A century ago, Founders’ Rock was placed on what would become UCLA’s Westwood campus. It marked a future that still had to be built. It reflected a belief that — through vision, public investment and a commitment to education, discovery and service — a great public university could take root here and serve generations to come.

That same visionary spirit guides us as we shape UCLA's second century in Westwood.

For the first time in nearly 100 years, UCLA’s core campus is growing. The Westwood Expansion Initiative will add nearly 182,000 square feet to the university — more than three football fields’ worth of space — and bring vibrancy to Westwood.

It was made possible by UC Investments, a division of the University of California system that manages its endowment and pension assets. UC Investments acquired a portfolio of 16 Westwood properties, creating new opportunities for UCLA to expand teaching, housing, research and innovation.

This effort is about more than adding space. It is about creating the conditions that will continue to attract top students and faculty to UCLA while providing the facilities and resources to serve them. It is about expanding access to our world-class education by allowing us to meet more of the large demand we face as the most applied-to university in the country.

The Westwood properties provide a foundation for new classrooms, graduate student and faculty housing, and innovation spaces where UCLA discoveries fuel startups.

The decisions we make today will shape UCLA for decades. Previous generations made choices that powered this university’s growth into one of the world’s great public research universities. They invested in a future they would not fully see, but as stewards, they understood that exemplary institutions are built across generations.

Now it is our turn to do the same.

As we approach UCLA’s second century in Westwood, we must think boldly about what this institution can become and thoughtfully about how to get there. The goal is far greater than expanding our footprint. It is to strengthen UCLA’s ability to educate, discover and serve California and the world long into the future.

We are One UCLA.

Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Fall 2026 issue.