An intimate chat and Q&A session with UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk Thursday evening gave way to what felt like a collective exhale from Student Affairs educators and staff after a month in which wildfires devasted the region.
Frenk, who assumed the role of UCLA’s seventh chancellor Jan. 1, spoke candidly about the university’s response to the fires and how what was intended to be a joyous welcome from him to Bruins the morning of Jan. 7 quickly morphed into a disaster response as deadly fires spread across Los Angeles County in a matter of hours.
To unpack the events of the last few weeks and to acquaint Student Affairs staff more intimately with the new chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Monroe Gorden Jr. asked Frenk a series of questions before opening the floor to the audience.
“Pretend that 250 of our closest friends are just listening in, OK?” Gorden said to Frenk, referencing those present in Carnesale Commons. Most had attended Student Affairs’ Illuminate Conference, a full day of sessions for the university’s student-facing professionals that addressed challenges in the field and explored strategies to continue to build a strong future for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
The chancellor, who joined for the conference’s final hours, spoke about his background and career, his leadership style and UCLA’s role in the broader community, and shared his thoughts on the work Student Affairs and other units are doing to elevate the student experience at UCLA.
“UCLA has done an amazing job of expanding access and opportunities to groups who normally, or who in the past, have been excluded,” Frenk said, adding that once those students are at UCLA, educators and those in leadership have an “incredible responsibility” to support what might be a student’s “one shot” at higher education — something Frenk believes is, and always will be, the most immediate vehicle for upward social mobility.
“If we hold that, we create enormous growth in the lives of those who we are meant to serve,” he said. “So, my motto would be: students first.”
Frenk touched on some of the complex issues facing Student Affairs, including ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and inclusive campus environment, and addressing crises confronting young people — such as mental health challenges, a loneliness epidemic and widely felt anxiety.
“That’s why I appreciate what you do day in and day out,” Frenk told those gathered. “It is absolutely critical.”
Attendees said they felt seen and understood by the new chancellor and were glad he prioritized meeting with Student Affairs staff in his first few weeks.
“I think it’s important that we know his face, that he starts to get to know ours,” said Amanda Finzi-Smith, associate director of student leadership and development and acting chair for the conference. “When the issues happen with the students, we’re the ones who hear about it. We’re the ones who are problem solving, who are up at 3 o’clock in the morning. I think the only way he can meet his goal of making sure students are first is to start with us.”
Frenk also shared his plans for UCLA Connects: Listening Exercise, a series of more than 30 conversations he’ll launch in February with nearly every campus unit, as well as the broader community. These exercises will help him to shape a collective vision for UCLA, which he plans to present in its entirety at his inauguration on June 5.
“The idea is like exercising your brain muscles,” said Frenk, who saw his monthly visits to campus, which began last August, as the “tour” portion of his integration into UCLA. Now, the newly minted Angeleno, who moved with his family into the Chancellor’s Residence in December, says he is no longer a tourist and is therefore shaping his vision for UCLA with the help of the entire community.
For many in attendance, Thursday marked the first time hearing Frenk speak in person, and the fruitful Q&A session gave Student Affairs staff an opportunity to interface directly with the chancellor.
When asked by Sarah Molitoris, associate director of the UCLA Transfer Student Center, what his core principles are and how they show up in his work, Frenk explained how “respect” and “integrity” are the fundamental values he holds dearest — but also two that get tested the most in everyday interactions.
“Respect is the way we relate to each other. Integrity is how we relate to ourselves,” said Frenk, who stressed the importance of disagreeing with respect and practicing this even during the most complex of moments. “Integrity is the way people behave when no one is watching. Doing things not because there is a reward or a punishment but because we do them with some inner drive that tells us it’s the right thing to do.”
Enrique Campos, assistant director for the Bruin Resource Center, asked Frenk what his most surprising moment had been at UCLA so far. In his response, Frenk did not shy away from thoughtful metaphors. “I was having very intense days here meeting with a lot of people,” he said. “In every corner I turned, I found incredible talent, incredible devotion to the institution. I really felt like I was in a treasure hunt in the excitement of discovering the great asserts that the university has.”
Frenk’s answers to Campos’ question and others were followed by lengthy applause of the kind more often heard following speeches than Q&A sessions. The reverence, some of those in attendance said, just felt natural.
“[Chancellor Frenk is] profound, he’s deep, he’s honest,” said Nancy Gianni, assistant director of human resources for UCLA Campus Life. “You know it’s his heart talking, and you know it’s real.”
The chat ended with Finzi-Smith, who is also director of the UCLA College Corps, presenting Frenk with an Illuminate Conference committee jacket and other swag, and more surprisingly for the occasion, a standing ovation for Frenk.
Vanessa Aviva González-Siegel, director of the UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center, said that after a day of “top-tier talent and support” coming together for each other and students, and Chancellor Frenk’s words at the chat, she felt energized about the future. “As a new staff member, who, like Frenk, moved clean across the country at a moment when we’re navigating the challenges higher education is going to face over the next couple of years, I feel really blessed to be on a team that has such brilliance,” she said.