A distinguished professor in urban planning will become the permanent dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs on June 1.

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, who has worked at UCLA for 35 years and served as the interim dean since January 2023, said her appointment represents a continuation of initiatives she began as interim dean – including new academic programs and expanded student support.

“I don’t see this change as dramatically changing what I have been doing,” Loukaitou-Sideris said. “The school is ready to go into a phase where it becomes more well known nationally and globally.”

During her time as interim dean, the school launched a Master of Real Estate Development program and approved a Master of Global Public Affairs degree, which Loukaitou-Sideris said is expected to begin in two years. The school also introduced a certificate program in artificial intelligence for public affairs with UCLA Extension, which is the university’s continuing education institution.

Loukaitou-Sideris said she hopes the new global public affairs master’s degree will help expand the school’s international reach and prepare students to address issues outside the country.

She added that UCLA’s existing international networks and location allow the Luskin School to build stronger connections with other regions, including Central and South America, as well as South and Southeast Asia.

“A lot of the issues that are global also affect us locally and vice versa,” she said. “If you think about wars and refugees, if you think about climate change, if you think about the pandemic that we all experienced a few years ago, these are not only happening within the confines of California or even the United States, but these are global issues that have local impacts.”

Loukaitou-Sideris said her research – which focuses on designing cities and public spaces for vulnerable communities, including people experiencing homelessness, older adults, women and people with disabilities – aligns with the Luskin School’s broader mission to promote social good.

“Urban planning is a very applied profession,” she said. “It really not only observes what is wrong but wants to fix it.”

She added that the Luskin School’s goals center around social and environmental justice.

Loukaitou-Sideris said she will prioritize increasing student access and affordability during her tenure as dean amid rising tuition and living costs.

“My role as dean is to increase access for students,” she said. “How do you increase the number of fellowships so that everybody who wants to come and study, if they are admitted, can do that without having this fear that he or she is going to suffer economically?”

She added that the school has expanded philanthropic fundraising efforts in recent years to support fellowships and student programming. For example, the Ballmer Group made a $13.5 million donation to the Department of Social Welfare to support youth mental health initiatives, Loukaitou-Sideris said.

Loukaitou-Sideris also said the school created several programs intended to connect students with policymakers, alumni and industry professionals, including Luskin Day at City Hall and annual policy briefings in Sacramento.

“We try to create these opportunities that are much more interactive,” she said. “This is very important for students.”

Gary Segura, a professor of public policy, political science and Chicana and Chicano studies who previously served as dean of the Luskin School, said in an emailed statement that Loukaitou-Sideris played a major role in the school’s growth over the past decade.

“She is an astounding, scholar and mentor, with generations of students indebted to her leadership,” Segura said in the statement. “While serving as interim, Dean, she demonstrated a tremendous capacity for fundraising and curricular development.”

Claire Nelischer, who has known Loukaitou-Sideris for six years as a student, teaching assistant and research assistant, said Loukaitou-Sideris has built a strong community among former and current students.

“She cares so, so much about her students and supports them so much throughout their degree program at UCLA and into their future careers,” said Nelischer, a doctoral student in urban planning.

Chendi Zhang, a doctoral student in urban planning, said in an emailed statement that Loukaitou-Sideris remained supportive and responsive toward students while she balanced major leadership responsibilities.

Andres Ramirez, a doctoral student in urban planning, said in an emailed statement that Loukaitou-Sideris encourages intellectual openness by supporting topics, communities and debates beyond her own research expertise.

Loukaitou-Sideris said she is inspired by students who pursue careers in public service and community improvement.

“They want to work for the public good,” she said. “They want to work to help communities.”