To: Administrative Officers, Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Vice Chancellors and Vice Provosts

Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Special Advisor to the Chancellor on Native American and Indigenous Affairs Shannon Speed and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Anna Spain Bradley to lead implementation of the UCLA Native American and Pacific Islander Bruins Rising Initiative.

Launched this past June, the UCLA Native American and Pacific Islander Bruins Rising Initiative aims to expand access to UCLA for members of these groups as well as support their success and well-being on our campus. The initiative has three main components: enhancing UCLA’s intellectual community devoted to Native American and Pacific Islander peoples, supporting inclusive and equitable student experiences, and providing meaningful support for Native American and Pacific Islander staff.

The initiative will also lay groundwork to support the successful implementation of the University of California’s Native American Opportunity Plan, which ensures that in-state tuition and fees for California students from federally recognized Native American tribes are fully covered by grants or scholarships.

In the weeks ahead, Special Advisor Speed and Vice Chancellor Spain Bradley will convene an implementation committee that will work with stakeholders to achieve the initiative’s goals.

We wish to express our gratitude to Special Advisor Speed and Vice Chancellor Spain Bradley for their leadership of this effort, as well as to the members of UCLA’s American Indian and Pacific Islander x Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group and all who helped formulate the initiative.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block
Chancellor

Darnell Hunt
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost