UCLA Chancellor’s Society

xamine any coin in the U.S. currency and you’ll find the words: E pluribus unum, which is Latin for "Out of many, one." The national motto not only describes our federal form of government, it’s also the concept behind UCLA Chancellor’s Society.

As the smallest campus in the UC system with the largest population density, UCLA has hundreds of departments, centers, institutes, programs, networks, clubs and associations, all seeking to advance their respective missions, foster engagement and secure resources. And yet, out of many, there is one unifying force, one brand name that attracts the masses to want to be a part of it…UCLA.

"ANY GIFT made to ANY PART of the UNIVERSITY, totaling a minimum of $1,000 within one fiscal year, constitutes automatic membership to the Chancellor’s Society."

Founded in 1966 through the vision of then-Chancellor Franklin Murphy, UCLA Chancellor’s Society is an exclusive membership for UCLA’s leadership annual giving program. Broken up into four giving levels:

Chancellor’s Circle $1,000 – $2,499

Chancellor’s Associates $2,500 – $4,999

Chancellor’s Council $5,000 – $9,999

Chancellor’s Cabinet $10,000 plus

ANY GIFT made to ANY PART of the UNIVERSITY, totaling a minimum of $1,000 within one fiscal year, constitutes automatic membership to the Chancellor’s Society. Members receive invitations to special lectures, donor-appreciation events and receptions hosted by Chancellor Block. These invite-only events vary by giving level as do the opportunities to get further involved.

According to Lucy Tseng ʼ12, director of UCLA Chancellor’s Society, “A long time ago, Chancellor’s Society was a group of people who gave to a specific fund to support the Chancellor's initiatives, specific things that the Chancellor wanted to do, through the Chancellor’s Greatest Needs fund. In 2016, that changed and Chancellor’s Society is now a campuswide program where people can give anywhere across campus, and their cumulative giving is what qualifies them as a member of Chancellor’s Society.”

With more than 2,000 different funds that donors can support, Tseng says that the role that Chancellor’s Society plays is both to encourage giving to support individual parts of campus, but also to educate about the entire campus as a whole. She says, “Most of us go to the University for two or four years, maybe more, but we really only get to know the areas of study that we are focused in, or the organizations that we’re a part of. The fact is, the University is very well rounded and well versed in all things. We have world-renowned musicians, scientists, artists and world-class athletes that we try to highlight so our members can learn more about our campus.”

Chancellor’s Society events vary from professor lectures on their latest research, to exceptional performances to exclusive donor receptions. One recent presentation, featuring Nobel laureate Dr. Andrea Ghez discussing new developments from her study of supermassive black holes, was attended by many non-science majors.

Education is the goal, after all. Tseng explained that if members are exposed to different parts of UCLA outside of the areas they supported, it may spark a new passion where they will support those new areas as well or advocate towards their mission or get involved.

But what if a donor isn’t sure what fund they should support? In most cases, they are encouraged to give to the Chancellor’s Greatest Needs fund. Tseng says, “That is the most discretionary fund. For example, when the campus was flooded in 2014 and we needed to renovate Pauley right away, we used that money and then got reimbursed from insurance later. Or when the pandemic hit and we needed to provide more electronics for our students to have education accessible remotely, we were able to have the funds to purchase laptops and hotspots good enough to get our students back on track.”

The reasons for a donor’s philanthropic support are mixed. Some may commemorate a loved one with a memorial scholarship for future Bruins. Some may donate in gratitude for a positive experience, be it an athletic achievement or a lifesaving transplant. Or some may feel so passionately about a cause, whether it’s climate change or cancer research, they give for pure altruistic motives. Because they believe that UCLA is an agent of change, and with the right amount of support, the talented scientists, artists, athletes, engineers, doctors, etc. can make a significant impact in curing society’s ills.

"Chancellor’s Society is one of those conduits to help gather people based on their connection to UCLA."

This passion is in play for many of Chancellor’s Society’s active volunteers. As ambassadors, their role is to steward the members into renewing their annual gift and to convince new prospects to upgrade to the next level. If it sounds like basic fundraising, that’s because it is. As Patrick Petersilia ʼ71, chair of UCLA Chancellor’s Society, explains, “We're trying to kind of reorganize ourselves to be more decentralized, to collaborate more effectively with sister organizations and to weave ourselves more into the fabric of today's fundraising.”

Volunteers meet regularly to discuss recruitment strategies. To be eligible as a volunteer, a member must be at least at the Chancellor’s Associate level ($2,500 or higher). Volunteering epitomizes the sense of belonging that Chancellor’s Society members wear as a badge of honor. Tseng says, “Joining offers camaraderie with other donors who love UCLA. When you become alumni, you aren’t going to the same classes with people anymore or going to the same dining hall. You may not go to the same events with those people anymore, but Chancellor’s Society is something that we're hoping to keep as a consistent opportunity for alumni to stay engaged with our campus, where they get to meet each other, get to know each other and become lifelong friends.”

She continues, “The exposure of getting to know others is really the value of being a public institution. We get to meet people of all backgrounds, of all interests, with different experiences in life. Chancellor’s Society is one of those conduits to help gather people based on their connection to UCLA.”

Petersilia echoes the same sentiment. He made his first gift to UCLA in 1986 and eventually made enough money to give at the Chancellor’s Society level. In 2001, he became a volunteer and rose to become chair of the whole Society in 2022. He explains his multi-decade involvement this way: “UCLA gave me a degree from a world class university. It taught me I could succeed in that setting and gave me a confidence to carry through life. I've had a fairly successful professional career and I've managed to accumulate some wealth that I can now give back to today's students in the hopes that they're able to leverage their education the way I was. Many of my closest friends in life are Bruins. My financial advisor is my college roommate. I’ve been going to the Rose Bowl for 50 years with three to four people I graduated with. We now have grandkids sitting on their parents’ laps.”

The vast majority of the 5,000 Chancellor’s Society members are alumni or parents of alumni or current Bruins. They are alumni network volunteers, alumni donors, alumni leaders. Tseng says the similarity is because they’ve already invested in a UCLA education and believe in the Bruin Promise. This is a commitment that provides alumni access to UCLA’s breadth of resources and opportunities, through an online portal, for every stage of their life. In a digital format, the Bruin Promise has the same goals as Chancellor’s Society, educating people as to what UCLA has to offer in various areas of campus.

"I think UCLA changed my life. And I want to help sustain it as an institution that can do for students today what it did for me."

As a result, Chancellor’s Society has partnered with the UCLA Alumni Association for various co-programming and co-recognition endeavors. Whether it’s Petersilia speaking at the Alumni Leadership Conference last March or Alumni Travel Director Christel Aragon presenting at a Chancellor’s Society event last April, the two organizations will see a greater collaboration and cross-promotion in the immediate and distant future.

Chancellor’s Society holds the umbrella philosophy that once you give a minimum gift of $1,000 to any part of UCLA, it has you covered. It gives you a unique Bruin identity among like-minded peers. It invites you to deepen your relationship with UCLA through learning and experiencing various facets of campus. And it fills you with pride, as both a graduate and supporter, knowing you played a part in something greater than yourself.

Petersilia knows this better than anyone. “I think UCLA changed my life. And I want to help sustain it as an institution that can do for students today what it did for me.”

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To learn more about Chancellor’s Society and how to give to UCLA, visit https://chancellorssociety.ucla.edu.