Helen ’69 and Morgan ’71, M.A. ’72, Ph.D. ’73, Chu

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Helen Chu ’69 and Morgan Chu ’71, M.A. ’72, Ph.D. ’73, are the recipients of the Asian Pacific Alumni (APA) of UCLA's Alumni Impact Award.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology, Helen taught kindergarten at Castelar Elementary School in Los Angeles’ Chinatown in one of the first bilingual education programs. She also taught English as a Second Language night classes to adults. Helen had a long career as an elementary school teacher.

In addition to his UCLA degrees (a B.A. in political science and graduate degrees in education), Morgan Chu holds an M.S.L. from Yale and a J.D. from Harvard.

The Chus have been involved in many philanthropic endeavors. They were founders of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center when they were undergraduates. They have been significant supporters of the Center ever since, endowing faculty chairs and student scholarships. A partner at the law firm Irell & Manella, Morgan is widely considered as one of the most prominent intellectual property attorneys in the nation, having been named one of the "Top Ten Trial Lawyers" in the U.S. For his accomplishments, He was awarded the UCLA Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the University. He has also served on The UCLA Foundation Board of Governors and has been a lecturer and commencement speaker at UCLA School of Law.

During their time as undergraduates, the couple were part of the multiracial coalition of student leaders whose dedicated activism and advocacy ultimately led to the founding of UCLA’s ethnic studies centers in 1969 — a moment that established UCLA as a pioneer in the field.

Through the years, the Chus have remained committed to the ethnic studies centers’ foundational mission of uplifting and fostering understanding of communities of color through scholarship and social impact work, which today has become increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary — through inter-center efforts like an ethnic studies curriculum initiative and training program for K–12 educators — as well as international and transnational in its scope.

While many diversity and ethnic studies programs are under attack across the U.S., UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures (IAC) received a boost from these two alums who helped found the ethnic study center decades ago. The Chus pledged $10 million to the IAC, which is the central hub of UCLA’s four ethnic study centers: the American Indian Studies Center, the Asian American Studies Center, the Bunche Center for African American Studies and the Chicano Studies Research Center.

As noted by David Yoo, vice provost of the IAC and a professor of Asian American studies and history at UCLA, over the course of 50 years, ethnic studies at UCLA has grown from a handful of faculty positions to numbering hundreds of affiliated faculty across all fields. The Chus’ important gift will provide IAC’s faculty, students and community partners with sustainable support as they produce the knowledge needed in order to envision and build a more just and equitable society and world.

“Morgan and I believe that the gulfs that persist in separating people can be bridged through study and research but also through conversation and, ultimately, mutual understanding,” Helen said. “We are proud to make a gift that will help the faculty, students and staff associated with the UCLA Institute of American Cultures for decades to come.”

The Chus shared that they chose to make this gift because of UCLA’s ability to have a meaningful impact and because the institution has meant so much to them throughout their academic and personal lives.

The 2025 APA UCLA Gala, at which the Chus will be honored, takes place Sunday, May 18, in Santa Monica, California.