[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 182 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1051]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING UCLA CHANCELLOR GENE BLOCK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. LUIS CORREA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 3, 2023

  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with my colleagues, 
Representatives Linda Sanchez, Jimmy Gomez, Brad Sherman, and Jay 
Obernolte, today to honor UCLA Chancellor Gene Block on his 17 years of 
steadfast leadership at one of America's premier research institutions.
  Originally from New York, Chancellor Block received his bachelor's 
and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from Stanford and the University of 
Oregon, respectively. Prior to his service at UCLA, Chancellor Block 
was internationally recognized for his research on the body's 
``biological clock.'' He continued his work at Virginia, leading a team 
that established an NSF Center for Biological Timing.
  Since beginning his tenure in 2007, Chancellor Block's sure-
handedness and optimism has navigated the Bruin community through 
numerous unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and 
2008 recession. He has led the campus towards great successes--like 
consistently ranking as the top public university in the nation. In his 
17 years as Chancellor, the research budget has more than doubled--from 
$4 billion to $11 billion annually. This enables staff and student-
researchers to develop solutions to society's most pressing issues.
  Chancellor Block has also increased diversity of our body and the 
accessibility of a UCLA education. Enrollment at UCLA has grown by 
9,000 students each year, and the school has acquired new properties in 
the South Bay and downtown Los Angeles and has strengthened ties with 
the region's diverse communities. UCLA's partnership with the Los 
Angeles Unified School District that began under Chancellor Block in 
2009 brings UCLA instructional programs and teacher training to 
students in the underserved Koreatown/Pico-Union neighborhood. This 
work is important to the Southern California community that UCLA 
supports.
  The Chancellor has overseen the fundraising of hundreds of millions 
towards making a UCLA education more accessible by bolstering 
scholarship initiatives like the Bruin Scholars initiative, Chancellors 
Centennial Scholars Program, and UCLA affordability initiative. As a 
result of his commitment to diversity and accessibility, nearly a third 
of UCLA graduates are first-generation college students--as Chancellor 
Block was himself.
  I join my colleagues and fellow UCLA alums, Representatives Sanchez, 
Gomez, Sherman, and Obernolte, in thanking Chancellor Block for his 
commitment to higher education in our nation and Southern California 
community. We wish him a smooth transition back into research and 
teaching.
  Go Bruins.

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