Rise Above

Campus Update

Chancellor Block shares a welcome message for the 2016-17 academic year.

I wish all of you in our UCLA family a warm welcome to the new school year!

I hope you are as thrilled as I am about the transformative possibilities ahead: new classes, new insights, new friendships and more. Awaiting you is a book, a project, a professor, a coach or a classmate who can change your life and help you see the world with new eyes.

My administration and our staff and faculty are here to help you get the most out of your opportunities. During this remarkable adventure, celebrate each other’s triumphs and support each other through the struggles.

As you know, these are not easy times. Sharp political divides, a conflict-driven media cycle and violence in both word and deed weigh heavily on many of our hearts.

We talk a lot about “Optimists” at UCLA. But optimism is not a naive assumption that everything will be alright. Optimism is the conviction that human intelligence and effort, creativity and courage, empathy and cooperation can make tomorrow better than today.

During this polarizing election season, which has been dominated by harsh words and hard feelings, I am asking you for something very ambitious: I am asking you to rise above and be better. Better than those politicians who posture. Better than smackdowns on cable news. Better than the faceless attacks on social media.

I am asking that at UCLA we treat each other as fellow Bruins — not as opponents. We come from different parts of the state, the nation and the world. We emerged from different cultures and experiences. We have different ideas and feelings. But we all have the ability to see each other’s humanity. We all have an investment in each other’s well-being.

We all must strive to understand each other’s challenges and each other’s dreams. Yes, engage the issues of the day with vigorous energy and your best thinking. Embrace reasoned debate — that’s one way we can learn from each other. But work through your differences with respect. Always remember that passion must walk hand in hand with compassion.

At UCLA you are preparing to become future leaders of our society. As you go through this year, and as you look ahead to a time when you will be one of those leaders, I want you to ask how you will bridge divides and create a more just, more understanding and more peaceful world.

I am confident that you will find a way.

Have a great year.