UCLA joins multilateral association of university leaders

“UCLA is honored to join the U7+ Alliance and supports its timely mission of developing multilateral strategies to apply the intellectual and research resources of universities worldwide to the complex problems of our world,” said UCLA Vice Provost Cindy Fan.

UCLA International Institute, March 8, 2024 — UCLA recently joined the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, an organization that brings together university presidents from across the world to address its most pressing challenges at the local, regional and global levels. Its work is guided by the strategic priorities of robust democracy, planetary priorities and multilateral engagement.

Created in 2019 with 45 members, the alliance has expanded to include the leaders of 54 universities from over 15 countries in just four years. UCLA joined Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and Tohoku University and Waseda University (both of Japan) in becoming the organization’s newest members on March 5.

“UCLA is honored to join the U7+ Alliance and supports its timely mission of developing multilateral strategies to apply the intellectual and research resources of universities worldwide to the complex problems of our world, problems that require global solutions,” said Cindy Fan, UCLA vice provost for international studies and global engagement. “Joining this alliance will help us advance a major goal of UCLA’s strategic plan: Expanding our reach as a global university.”

The U7+ Alliance organizes an annual presidential summit hosted each year by a different member. These meetings focus on developing a multilateral agenda for universities to take concrete actions on a range of global issues. The sixth U7+ summit will be held at Bocconi University in Italy on April 11–14, 2024, and will address issues directly related to the themes of the 2024 G7 Summit in mid-June (also in Italy), including inclusive societies, climate change and sustainability. Chancellor Gene Block, whose dedication to UCLA as a global university has been unwavering throughout his leadership, will attend the April meeting together with Vice Provost Fan.

See article on the U7+ Alliance in Milan in April 2024