UCLA receives $25M donation from Luskins

The UCLA College Division of Social Sciences has received a $25 million donation from Meyer Luskin and his wife Renee to support faculty, students and public-oriented programs in the department of history, it was announced Tuesday.

It is the largest single donation to the history department and to the College Division of Social Sciences at UCLA ever made.

The funds are intended to guarantee UCLA's role as a national leader in providing historical resources beyond its campus.

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The Luskins are graduates of UCLA and among the university's most generous donors, according to a release from the university. Meyer Luskin is a noted business leader in Southern California.

"Meyer and Renee Luskin are cherished members of our Bruin family who have long helped UCLA live up to its highest ideals, changing countless lives through their generosity and leadership," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said. "This visionary gift speaks volumes about their dedication to our academic community and their recognition that both UCLA students and the general public benefit greatly from a rich understanding of history."

UCLA's history department has built a reputation as one of the most respected in the world since its inception in 1919. It provides programs ranked among the best in North America and globally and an internationally acclaimed faculty.

"We believe the study of history is vital in creating informed participants in a vibrant democratic society," Meyer Luskin said. "This gift will ensure that students and faculty have ample resources and opportunities to study the past, which will allow them to further understanding of the present in service to the public good."

The gift will support the expansion of the department's many public- facing centers and programs, including the Luskin Center for History and Policy, the Public History Initiative, the "Why History Matters" series and the new "Making History in Los Angeles" program, which will be housed at UCLA Downtown.

"To understand and nurture the values that lay at the foundation of our democracy, it is essential to mine the past as a guide to a better future," Renee Luskin said. `Such knowledge can aid in solving some of our world's biggest challenges.

The Luskins made a $5 million donation to UCLA in 2017 that led to the creation of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, headed by David N. Myers, the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History.

"This transformative gift will allow the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Department of History to stand at the cutting edge, globally and nationally, of research and teaching," Abel Valenzuela, dean of the social sciences division, said. "The Luskins' remarkable act of generosity signals a new era of distinction for the study of history at UCLA and for the division of social sciences at large."

Meyer Luskin is a member of the UCLA Second Century Council, an advisory board to UCLA's chancellor, and previously served as a member of the campus's Centennial Campaign executive committee and The UCLA Foundation board of directors.

Renee Luskin has served as a member of the advisory board of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and as a member of the executive producer council for UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance.

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