UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies has received a generous gift from the Wasserman Foundation to establish UCLA’s first endowed deanship. The Wasserman Endowed Deanship of Education and Information Studies, which will be held by Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, will enhance the school’s standing as a global leader.
“All children deserve an excellent education that prepares them for the 21st century, and UCLA is leading the way in reimagining what is possible,” said Casey Wasserman, President and CEO of the Wasserman Foundation. “Under the leadership of Dean Suárez-Orozco, UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies is pioneering best practices and shaping the future of teaching and learning for generations to come.”
Suárez-Orozco became the school’s dean in September 2012. As the inaugural Wasserman Dean of Education and Information Studies, he will continue to lead two departments, 16 nationally renowned research institutes, two innovative demonstration schools, and a slate of strategic initiatives aimed at reframing education and information for this new digital era.
“This gift reflects Laura and Casey Wasserman’s belief in both UCLA and Dean Suárez-Orozco as leaders in reshaping education in greater Los Angeles and beyond,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “As we prepare for our 100th anniversary in 2019, this gift to our Centennial Campaign for UCLA pays tribute to our campus’s origins as a teacher education institute. We salute the Wassermans for their philanthropic vision and deeply thank them for their generous support.”
Suárez-Orozco is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education, and is a recipient of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico’s highest honor for non-Mexican nationals. He served as special advisor for education, peace, and justice to the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and was invited by the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences to speak in Vatican City about the effects of forced migration. He is also the co-founder and co-director of UCLA’s Institute of Immigration, Globalization, and Education.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed as the inaugural Wasserman Dean. The Wassermans’ generosity and philanthropic vision — and the important role they play in the life of our city — make me doubly appreciative of their vote of confidence,” Suárez-Orozco said. “I look forward to partnering with the Wassermans and other leading philanthropists on our shared goal of educating an informed, engaged, and ethical citizenry for the 21st century. We need to create new pathways to success for our most vulnerable youth through the transformative power of education and knowledge.”
The Wasserman Foundation is a private family foundation based in Los Angeles. The Foundation, created by Edie and Lew Wasserman in 1952, provides grants to organizations in the following areas: education, health, arts & culture, service, and global initiatives.