It’s not every day a tribute is held in your honor. It’s also not every day that you see an animated version of yourself in a special introduction to “The Simpsons” ““ unless you are Robert Rosen.
Rosen is stepping down as the dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and he has done it all, from working with entertainment legends such as Martin Scorsese to helping create one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive film archives, the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Rosen was honored on Friday, May 29 for his contributions to not only the UCLA community but to the entire film, theater, television and archivist community as well.
Along with the animated “Simpsons” bit, the ceremony honored his achievements with a variety of comedic, inspirational and sometimes musical numbers from students, fellow professors and staff members.
Known for his contributions as dean and his many achievements in film restoration and archiving, Rosen will be leaving his current post on June 30 after holding the title of dean for 11 years.
Geoffrey Gilmore, the chief creative officer of Tribeca Enterprises ““ the company behind New York’s Tribeca Film Festival ““ spoke at the ceremony.
While an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, Gilmore quickly developed a close relationship with Rosen, who was teaching at the university at the time. Gilmore said Rosen was his mentor during college as well as with his work at the Sundance Film Festival.
“The perspective I have is how much (Rosen) means to so many of us. He is a remarkable man and a very modest man,” Gilmore said. “His impact has been so great. What history will tell us is that he really is a pioneer.”
This sentiment was echoed by most everyone in attendance, including Cathy Rivera, a former UCLA undergraduate and graduate student in film who worked with Rosen to archive a Spanish film series.
“Bob Rosen is a wonderful teacher. He’s very supportive of students and their interests,” Rivera said. “I was proud to work for him at the UCLA Film and TV Archive as a student and later on a professional level. I learned a lot and he continues to be a truly outstanding mentor.”
Before serving as dean, Rosen made an impression during his six years as chair of the school of theater, film and television.
“I worked very hard … to have the film school be aware of what is going on in the theater realm and to have people within the theater school develop the skill to cross over and work with film and television as well,” Rosen said. “I think one of the accomplishments is working to strengthen the synergy and interactions within TFT, whereas other schools around the country are in separate worlds.”
Rosen’s major passion for preservation and history was fulfilled through UCLA’s archive, which he said is one of the world’s largest archives of original film and television material. He said he hopes that the archive serves as a database of sorts from which people within the industry can learn and develop their craft.
“The dialogue of the past and present is something that I am passionate about, and I think we have made great strides,” Rosen said.
This dialogue will continue with the Robert Rosen Fund at UCLA, which was established to continue the preservation and mission of the Film and Television Archive. The founding of the Robert Rosen Fund at UCLA, which is rooted in Rosen’s mission to preserve and expand UCLA’s archive, was announced at the ceremony.
Besides being involved with the archives, Rosen has fostered more intimate relationships between the school and entertainment industry by recruiting figures in the industry such as Peter Guber ““ the president and CEO of film studio Mandalay Entertainment ““ to teach courses at the film school.
Rosen has also encouraged alumni to submit online video messages, some of which are posted on the school’s Web site, in order to bridge the gap between the entertainment industry and the students.
“It is reaching out and saying to the alumni … that you are a permanent part of the theater, film and television family and we want you to come back and teach,” Rosen said. “We want you to come back and mentor our students. We want you to come back and support the next generation of artists and scholars who follow in your footsteps.”
While Rosen will no longer be the dean of the school, he is not leaving UCLA. He will take a sabbatical for one year before returning to teaching.
“I’m very committed to that,” Rosen said.
With the extra time, he plans on taking up a few projects, which include a production project in India that was previously shelved because of his busy schedule as dean.
Though Rosen said he regrets not having enough time to finish projects such as building state-of-the-art facilities, he said he’s very satisfied with what he has accomplished and the impact he has had on the academic progress within the school.
“I have had one of the best jobs in the world,” Rosen said.