CHAIR’S LETTER
As summer arrives on campus, I am filled with gratitude for each of you and the remarkable spirit that defines our UCLA community. Over the past year, we have reflected together on the themes of light—how each of us shines and inspires others—and resilience, as we supported one another through the challenges brought by the devastating wildfires and geopolitical uncertainty.
This quarter, our campus has come alive with a special sense of excitement and pride as we celebrate graduation season. All across UCLA, students are donning their caps and gowns, families are gathering, and dreams are taking flight. Commencement is a time of joy, accomplishment, and hope—a powerful reminder of the transformative impact of education and the support that makes it possible.
In this spirit of celebration, I find myself reflecting on the theme of growth —both personal and collective. Just as the hills around us begin to recover and flourish anew, so too does our Bruin community continue to grow, adapt, and thrive. I am continually inspired by the ways you, as volunteers and supporters, nurture this growth: welcoming new members, mentoring students, and championing initiatives that make a tangible difference on campus and beyond.
Thanks to your dedication, the Chancellor’s Society has expanded its outreach, supported vital scholarships, and fostered a culture of inclusivity and innovation. Recent alumni gatherings, volunteer projects, and campus celebrations have reminded me that our shared commitment is not just about giving back—it’s about planting seeds for the future.
As we look ahead to the coming months, I encourage you to stay engaged, reach out to fellow Bruins, and continue to be ambassadors of UCLA’s values. Whether you are mentoring a student, participating in a service event, or simply sharing your Bruin pride, know that your efforts are helping UCLA—and each other—grow stronger every day.
Thank you for your unwavering support, your compassion, and your belief in the power of our community. Together, we are shaping a brighter, more resilient, and ever-growing future for UCLA. Congratulations to all our graduates and to everyone who plays a part in their journey. Let’s celebrate this season of achievement and look forward to all that we will accomplish together.
With heartfelt appreciation,
Paula Judge ’89
Chair, UCLA Chancellor’s Society
UCLA CHANCELLOR’S SOCIETY: CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS
As we approach graduation season and celebrate the incredible achievements of UCLA’s newest alumni, we also recognize that this is a challenging time for the city of Los Angeles. We recognize the deep emotions involved with the ongoing public demonstrations and as a university, we remain committed to fostering an environment of academic reflection, respectful dialogue, and respectful engagement during this time of uncertainty.
Last week, UCLA marked a momentous occasion as we ushered in a new chapter of leadership with the inauguration of UCLA’s seventh chancellor, Julio Frenk. At his inauguration, he shared a collective vision, shaped by insights from the UCLA Connects: Listening Exercise with faculty, staff, students, and community members, in which he said will guide the university’s future. He honored the university’s remarkable legacy of achievement, celebrated the university’s present, and looked boldly into the future. We share with you the all coverage of the chancellor’s June 5 ceremony:
Chancellor Frenk’s full inaugural address
Music to his ears: The sounds of Julio Frenk’s inauguration
Watch the UCLA Connects: Bruin Talks symposium
To keep up with UCLA in the news, please visit the UCLA Newsroom.
UCLA Chancellor’s Society: Events
Over the past year, Chancellor’s Society hosted a variety of events that brought our community together in meaningful and inspiring ways. From our On the Road receptions to our signature Campus Happenings, each event offered members a closer look at the innovation, scholarship, and impact that define UCLA. We are grateful for your presence and engagement, which continue to elevate these experiences year after year. We share with you photos of our valued members at our events throughout fiscal year 2025.
AMBASSADOR HIGHLIGHT
This month, we are delighted to feature the Leslie A. and Dennis J. Drag Distinguished Lecture Series for the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. Dennis is a loyal and dedicated Ambassador of UCLA’s Chancellor’s Society and a double Bruin having earned both his master’s degree and his doctorate from UCLA Samueli. Through their generous philanthropy, the lecture series was established in 2017. This series serves as a platform for leading professionals to share insights on significant engineering projects and innovations. It has continued to feature prominent figures in the field. Past lecture topics include the design and construction of SoFi Stadium, featuring presentations by Mark Waggoner and Rafael Sabelli, senior principals at Walter P. Moore and how to identify opportunities for innovation and the ingredients which lead to success featuring Ron Klemencic, Chairman and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Inc. Many thanks to Leslie and Dennis, as this series continues to foster engagement between students, faculty, and industry leaders, enriching the academic environment with real-world engineering perspectives.
Dennis gave us some insight into his lecture series and his experience at UCLA:
What inspired you to start this lecture series?
As a background to the initiation of a distinguished lecture series at UCLA I had been a member of the Purdue University School of Civil Engineering Advisory Council since 1994 and subsequently now a member of the Dean of Engineering’s Advisory Committee. Being involved with the Civil Engineering Committee it became apparent that the engineering departments do not have resources to do special things that can greatly benefit their respective students. Leslie and I suggested the possibility of endowing a lecture series that would allow the department’s faculty to invite people in the engineering profession to come to Purdue and give a lecture on a pertinent topic in their field of engineering. The faculty thought this was a great idea and so Leslie and I endowed a series at Purdue University entitled “The Dennis J. Drag and Leslie A. Drag Distinguished Lecture in Civil Engineering. The lecture was endowed in 2006.
