UCLA history department receives $25 million donation from Meyer and Renee Luskin

UCLA has received a $25 million donation to support faculty, students and public-oriented programs in the history department, the university announced Tuesday.

The landmark donation from business leader Meyer Luskin and his wife Renee - alumni and longtime donors to the university - is intended to guarantee UCLA's role as a national leader in bringing historical research and knowledge beyond the campus.

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

The donation will support the expansion of the department's 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, according to a UCLA press release.

"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," Meyer Luskin said in a statement.

UCLA said it will name the department as the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Department of History in recognition of the pledge.