Chancellor Gene Block answered questions from a student panel Thursday night to discuss UCLA’s role in the Los Angeles community.
The panel ““ made up of members of the student government and faculty ““ touched on subjects ranging from the university’s privately funded research to maintaining UCLA’s affordability for students.
Panel members expressed concern that research largely funded by private companies will be heavily influenced by private interests.
As state funding dwindles, the university must rely on private donors, Block said. UCLA received approximately $400 million in private grants last year, he added.
Roger Waldinger, professor of sociology, said he is worried that relying on private funding will jeopardize UCLA’s reputation as a “reservoir of reliable or trustworthy knowledge.”
“Aren’t we leading that private interests will control what our university is?” Waldinger asked.
But Block said much of the money received by private donors is not meant for specific projects.
“Many of (the donations) come with as open a heart as you could ever imagine and are given for remarkable purposes with no strings attached,” Block said.
The panel also discussed how UCLA can distinguish itself from private universities and appeal to students as fees increase.
“We’ve got to find a way to make money in order to provide access to you,” Block told students in the audience.
The university plans to use private endowments to create more scholarships so that UCLA will be accessible to all students, regardless of financial income, Block said.
The discussion also focused on the ways UCLA can increase its public service and outreach programs in the Los Angeles area.
Block explained his plan to begin a “problem institute,” a group of faculty and students that will work to identify and solve specific problematic issues in the community. He said he hopes such a group will help students develop a public focus and awareness.
Addar Weintraub, Undergraduate Students Association Council Academic Affairs commissioner and member of the panel, said she also thinks UCLA should provide more service to the Los Angeles community.
“Our first priority should be to the Los Angeles area because, where we are situated, we have some of the wealthiest ZIP codes and least wealthiest ZIP codes right next to each other,” Weintraub said.