How did the lecture series begin, and how has it evolved over time?
About eight years ago, the Samueli School of Engineering arranged a meeting with Professor Jonathan Stewart, head of the School of Civil Engineering at that time. Leslie and I suggested the idea of endowing a Distinguished Lecture Series in School of Civil Engineering. The suggestion was very appealing to Professor Stewart, and he asked us to explain what we had done at Purdue University. After our discussion, Professor Stewart thought this would be a great idea and benefit to the school and the Civil Engineering department. Following our meeting both Chris [Cabrado] and Angeli [Li] spent the next 6 plus months working out the detail and the required paperwork to establish the lectures entitled “The Leslie a. Drag and Dennis J. Drag Distinguished Lecture in Civil Engineering.
What is the core mission or goal of the series?
The core mission of the lecture series is to provide annual funds to the Department of Civil Engineering to invite distinguished professionals in the engineering profession to come to UCLA and make a presentation of a pertinent topic in their field of engineering.
What kind of feedback have you received from attendees or the broader community?
As the lectures have progressed, students, faculty, and alumni who have attended the lectures have all provided great feedback as to the topics presented and thoroughness of the presentations. The lectures have also been sent out via ZOOM to those who have RSVP’d to a given lecture’s announcement.
Can you share any standout moments or particularly impactful lectures from past events?
The lectures at UCLA have had capacity attendance at the school’s large conference room consisting of students, faculty, and alumni. Some of the most recent lectures included the design and construction of SoFi Stadium and the Failure and Reconstruction of the Spillway at the Orville Dam.
What are your hopes for the future of the series?
In general, the lectures have provoked various interesting questions and discussions between students and the faculty with the speaker and at times have gone well beyond the expected time for a lecture. The idea of endowing the lecture series is that the series will go on forever, well after Leslie and I are gone. It will be a living legacy that we have provided to current and future engineering students and faculty at UCLA.
What does this lecture series mean to you personally?
To Leslie and me, the endowed lecture series at both Purdue University and UCLA are another way of giving back to both universities something that can benefit the current and future students in their careers and a thank you to both universities for providing us with a great undergraduate and graduate education to begin our professional careers.
What do UCLA and the Samueli School of Engineering mean to you?
To me, UCLA and the Samueli School of Engineering, having earned both my master’s and PhD. degrees in Engineering have provided me an astounding career in the field of engineering. I have had the privilege of being involved in managing many great projects both locally and internationally. Such projects as the First Standardized and Construction of 6 nuclear plants for the TVA, the Design and Construction of the John Wayne Airport, and the award-winning design and construction by ASCE for the Rockwell Building 80 located in Seal Beach, California (the home of the corporation’s worldwide computer systems).
What does the UCLA Chancellor’s Society mean to you?
To Leslie and me, the UCLA Chancellor’s Society is an organization with great goals of providing funds to continue to allow UCLA to be the number one Public University in the United States. It also is an organization I joined immediately after the completion of my Ph.D. in the summer of 1982. Since 1982, I have been actively involved in the organization initially as a member of the West Los Angeles Regional Committee and subsequently the initial Chair of the South Bay Region when it was formed. In 2002 as Vice Chair of Stewardship for the South Bay Committee, I developed a Stewardship Plan which was new to the organization and directed its running for several decades prior to the Society having a global reorganization. In the reorganization I was the initial Stewardship Chair for the Chancellor’s Society.
Why is stewardship important to you?
To both of us, stewardship is one simple and important way to thank donors for their support, no matter small or large to UCLA. It is important to note that thanking donors on a continual basis is essential in making donors feel that their efforts are greatly appreciated. Leslie and I have visited donors as far as Boston just to say thank you. Leslie and I are very firm in our belief in giving back to both Purdue University and UCLA as just one way of saying thank you for all you have done for us in education and professional careers. As a nice highlight, at one of our South Bay Regional committee meetings, when I was chair for a second time, Roger Tomales, the chair of Chancellor’s Society, was in attendance. I told Roger that the Chancellor’s Society needs to develop a recognition program for the donor(s) who continual donate year after year as a way to say thank for their continued support. As I said to Roger, not everyone is capable of funding a building on campus etc., yet there are donors that over their respective lifetime give continuously at a very high level. Thanks to Roger’s efforts, as Chair of Chancellor’s Society that year, he was able to get my suggestion implemented. The result of the implementation was the creation of Milestone Bear Recognition Program.
JOIN THE TEAM!
Become a Chancellor’s Society Ambassador! The UCLA Chancellor’s Society Ambassador program is available to any active Chancellor’s Society-level donor. There are several volunteer subcommittees that you can join to be an Ambassador. Activities can include making phone calls, writing letters, attending events, and taking part in call-a-thons. Ambassadors work with Chancellor’s Society staff and partner with campus groups (including professional schools, Alumni Association, Athletics and more) to support events and initiatives across campus and provide peer to peer engagement with donors.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lucy Tseng, Director, at chancellorssociety@support.ucla.edu.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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