Your story about speaker fees overlooks a vital element of the UCLA College of Letters and Science’s Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership.
It was the wish of alumni Meyer and Renee Luskin – a portion of whose $100 million gift endowed the lecture series – that it would expand dialogue among scholars, leaders in government and business, and the greater Los Angeles community – one of our primary missions as a public university. More importantly, the Luskins intended this lecture to be a gift to UCLA students to broaden their access to the greatest minds of our time.
Thanks to their gift, the UCLA College has built a signature lecture on campus without the need to use public funds. To date, three world leaders have come to campus to share their thoughts on the important issues shaping our world, and each time, students have attended these lectures free of charge.
If even one student has left a Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership inspired and resolved to change the world for the better, then the gift is serving its purpose.
Sincerely,
Joseph Rudnick
Senior dean of UCLA College of Letters and Science