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A group of students sitting on the grass laughing with text "Creating the future UCLA strategic plan Expand our reach as a global university"
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Goal 2: Expand our reach as a
global university

Goal 1

Goal 3

Purpose

We aim to expand UCLA’s role as a global hub and international gateway partner for Los Angeles and California. The world’s most pressing problems — from climate change to global conflict to infectious disease — know no national borders. We can only take them on by ensuring our students possess intercultural competence, strengthening international collaborations, and advancing research and creative activities between UCLA scholars and partners around the world. Since so many global issues have analogues in the diverse, international city of Los Angeles, we can use a “glocal” model to facilitate impact across both communities.

First-year priorities

Some of the near-term priorities for this goal include: 

  • Coordinate global activities across UCLA 
  • Convene a group of global advisors on campus 
  • Assess and document impacts of global engagement
  • Develop an international communication strategy
  • Internationalize UCLA curriculum
  • Increase study abroad programs
  • Solicit and fund globally engaged research

Expected Outcomes

Expanding our reach as a global university will:

  • help students be more competitive for jobs and graduate programs;
  • provide faculty opportunities for research and teaching collaborations;
  • strengthen UCLA’s relationship with the L.A. international community;
  • support solutions to city problems that are shared with global cities;
  • offer alumni new ways to engage with UCLA; 
  • offer donors opportunities to support international initiatives; and
  • provide international partners with exchange ideas in research, education and service.

Measures of success

Ways that we will define progress against this goal include: 

  • Increased awareness of UCLA’s “glocal” impact
  • Diverse study abroad locations and enrollment 
  • Increased departments with study abroad programs and international programs
  • Increased international alumni engagement 
  • Database of global engagement and research
  • Increased international collaboration 

Stories of impact

Implementation Planning Group

Lead: Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement, UCLA International Institute

Charles Alexander, Associate Vice Provost for Student Diversity and Director, Academic Advancement Program

John Arboleda, Former Member, UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors

Craig Ehrlich, Past Chair, UCLA Foundation Board of Directors and Member, 2017 Global Outreach Task Force 

Marco Giovannini, Professor-in-Residence, Head and Neck Surgery and Chair, Academic Senate Committee on International Education

Vibha Gurunathan, UCLA Student and Executive Director, Global Development Lab

Kathryn Paul, Assistant Vice Provost and Director of Global Collaborations, UCLA International Institute

Jenn-Ming Yang, Associate Dean for International Initiatives and Online Programs, UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Member, 2017 Global Outreach Task Force