Global Advisors Council

GAC Webpage

The UCLA Global Advisors Council (GAC) was created in early 2024 to guide UCLA in expanding its reach as a global university — Goal 2 of the five goals of UCLA’s Strategic Plan 2023–28 "Creating the Future." GAC consists of 21 members who represent all schools and divisions at UCLA, and meets on a monthly basis.

UCLA’s mission as a public research university is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. Its Strategic Plan seeks to deepen UCLA's impact within Los Angeles, within the United States, and in the world. The “expand our reach as a global university” goal of the Strategic Plan is fully aligned with UCLA’s strive for inclusive excellence and with Chancellor Julio Frenk’s aim to create a connective, impactful and exemplary university.

The Mission of the Council

Goal 2 of UCLA’s Strategic Plan aims at expanding the role of UCLA as an engine of positive change in our city, our state, our nation and across the world. GAC is dedicated to enabling transformative research and educational opportunities that address global and local problems, with an eye toward UCLA’s relationships with local communities of Los Angeles and California as a whole. The Council's immediate goals are to coordinate UCLA’s efforts in global outreach and engagement, through:

  • meeting regularly and communicating about all schools and divisions' global activities
  • developing an effective methodology to collect and update data, including an inventory of UCLA's global engagement and impact
  • developing and implementing global research awards and global education awards programs
  • developing a white paper on UCLA's global strategy in its second century, with recommendations for prioritizing international locations, partnerships, education and research

Council Chairs

Chair: Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement

Deputy Chair: Kathryn Paul, Assistant Vice Provost, Director for International Collaborations, UCLA International Institute

Members and institutional affiliations:

  • David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
    Sadath Ali Sayeed, Professor, Pediatrics
  • UCLA Anderson School of Management
    Romain Wacziarg, Professor, Economics     
  • UCLA Division of Continuing Education and UCLA Extension
    Susie Morris, Assistant Dean, International Programs
  • UCLA Division of Humanities
    José Luiz Passos, Professor, Spanish & Portuguese
  • UCLA Division of Life Sciences
    Paul Barber, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • UCLA Division of Physical Sciences
    Paula Diaconescu, Professor, Chemistry
  • UCLA Division of Social Sciences
    Lieba Faier, Associate Professor, Geography
  • UCLA Fielding School of School of Public Health
    Anne Rimoin, Professor, Epidemiology
  • UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
    Thomas Hodgson, Assistant Professor, Musicology
  • UCLA Institute of American Cultures
    Vinay Lal, Professor, History and Asian American Studies
  • UCLA Library
    Rachel Deblinger, Director, Modern Endangered Archives Program
  • UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
    Veronica Herrera, Associate Professor, Urban Planning
  • UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
    Abeer Alwan, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture
    Alex Ungprateeb Flynn, Associate Professor, World Arts and Cultures/Dance
  • UCLA School of Dentistry
    Diana Messadi, Professor, Dentistry
  • UCLA School of Education and Information Studies
    Marjorie Elaine, Professor, Education
  • UCLA School of Law
    Máximo Langer, Professor, Law
  • UCLA School of Nursing
    Wei-Ti Chen, Professor, Nursing
  • UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
    Shelleen Greene, Associate Professor, Film, Television & Digital Media

Subcommittees:

Global Education Award Committee
Marjorie Elaine (Chair)
Veronica Herrera
Sadath Ali Sayeed

Global Research Award Committee
Rachel Deblinger (Chair)
Shelleen Greene
José Luiz Passos


Global Data Committee
Paul Barber
Máximo Langer (Chair)
Anne Rimoin

Position Paper Committee
Abeer Alwan
Wei-Ti Chen
Paula Diaconescu
Lieba Faier
Shelleen Greene
Diana Messadi
Alex Ungprateeb Flynn (Chair)



 

UCLA Global Research Award
Call for Proposals
A new award opportunity to advance globally engaged research. Research proposals should define the potential impact of a project and how it contributes to inclusive excellence. Open to all UCLA Senate Faculty, Non-Ladder Faculty in a Professional Title, and Academic Staff (librarians, researchers, and other academic staff members).
Status: CLOSED 5/30/2025
UCLA Global Education Awards
Call for Proposals
A new award opportunity to advance the internationalization of UCLA curricula. Research proposals should explain how perspectives from other countries will be integrated into the design of the course or program. Open to all UCLA Senate Faculty and Academic Staff.
Status: CLOSED 5/30/2025