At the convergence of public policy, social work, and urban planning, there are practitioners, educators, and change agents transforming society’s most pressing problems. They share a passion for social justice, the ability to apply theory to practice, and the belief that every individual has the power to make an impact. Are you ready to join them?
Right here. Right now. Discover the power of one to empower the lives of many. Only at UCLA Luskin.
“ We’re here to create a better world— one person, one project, one place at a time.” Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. Dean, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
7,663alumni 534students INSIDE UCLA LUSKIN 92faculty 7research centers 3disciplines
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MEANINGFUL CHANGE At the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, we confront the most urgent issues facing our communities today—poverty, health care, and the environment, among others—and, through a truly unique multidisciplinary approach, turn innovative ideas into creative solutions. Founded in 1994, the Luskin School of Public Affairs is part of the world-class academic environment of UCLA and its 11 top-ranked schools, 126 graduate programs, and 4,000 faculty. UCLA has an entrepreneurial spirit that is always looking for the next great thing. Our spirit is one of young, boundless energy and an understanding of an appreciation for hard work, responsibility, and purpose. UCLA Luskin draws from this spirit and a broad range of disciplines to create a personalized learning experience. By immersing themselves in an institution that combines public policy, social welfare, and urban planning, students benefit from a holistic view of the necessary components of lasting social change. Our student body reflects the rich demographic diversity of California’s population, and our alumni in turn become change agents in their communities of origin. Graduates of UCLA Luskin are prepared for a world where thorough policy analysis influences decision-making at the highest levels and
creates widespread change throughout our society. Our Social Welfare alumni are meeting the needs of the most vulnerable members of society and effecting change among individuals and entire populations. Planning graduates shape cities and regions, and the lives and livelihoods of those in them. Taken together, the opportunities at UCLA Luskin are limitless. Against the backdrop of one of the world’s most culturally diverse and vibrant cities, UCLA Luskin uses Los Angeles as a living laboratory. Our students, scholars, and faculty take their scholarship to the streets, addressing global problems in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan, creative cities. As active participants in L.A.’s civic life during their time at UCLA Luskin, students gain invaluable knowledge they go on to use throughout their careers as architects of positive, equitable change. We are looking for individuals who believe in transforming the public good. At UCLA Luskin, we believe in the power of one to empower the lives of many.
REPAIRING THE TEARS IN THE SOCIAL FABRIC
Social Inequality and Democracy We believe it is critical to view the practice of public affairs through the lens of social inequality and democracy to truly effect positive social change. Whether in our teaching, our research, or our community service, the greater public good underscores everything we do as a school and what we hope to achieve as practitioners. At UCLA Luskin, our curriculum is infused with a probing analysis of the roots and branches of inequality—at home and abroad—and our students embrace their roles as agents of positive change. Beyond the classroom, a focus on social inequality and democracy is a vital part of our educational experience. Extracurricular workshops and seminars motivate student engagement with community leaders. Funding opportunities make possible research projects and experiential learning opportunities. Partnerships with UCLA’s highly regarded departments of law, public health, medicine, management, and ethnic studies, among others, broaden the discussion and encourage comprehensive answers to difficult issues. Through outreach with local high schools, UCLA Luskin is also bringing the egalitarian ethic to the next generation. Inequality and injustice cannot be rectified easily. True change requires sustained determination. At UCLA Luskin, we are leading the conversation and advancing positive social change for the future.
FRANKLIN D. GILLIAM, JR. DEAN, UCLA LUSKIN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
M EYER LUS KI N
PAY I N G G E N E R O S I T Y F O RWA R D F O R T H E G R E AT E R G O O D
“U CL A IS AMONG TH E GRE ATE ST UN I VE RS I TI E S IN THE WOR LD, AN D I T G AVE ME MY START. I T ’S ESSENTIAL THAT I GI V E B AC K SO TH AT OTH E RS C AN ENJ OY THE S AM E B E N E F I T S .”
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GIVE BACK When Meyer Luskin enrolled in classes at UCLA in 1943, he received a $30 scholarship covering the cost of his tuition and enabling him to earn his degree. Meyer has credited the multidisciplinary education he received at UCLA with providing the platform for his successful business career.
equal opportunity, justice, and an active regard for the environment are the rule, they say, then we and our children and grandchildren will not be able to benefit from the advances of society. Our school bears their name because they believe in our unique potential to address these challenges.
