UCLA Downtown confirms 31 programs, UCLA Research Park appoints immunology advisor
The former Westside Pavilion mall, which will house the UCLA Research Park, is pictured. Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt announced updates to recent campus acquisitions in a campuswide email Thursday. (Creative Commons photo by Cbl62 via Wikimedia Commons)
By Catherine Hamilton
March 7, 2024 12:16 p.m.
This post was updated March 7 at 10:06 p.m.
UCLA announced its plan to host 31 programs at UCLA Downtown and the appointment of a special advisor for immunology initiatives at the UCLA Research Park on Thursday.
UCLA has acquired three different properties since September 2022: the former Marymount California University campus in Rancho Palos Verdes, the Trust Building in downtown Los Angeles and, most recently, the former Westside Pavilion mall – which is slated to be converted into the UCLA Research Park.
The UCLA Downtown Programming Committee chose 31 programs to initially house in the Trust Building, including the Center for Justice and UCLA Prison Education Program, the DTLA Community Media Lab, the UCLA Skid Row Partnership and the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge. Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt said in a campuswide email Thursday that proposals were chosen based on their potential to impact the community, as well as their emphasis on community-engaged research and teaching.
“We are thrilled that this initial cohort of programs will engage members of the local community, position UCLA as a trusted leader and collaborator in our global city and have a substantial impact that will be felt downtown and far beyond,” Block and Hunt said in the email.
The email also announced the appointment of Dr. Owen Witte – a University professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics – as special advisor to the EVCP for immunology initiatives at the UCLA Research Park. The park will host the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering.
As special advisor, Witte will lead the Immunology Advisory Committee, which will be made up of an interdisciplinary group of campus experts. The committee will assess gaps in research expertise and assist in program planning, according to the email.
The implementation committee for UCLA South Bay in Rancho Palos Verdes also met for its inaugural meeting in January, according to the email. The committee aims to support academic offerings related to sustainability, environmental justice and climate change, according to the email.
“We are energized by these latest developments as UCLA continues to grow and deepen its engagement and impact across Los Angeles,” Block and Hunt said in the email. “We appreciate the campus community’s support and participation in these efforts.”
