By Gene D. Block

Dear Student,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 2011-2012 academic year at UCLA.

I want to extend a special greeting to our newest Bruins – our first-year, transfer and new graduate students who are joining our campus community this week. You were admitted to UCLA because of your already outstanding achievements as scholars and leaders, and we are proud that you chose to continue your studies here.

As UCLA’s 93rd year begins, I marvel once again at the diverse and dynamic academic environment of which we all are a part. Our community of scholars is enriched by extraordinarily bright and talented students from throughout California, the United States and – this year, more than ever – the world, each of whom contributes a unique and valuable set of experiences and insights to our Bruin family. During the year ahead, I hope you will take full advantage of the varied perspectives offered by your fellow students and faculty. Always treat one another with respect, and embrace the opportunity to learn from one another as you take on shared challenges and explore new frontiers.

Ours is a campus where innovation and creativity thrives; UCLA scholars have established a tradition for not only advancing research but also creating entirely new fields of inquiry. I encourage you to set similarly ambitious goals for yourself, in your academic work and in your service to Los Angeles and our global community.

For you, as part of our next generation of leaders, there is no better place to further your studies: Our campus is located in one of the world’s most fascinating cities – the ideal working laboratory for many of our society’s most pressing scientific, environmental, cultural and public policy concerns. Los Angeles, in turn, occupies a critical position in the Pacific Rim, the region that will likely play a leading role in world events for the foreseeable future.

I look forward to meeting many of you during the next several months, and I wish you every success during the year ahead. I know that you are prepared to succeed and that you will strengthen our proud UCLA legacy.

Go Bruins!

Block has served as chancellor of UCLA since 2007.