More than 60 years later, Meyer and his wife, Renee, made a transformative gift of $100 million to UCLA, the second largest ever received on campus. The gift not only advances the dreams of UCLA students and graduates but also ensures their work as leaders and advocates will affect countless lives and communities. The Luskins believe that the most pressing question facing our society is: “How do we do a better job of living together?” Unless we create a world where
Since the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs was officially dedicated in 2011, the Luskins have taken an active role in nurturing their endorsement of the school’s ideals. Meyer and Renee are often present at school events, and are very active in planning and executing the School’s future. “UCLA is among the greatest universities in the world, and it gave me my start,” Meyer says. “It’s essential that I give back so that others can enjoy the same benefits.”
UCLA is known worldwide for the breadth and quality of our faculty, scholarship, and research. As a university, we offer exceptional diversity and limitless opportunity for both students and faculty to explore their passions while making an impact on the world around them. At UCLA, doors aren’t just opened, entire new pathways are created to encourage innovative thinking. We attract pioneers in an array of fields, giving you unprecedented access to new perspectives and top-ranked programs. At UCLA, we inspire ourselves and others to excellence. We believe in hard work, responsibility, purpose, and the power each of us has to change the world.
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connection TO
EXCELLENCE
INSIDE UCLA
398,000alumni 28,000undergraduate students 12,000graduate students 4,000faculty 129undergraduate degrees 126graduate programs 11top-ranked professional schools 6Nobel Prize-winning faculty recipients 3Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients 3Pulitzer Prize winners
ucla luskin programs
Master’s Programs
Doctoral Programs
Master of Public Policy
UCLA Luskin’s doctoral programs bridge the critical gap from practitioner to scholar and researcher. With a doctoral degree, you can dramatically increase your impact on individuals, populations, and your chosen discipline.
To change the world, you need to know how the world is changing. UCLA Luskin’s Master of Public Policy is a full-time, two-year program that combines analysis, policymaking, and advanced case study experience to make you an informed policy analyst and decision maker. The culmination of your degree is the team-based applied policy project that prepares you to become an effective policymaker in the public, nonprofit, or private sectors. Completion Requirements Students must complete a minimum of 80 units (21 courses) to graduate.
Master of Social Welfare Social change. It is more than simply a belief. It is the force by which we meet the critical needs of the most vulnerable members of society. UCLA Luskin’s Master of Social Welfare is a full-time, two-year program. In addition to our core curriculum, you can participate in an advanced research course or research project focused on an issue of interest to you. Two field placements with social work agencies let you put into action what you have learned in the classroom, providing invaluable real-world experience.
Ph.D. in Social Welfare Our Ph.D. program in Social Welfare offers training in research methods and social science, close faculty mentoring, and the freedom to design a unique educational experience. Students draw from their social work experience, intellectual interests, and the rich interdisciplinary environment of UCLA to build knowledge and prepare for a career in scholarship.
Ph.D. in Urban Planning Our doctoral program is distinctively intimate and flexible. The course and research requirements build skills and provide experience through close faculty-student interaction. Each entering Ph.D. class is small, and each student is sponsored and supervised by two faculty members. While faculty contact and advising are important, we believe that students benefit from designing a program that best meets their unique research interests.
Completion Requirements Students must complete a minimum of 76 units (18 courses) to graduate.
Master of Urban and Regional Planning
Undergraduate Programs
Our cities reflect who we are as a society. As an urban and regional planning scholar you will change the world by refiguring our regions, cities, and neighborhoods to build stronger, healthier communities. UCLA Luskin’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning is a full-time, two-year program built around a comprehensive core curriculum and a real-world capstone project that links knowledge and action.
At UCLA Luskin, we offer a variety of undergraduate minor programs that promote an interdisciplinary perspective on problem solving. Oftentimes, these programs serve as a gateway for advanced graduate study in areas such as law, policy, and social welfare.
Completion Requirements Students must complete a minimum of 72 units (18 courses) to graduate. A minimum of 12 units in each of six quarters is required.
