UCLA Athletics officially announced its plan to construct a new on-campus student-athlete academic facility to be known as the Mo Ostin Academic Center for Student-Athletes. The center will be designed to serve the scholastic needs of UCLA’s nearly 700 student-athletes, who participate in 25 intercollegiate athletic programs.
To be named after legendary music industry executive and philanthropist Morris “Mo” Ostin, who has generously committed the lead gift of $15 million to the proposed project, the comprehensive, state-of-the-art academic facility will be located in the heart of the UCLA campus immediately adjacent to the east side of the J.D. Morgan Center.
With Ostin’s commitment in place, the UCLA Athletic Department is launching a comprehensive $35 million fundraising campaign to fund the new building. Construction will begin as fundraising milestones are reached.
“UCLA has a deep commitment to academic success for all of our students, particularly those with demanding schedules, like our student-athletes,” said Chancellor Gene Block. “Their dedication to success both on the field and in the classroom will only be enhanced by this new center. We remain grateful for Mo Ostin’s wonderful support and our shared vision as UCLA begins its second century.”
“UCLA is the premier public institution in the country, one that is rigorous both athletically and academically,” said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. “As we look to provide our student-athletes with every resource and opportunity for success in this environment, a state-of-the-art academic center is the next step in our facilities master plan.”
Ostin, who holds a B.A. in economics from UCLA, is chairman emeritus of Warner Bros. Records. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and presented the Grammy Icon Award in 2007 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Ostin served at Warner Bros. Records for 32 years, 25 of them as chairman and chief executive officer. He later signed on to head the music arm of the entertainment conglomerate DreamWorks SKG.
This transformative gift by Ostin for the planned student-athlete academic center follows his $10 million lead gift for the construction of the Mo Ostin Basketball Center, a state-of-the-art basketball training facility that opened on the UCLA campus in 2017.
“It is my hope this academic center for student-athletes will serve as a resource for the most elite student-athletes in the country, at the country’s #1 public institution, to excel not only athletically but also academically,” said Ostin. “For decades UCLA has developed talented student-athletes, to include legendary Academic All-Americans like Mike Warren, John Sciarra, Bill Walton, Denise Curry, and Jamaal Wilkes, to not only perform at their best athletically, but thrive in a very competitive academic environment. Assisting future student-athletes to reach their academic best is extremely important to me, and I am thrilled to be a part of this new academic center.”
The planned three-level Mo Ostin Academic Center for Student-Athletes will include individual and group study spaces, tutorial areas, state-of-the-art technology labs and offices for UCLA Athletics’ Academic and Student Services staff in nearly 20,000 square feet of new space. In addition to the academic space, the facility will feature a new Hall of Champions entry display showcasing UCLA’s 116 NCAA Championship trophies and linking the Mo Ostin Academic Center for Student-Athletes to the existing UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.