The concept of the public good harkens back to Enlightenment philosophers such as Locke and Rousseau, to the founding of our modern democracies, and to the progressive era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the foundations of our public schools and many of our great museums and concert halls were laid. Today our educational systems, our diverse cultural traditions and the abiding principles of freedom of expression and participatory democracy all face extraordinary challenges. In order to live up to our promise as a first-rate arts program at a world-class public university, UCLA Arts must consolidate its position as a center for forward-looking artistic research and exploration, public debate on pressing cultural issues and new educational strategies in the arts.

As we reaffirm and deepen our public commitments, it is a pleasure to welcome Cindy Miscikowski to our Board of Visitors (see News Briefs). We look forward to benefiting from Cindy’s counsel and her experience in public life as we seek to engage our city and region in new and even more significant ways.

We also extend our deep gratitude to Dr. Mohinder Sambhi, who has established the Mohindar Brar Sambhi Chair in Indian Music, which will ensure that serious study of one of the world’s great musical traditions will continue in perpetuity in our Department of Ethnomusicology (see News Briefs).

As a trained musician and cultural anthropologist, one of my great delights over the past four years has been the opportunity to expand my understanding of the history and significance of the visual arts and architecture, not only through our superb chairs, faculty and students, but through direct encounters with their work. I see the world differently as a result, and in this sense I remain a student of the arts.

Last month I had the pleasure of leading UCLA’s delegation to the openings at the Centre Pompidou in Paris of the exhibitions “Los Angeles 1955-1985: Birth of an Artistic Capital” and “Morphosis, Continuities of the Incomplete,” which featured prominently works by UCLA faculty and alumni (see UCLA Arts in Paris). Looking back at UCLA from across the Atlantic, I was filled with pride and appreciation for our accomplishments and for the international reputation of our faculty and alumni. It is in this spirit that I ask you to join me in creating an even brighter future for UCLA Arts. Together, we can do great things.