Choose from: Minor in Public Affairs Minor in Gerontology Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
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PERSON ANDRE QUINTERO LIVING HIS DREAM
“ W E ARE GOING TO MAKE SOM ETHING SP EC IAL HAPPEN.”
After graduating with a degree in urban planning, Andre Quintero’s path eventually led him to service as mayor of his hometown, El Monte, Calif., where he continues to make a positive impact on his community. While working on his dual degrees at UCLA—Quintero also has a law degree—he went to Sacramento to work in the State Senate. After graduation, he worked in municipal law and then represented injured workers, and eventually went on to work for the City of Los Angeles as a deputy city attorney. “I found a place where I could make a difference, especially as a neighborhood prosecutor,” Quintero says.
Not long after leaving UCLA Luskin, Quintero was elected to the Rio Hondo Community College board of trustees. After it was named one of the worstperforming transfer schools in the state, Quintero relished the challenge of making it better. His work in cleaning up Rio Hondo led him to run for mayor, winning with 68 percent of the vote against an entrenched incumbent. He was just 34 years old. “I’m living my dream,” he says. Quintero’s goal is to leave everything in better shape for the next generation, including his 4-year-old daughter, Emma. “We have a lot more work to do, and I believe we have the right team in place,” he says. “We are going to make something special happen.”
ucla luskin faculty
They will be your partners in your academic journey, they’re among the very best in their fields, and they thrive at the intersection of scholarship and teaching with a focus on social change. Our faculty includes nationally and internationally recognized scholars, researchers, educators, and practitioners who provide real-world experience. The faculty at UCLA Luskin are actively engaged in research that address pressing national and regional issues including immigration, drug policy, prison reform, health care financing, transportation and the environment, national security, economic development, and an aging U.S. and world population.
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PERSON STEPHEN CHEUNG INTERNATIONAL EXPERT
“ M Y IN TERNSHIP EXPERIENCE P REPARED ME FOR WO RKIN G IN LO C AL AND STATE GOVERN MENT.”
As the city’s first director of international trade, Social Welfare graduate Stephen Cheung oversees import/export activities at two major transportation hubs: Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Los Angeles. While the position may be new, the focus on international trade and transportation is not; Cheung previously served as the director of international development with the Port of Los Angeles. In that role, he led the nation’s busiest port by attracting new partners and strengthening current relationships. “We have been the ideal and more advantageous destination” for container ships crossing the Pacific, Cheung says. “But by 2015, places like the Gulf Coast and the expanded Panama Canal are going to create
more competition. So we have to be more strategic and look at new partnerships and commodities to attract and retain business.” Cheung praises the service requirement at UCLA Luskin, crediting his current career to an internship with Rep. Karen Bass’s office he held while he was a student. Soon after graduation, he began working in government at the mayor’s office, where he helped create and run the city’s Clean Air Action Plan. “Los Angeles is a global leader in trade and in mitigating our environmental footprint,” Cheung says. “My internship experience prepared me for this work.”
ucla luskin centers
Our research centers bring together a wide range of UCLA scholars to address a diverse range of issues. Featured centers include:
Luskin Center for Innovation SUSTAINABLE ENERGY • WATER • NANOTECHNOLOGY • ELECTRIC VEHICLES • CLIMATE CHANGE
Our mission is to unite the intellectual capital of UCLA. We pair civic leaders with pressing community issues and translate world-class research and expertise into real-world policy solutions.
The Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies TRANSPORTATION • ENVIRONMENT • URBAN DEVELOPMENT • LIVABLE CITIES
We promote the study of regional policy issues, with a special focus on Southern California. We foster links among UCLA faculty as well as with researchers at other California universities and research institutes.
Institute of Transportation Studies TRANSIT SYSTEMS • ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION • DEMOGRAPHICS • INTELLIGENT VEHICLES
We are one of the leading transportation policy research centers in the U.S. From an analysis of the travel trends and transportation needs of immigrants and low-income workers to the testing and evaluation of innovative fare programs to increase public transit use, our focus is on improving the effectiveness of transportation systems.
