UCLA announces new chancellor after month of turmoil
The university announced the new chancellor after a month anti-Israel protests and three separate campus occupations.
The University of California, Los Angeles, announced it has hired a new chancellor following weeks of turmoil surrounding the now-shut down anti-Israel encampments.
Dr. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami, will become chancellor at UCLA on Jan. 1, 2025.
“At this crucial moment for higher education, returning to the public sector to lead one of the top research universities in the world — including one of the 10 largest academic health systems — is an exciting opportunity and a great honor for me,” said Chancellor-designate Frenk. “I look forward to adding my lifelong commitment to public service in education and health care to the vibrant, diverse and cosmopolitan community that is Los Angeles.”
Frenk was previously dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and also Mexico’s national health secretary.
[RELATED: UCLA Hamas-endorsed protester smacks phone out of rabbi’s hand: WATCH]
The university announced the new chancellor after a month anti-Israel protests and three separate campus occupations.
While at the University of Miami, Frenk condemned the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.
”We stand in solidarity with the people of Israel, with all those impacted by the violence, and with all who seek peace. The images emerging from the war are harrowing. Our hearts break for Israelis and for the Jewish state, as well as for the innocent Palestinians, Druze, Bedouins, and others who live within its borders and the region,” Frenk wrote.
”The University of Miami has deep ties to Israel. The first president of Tel Aviv University, Dr. George S. Wise, was a UM trustee. Several distinguished members of our faculty are Israeli citizens, and we maintain academic collaboration with many scholars in Israel. Approximately 40 current UM students, faculty and staff, as well as nearly 200 of our alumni and supporters, call Israel their home. Many more have loved ones living in the region,” he added.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block will step down on July 31.