Although many of the 150 faculty, staff, students and alumni arriving at the Faculty Center April 12 to breakfast with Chancellor Albert Carnesale had never met before, they all are connected through an informal network that has been largely invisible inside and outside UCLA until now.

Under the theme "UCLA in L.A.," these Bruins and the diverse programs they represent account for the essential "UCLA" component. They share an energetic commitment to community service, a mission that is becoming increasingly prominent because of a new initiative launched by the chancellor and Executive Vice Chancellor Wyatt R. Hume to highlight UCLA's role as an active citizen of the region.

"Today we're celebrating UCLA's community-engagement efforts and acknow-ledging the key roles you and your colleagues play in the university's public service mission," Carnesale told them.

To bring the vital work they accomplish even more visibility, these programs and the Bruins involved are the subject of a new directory, an upcoming Web site and a newly produced video.

The 2001 UCLA in the Community Directory, produced by the Office of Government and Community Relations, will serve faculty, staff and students desiring to participate in service projects and external parties seeking to partner with UCLA groups. The directory lists 200 programs instituted by UCLA in the community. The directory is also online at www.advocacy.ucla.edu/communitydirectory.

The UCLA in Los Angeles Web Portal, set to launch Oct. 1, will inventory UCLA's community activities and provide links to databases and mapping capabilities. The project is under the purview of James Davis, associate vice chancellor for information technology, and Neal Richman, associate director of the Advanced Policy Institute.

The video, produced by University Communications, will be shown to diverse audiences, ranging from community groups to elected officials, as part of a larger presentation about the unique collaborations that make UCLA's bond with Los Angeles a special part of campus life.

Carnesale and Hume sought the advice of community leaders on how UCLA can build upon existing partnerships and create new ones. Several discussion groups involving community members will be meeting over the next few months.

To ensure the long-term success of "UCLA in L.A.," Carnesale said he is creating a new position, to be filled by this fall, that will take executive responsibility for UCLA's community partnerships.

The meeting was a chance to form new alliances. "I met people whose programs could dovetail with what we're doing at Lennox, and maybe what we're doing could help somebody else,"said Susan Kanowith-Klein, UCLA's liaison for the Lennox/Boeing/UCLA Partnership.