Center for Civil Society PHILANTHROPY • NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP • COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT • SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
We lead UCLA Luskin’s activities in nonprofit leadership, grassroots advocacy, and nongovernmental organizations. We seek to contribute to policy dialogue on the role of nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, and civil society through research, conferences, executive education, and more.
Center for the Study of Inequality AFFORDABLE HOUSING • COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT • SOCIAL JUSTICE • GENTRIFICATION
Our mission is to generate new information and knowledge about the nature, magnitude, and causes of socioeconomic inequality. We translate academic scholarship into actionable policies and build effective practices that can be applied in Southern California and beyond.
Center for Health Policy Research HEALTH CARE ECONOMICS • ACCESS TO CARE • COMMUNITY HEALTH • ILLNESS PREVENTION
As the premier source of health policy information for California, we advance health policy through research, public service, community partnerships, and education.
Center for Policy Research on Aging GERONTOLOGY • DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE • AGING POLICY • SOCIAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS
We explore the major policy issues affecting our aging society with special attention on policy issues as they affect Latino, AfricanAmerican, Asian, and other ethnic populations. We conduct research, foster multidisciplinary collaboration among UCLA faculty, and work closely with policymakers, service providers, and community groups.
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PERSON JAIME NACK ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATOR
“ W E ARE INSPIRED BY THE AB ILIT Y TO EFFEC T CHANGE.”
Public Policy graduate Jaime Nack is helping to shape the future of the green movement and the burgeoning sustainability industry. “We are inspired by the ability to effect change,” Nack says. “Now is the time to dig deeper into environmental challenges and innovative business practices to bring cutting-edge solutions to scale.” Nack founded the environmental consulting firm Three Squares Inc. in 2008 and took on a very high-profile challenge for her first project: “greening” the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The event marked the first time the DNC took efforts to reduce their environmental impact, and Nack worked closely with the mayor’s office and the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office to implement systems for renewable energy, clean transportation, and waste diversion that stayed in place after the convention. Her work led her to become actively involved with the Environmental Protection
Agency to develop national green standards for meetings and events. Three Squares Inc. has since received global recognition as an environmental powerhouse for its work with major corporations like HP and Edison, Al Gore’s nonprofit The Climate Reality Project, and government agencies like the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Nack’s newest venture, One Drop Interactive, provides an online employee engagement platform that scales sustainability training across large corporations. In 2011, Nack was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and received a federal appointment to the National Women’s Business Council. “The network I created at UCLA was instrumental in launching a career that has led me from corporate strategy sessions to White House environmental briefings,” she says. “I’m incredibly thankful.”
UCLA Luskin Alumni around the world
THE UCLA LUSKIN ALUMNI NETWORK UCLA Luskin graduates comprise a network of more than 7,000 professionals living and working in more than 30 countries worldwide. Alumni are encouraged to stay connected through a variety of UCLA Luskin programs and activities, including networking sessions, recruitment programs, and career seminars.
UCLA LUSKIN GRADUATES WORK IN ‌
Advocacy City Planning Child and Family Services Community Development Consulting Labor Relations State and Local Government Public Health Sustainability Transportation
UCLA LUSKIN MASTER’S GRADUATES Working in:
35
UCLA LUSKIN CAREER SERVICES
7%
% Nonprofit
Higher Education
Sector
27%
Private Sector
31
% Public
86%
Sector
Employed within three months of graduation
46%
Found employment through a connection built at UCLA Luskin
Our Career Services office is dedicated to helping our students and alumni develop their full potential as practitioners, scholars, and leaders. Our staff can assist you with: Professional skills development Job and internship searches Networking with UCLA alumni and employers
FUNDING YOUR UCLA DEGREE As a UCLA Luskin student, you have a variety of financial aid options, including merit-based fellowships. The Financial Aid Office also provides need-based funding and loans for eligible applicants. Positions such as teaching assistantships and graduate student researcher appointments are generally available to current students entering their second year of study in the program. Additional funding is available from both the UCLA Graduate Division and the Financial Aid Office. For further information, visit our website: luskin.ucla.edu.
“ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” Margaret Mead
All facts and figures are accurate as of the 2013–14 academic year.
3250 Public Affairs Building Box 951656, Los Angeles, CA90095-1656 310.825.4025 info@luskin.ucla.edu luskin.ucla.edu