, said he was pleased with discussions at the dinner and said he thought it was successful in making the chancellor seem more human and the university seem smaller.
“I wanted an exchange between the chancellor and the students,” he said. “By facilitating a personal encounter, they got a sense of the humanity of the institution.”
Klein said she was glad to be able to give students a chance to speak with the chancellor because with his busy schedule and limited office hours, he is often not accessible to students.
“As president, it’s important for me to offer the students the opportunity to ask the questions they may not have (had the chance to) ask him,” Klein added.
Maurice Diesendruck, external vice president of Hillel, said he was glad to get the chance to interact with the chancellor in person but that it would be good to see him around more on campus.
Other students also said they enjoyed speaking with the chancellor and were impressed with his presentation.
“He’s got some challenges to face here because it is a huge university,” Diesendruck said. “But his mind seems like it’s on a track for change.”
Diesendruck also said he thought it was good that the Jewish student population had a chance to voice its concerns and hopes the networking will allow the ideas of the students to have a greater effect.
“Now we know who to go to,” he added.