One of the most profound responsibilities I have as UCLA’s chancellor is working with our exceptional faculty and staff to ensure that our graduating students are prepared for life beyond our campus – ready to become leaders in their professions and in their communities. In some ways, that responsibility is made much easier because of the caliber of students who are attracted to UCLA. As the class of 2015 has again demonstrated, Bruins possess a wealth of talent, sense of purpose and depth of compassion for one another that are second to none.
We strive to offer our students a college education and experience that is among the world’s very best. During your time here, you have collaborated with faculty recognized as the top in their fields and you have taken advantage of a wealth of extracurricular activities, including volunteer opportunities and civic engagement throughout Los Angeles. Our city is a mecca of innovation and a richly multicultural environment that is, in many ways, a microcosm of our broader society – which makes it perfect for tapping into new trends, testing new technologies and understanding where our nation and our world are headed.
Certainly, these factors give you, our students, a leg up in preparing to become our next generation of leaders and innovators. But the challenge encompasses so much more, in part because the world is constantly changing and the demands on new graduates are steadily increasing. Today more than ever, the workplace demands professionals who understand how to work effectively with diverse colleagues and constituents.
Study after study shows that companies, teams and organizations are more innovative and more competitive when they are made up of people with diverse talents, ideas and backgrounds. Fortunately, another of UCLA’s defining characteristics is the magnificent diversity of our community – the fact that this is a place where brilliant people from across the globe and from different socioeconomic backgrounds come together to teach, learn, create and discover.
At UCLA, as at other leading research institutions of the world, scholars are increasingly tackling the most complex challenges they face by drawing on expertise from multiple disciplines. That’s why we’re proud to be the home of renowned centers like the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the California NanoSystems Institute, to name two of many, where students and faculty are solving major societal and scientific problems by collaborating with experts from fields outside of their own.
In the same way, I believe, all of us can – and must – do our parts to help build a better, fairer and more just society by gaining insights and understanding of the worldviews of people who have different life experiences from our own.
This is one of the many reasons I was proud that this year, after years of effort by many of our students and faculty, the Academic Senate approved the establishment of an undergraduate diversity requirement for the College of Letters and Science. Beginning this fall, undergraduates will fulfill the new requirement by passing a course, in any one of a variety of disciplines, that examines racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, age, national origin, religious or other types of diversity.
Now, as you prepare to move into the next phase of your lives, I encourage you to carry forward the same principles to your future studies, your work and your communities. Seek opportunities to address challenging issues by collaborating with others rather than excluding them, by pursuing understanding rather than settling for ignorance and by embracing and utilizing the unique talents and life experiences that others possess. Wherever your interests lie and wherever your passions take you, never stop learning – about yourself, your family, your profession and the world around you.
To the class of 2015: You have thrived at UCLA and have immeasurably enriched our remarkable community. As you celebrate commencement and take the next steps on your journey, know that you are prepared to make your mark, to forge new discoveries, to help improve others’ lives and to make our world a better place.
Congratulations!
Block is the chancellor of UCLA.