Each issue of the Luskin Forum magazine includes information regarding recent gifts to UCLA Luskin and the various development activities that help us maintain and strengthen our education and research. Here are highlights from the most recent issue:

Board of Advisors Welcomes New Dean

The Board of Advisors for UCLA Luskin met March 7 to talk with Dean Gary Segura about the school’s future. The board, which is made up of civic leaders, business executives and social entrepreneurs, helps shape the School’s vision and strategic plan. Board chair Susan Rice was a member of the search committee that helped select and recruit Segura as dean of UCLA Luskin.

The Henry Cowan and Ruth & Michael Angel Endowed Fellowship in Public Service

One deserving UCLA Luskin student will be selected as the first recipient of this inaugural award in summer 2017. Established by the Angel family in memory of their mother, father and uncle, the Henry Cowan and Ruth & Michael Angel Endowed Fellowship in Public Service will be offered competitively and awarded each year to a student whose summer internship proposal is deemed to have the highest merit by a selection committee of UCLA Luskin staff and faculty. Endowed fellowships, like the one created by the Angel family, exist in perpetuity and provide essential support to students whose academic promise and career goals embody the mission of the Luskin School.

Winners of the Calvin and Marilyn Gross Fellowship meet with their benefactors. From left are David Ou, Cal and Marilyn Gross, Shelby McNabb and Diego de la Paza. Photo by Aaron Julian

Gross Fellowship Winners Meet Their Benefactors

Calvin “Cal” Gross and his wife, Marilyn Gross, longtime supporters of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, stopped by UCLA on March 7 to meet Master of Public Policy students Diego de la Paza, Shelby McNabb, Heidi Schultheis and David Ou. These students are the 2017 recipients of the Calvin and Marilyn Gross Fellowship, recognizing their commitment and involvement in public service.

“We are very pleased with the high caliber of what the students are accomplishing,” Cal Gross said.

The reception sparked a discussion about the diverse research and work that the students have undertaken during their time in the MPP program. Topics included international and domestic health issues, global trade, improvements to the port in San Pedro, as well as homelessness and California’s rates of incarceration.

“The skills and training we have developed in school have energized us to go out in the workforce and use them,” Schultheis said about the future of each fellowship recipient.

Cal Gross, who has been an integral part of helping the Luskin School to grow, talked with the students about their good fortunes to study at a school that has the resources to provide a high-quality education, with the unique opportunities to do capstone research and field work for which the Luskin School of Public Affairs is known.

—Aaron Julian

Dean’s Associate Nurit Katz poses at a recent event with Larry Lai, who has since earned master’s degrees in urban planning and public health.

Testimonial From a Longtime Supporter

“My experience at the Luskin School of Public Affairs was transformative,” says Nurit Katz MPP/MBA ’08. “Luskin and the Public Policy program gave me the tools, experience and connections that have helped me have an impact in my career. Now, nearly a decade later, I work with colleagues every day who are Luskin alumni, I engage with Luskin students on projects, attend enlightening events hosted by the school, and am still touched every day by this community. I give to Luskin because I believe it’s important to give back and help the school continue to develop the leaders of tomorrow and help future generations of students have the same amazing experience and opportunities I got to have.”

Every year, UCLA Luskin receives vital support to help maintain and strengthen its reputation for excellence in education and research thanks to the generosity of Dean’s Associates donors such as Katz, who is now the chief sustainability officer at UCLA.

Friends and alumni of UCLA Luskin who contribute annually with gifts totaling $2,500 or more are enrolled in the Dean’s Associates, an exclusive group of the School’s closest allies. They support student fellowships and other critical needs.

Dean’s Associates donors also receive unique opportunities to connect more deeply with the Luskin School, as well as with UCLA at large, in recognition of their support.