With Chancellor Gene Block having previously been a faculty member at the University of Virginia for more than 30 years, University of California Board of Regents Chairman Richard Blum said he expected things might be a little bit different for Block when he came to UCLA.
“After all, you’ve already attended two Final Four basketball (games),” Blum said jokingly as he presided over UCLA’s Tuesday inauguration of Block, the university’s ninth chancellor.
And indeed, as seen in his plans to help the university adapt to a changing environment, he has expressed the need to make certain changes at UCLA.
Dressed in a dark blue ceremonial gown and cap, Block was inaugurated as chancellor almost 10 months after taking over the position from Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams.
Playing off of his specialty in the field of psychobiology, Block outlined in his speech what he saw as the DNA of UCLA: commitment to excellence, a spirit of discovery, and collaboration and a commitment to diversity.
But he also warned of impending challenges that must be solved in order for UCLA to further progress as an academic research institution.
“What happens if we don’t address these challenges? Sadly, we risk slipping from great to merely good. We risk becoming detached from the communities and the constituencies we serve,” Block said.
Prior to the commencement, hundreds of UCLA and UC faculty members and leaders decorated in ceremonial robes and colorful caps filed out of the faculty center to begin the procession to the inauguration in Royce Hall.
Numbers of speakers, including Los Angeles Councilmember Jack Weiss, Blum and the presidents of the undergraduate and graduate student government councils welcomed Block and expressed their confidence in his leadership and plans for the university.
Former UCLA basketball player and keynote speaker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who took humor in his noticeably greater height over the other speakers and Block, spoke of his fondness of the university and its faculty.
“As someone who has worked so hard to bring some honor to UCLA’s legacy, I feel I have a special interest in its future. That’s why I always believe the person running this place has to be as exceptional as the school itself,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
After the series of speakers, UC President Robert Dynes performed the installation, which consisted of a swearing-in ritual and the handing of a ceremonial medallion.
“The Bruin tradition of excellence has been built by eight extraordinary chancellors, each with a unique leadership style, each completely devoted to this campus and this community,” Dynes said. “Our selection criteria was set very, very high. And one person easily surpassed those expectations.”
During his inaugural address, Block praised the university for the exponential progress it has made since its start as a southern branch of UC Berkeley in 1919.
He also detailed challenges the university faces such as decline in public funding that could call for greater financial support from private sources.
“Government funding from the UC system has fallen from 42 percent a generation ago to less than 18 percent today. … The era of generous state support is behind us,” Block said.
Another problem he cited was keeping the proportion of racial and ethnic diversity consistent with that of California and finding ways to alleviate the high cost of living in Los Angeles, especially for graduate students and faculty.
He suggested ways to build on-campus housing for the staff, though he added that he understands such an initiative would be an expensive and difficult task.
“It will transform the life of our campus, enhance interactions with students, reduce traffic, cut commuting costs and bring a new vitality to Westwood,” Block said.
But, despite challenges, he said he was excited about the future ““ the future of UCLA and its role in the community.
“This is a monumental day for me. I do not take this responsibility lightly,” Block said. “We have before us a remarkable opportunity: to define for California and for the nation what it means to be a public research university in contemporary urban America.”