Our Global Footprint | 2016 State of the Campus

Professor Hilary Godwin of the Fielding School of Public Health studies the impact of forest management policies on Cameroon’s Baka community. Photo Credit: Days Edge Productions

UCLA’s international outreach is driven by our desire to develop new knowledge and to foster greater understanding of our diverse and increasingly interconnected world.

Chancellor Gene Block leads delegations to strengthen UCLA’s presence and advance relationships throughout the world, including in Bogota, Santiago and Buenos Aires, as well as in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Jakarta.

In collaborating with leading institutions around the globe, we provide our students and faculty with the skills and resources they need to excel in a complex global environment and to work effectively across borders in solving the challenges facing our world community. That’s why UCLA continues to forge new international research partnerships, deepen our connections with alumni and friends overseas, and support a wide range of foreign study and research opportunities for our students.

two students with backpacks stand near an irrigation pump and talk to a group of four; field, road and additional people in background

Since 2008, the UCLA chapter of GlobeMed has been working to promote global health. Here, our students visit partner organization Mpoma Community HIV/AIDS Initiative in Uganda.

The UCLA International Institute, which is led by Vice Provost Cindy Fan, has spearheaded more than 350 partnerships and agreements with institutions in 50 countries. These associations allow our scholars to collaborate with peers from other institutions on research focused on subjects ranging from the environment to health, and from agriculture to space sciences. Our partnerships already span five continents, and among our most recent additions are exchange agreements with universities in Mexico, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan and Spain.

Working together enables us to accomplish more for our local communities and for the world. For example, researchers from UCLA and the Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences are teaming up to study new approaches to combat cancer, infectious and degenerative diseases, and a range of other diseases.

UCLA’s partnerships not only demonstrate our status on the world stage and our international reach, but also facilitate faculty and student exchanges. Top scholars come to UCLA from around the world to learn and to enrich our university with their talent, diversity of thought and customs. And our own faculty and students who travel abroad under these agreements are provided the opportunity to advance their own studies, expand their worldviews and develop international contacts that will benefit them in the future.

two men in batik shirts talk to a group of at least two dozen people; there is an American flag in the background

three women and two men stand in front of a bookcase and behind some chairs; some are talking together

(Left) Chancellor Gene Block meets with UCLA alumni, students, parents and friends at the ambassador’s residence in Jakarta. (Right) Block and University of California President Janet Napolitano discuss international initiatives with local alumni and supporters in the United Kingdom. (Top) Chancellor Gene Block meets with UCLA alumni, students, parents and friends at the ambassador’s residence in Jakarta. (Bottom) Block and University of California President Janet Napolitano discuss international initiatives with local alumni and supporters in the United Kingdom.

Other critical aspects of our overseas initiatives are UCLA global forums and receptions, which were attended by more than 1,000 people in 16 countries between June 2015 and June 2016. The events provide networking opportunities and keep UCLA connected with alumni, friends, businesses and governments in other nations. Discussions at recent events have highlighted the increasing globalization of research and the interconnectedness of major societal challenges.

Man and woman stand in front of sign with Chinese characters and English words “Chinese Heritage Centre”

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh and Professor Min Zhou visit Nanyang Technological University’s Chinese Heritage Centre in Singapore.

At the UCLA–Tata Global Forum in New Delhi, India, earlier in 2016, UCLA energy and environmental experts joined with Indian business and government leaders to share ideas about how we can innovate for a sustainable energy future. Participants explored challenges and shared possible solutions on topics including sustainable megacities, solar power and the development of biological fuels.

four men in suits and two women in dark dresses stand in front of a tapestry; the flag of Argentina is at right

three men sit at a desk and sign documents

(Left) Dean Marcelo Suárez-Orozco (far left), Vice Provost C. Cindy Fan (second from left), Block (second from right) and Dean Judy Olian (far right) during a meeting with more than 50 alumni at the ambassador’s residence in Buenos Aires. (Right) At a ceremony in Tokyo, Chancellor Block signs a memorandum of understanding establishing the UCLA Japan Center. (Top) Dean Marcelo Suárez-Orozco (far left), Vice Provost C. Cindy Fan (second from left), Block (second from right) and Dean Judy Olian (far right) during a meeting with more than 50 alumni at the ambassador’s residence in Buenos Aires. (Bottom) At a ceremony in Tokyo, Chancellor Block signs a memorandum of understanding establishing the UCLA Japan Center.

Strengthening ties with our alumni around the world can only help UCLA enhance its global presence and identify new opportunities for growth. We recently celebrated the opening of the UCLA Japan Center in Tokyo, which came to fruition thanks to the enthusiastic leadership of our alumni there. The center will connect UCLA experts with academics, industry experts and government officials in Japan, increasing mutual understanding and facilitating shared research.

The new center takes its place alongside previously established UCLA offices in London and Hong Kong.

Through our international partnerships, UCLA has significantly expanded efforts to bring together the world’s best minds to address humanity’s most pressing problems. Our global outreach also will help us ensure that our graduates possess the knowledge and experience to meet the challenges waiting for the next generation of leaders in the United States and around the world.