May 20, 2008 8:00 AM

Critical time for advocacy

As state legislators begin critical negotiations to determine how deeply the UC budget will be cut in 2008-09, UCLA's chief advocates are working hard, with one-on-one contacts and a major ad campaign, to help lawmakers and the public understand what UCLA and UC contribute to society as well as to California's economic growth and recovery.

That message was eloquently delivered April 30 when UCLA's Government and Community Relations (GCR) staff brought six Los Angeles-area corporate leaders and business representatives to Sacramento to meet with 10 legislative leaders, including the chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena). This same message will come from Chancellor Gene Block when he soon visits or calls legislators on the state budget committee and in other pivotal roles.

As part of this advocacy push, a series of highly visible "UCLA, Unabashed" ads ran April 28 through the middle of this month in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Business Journal and La Opinión (in Spanish). Highlighting the university's central role in developing a strong state economy, creating new knowledge and educating scholar citizens, the ads featured such well-known state leaders as Regent Sherry Lansing, Assemblymember Warren Furutani (D-Long Beach), U.S. Rep. Diane Watson (D-California), corporate executive Richard Ziman, and Nobel laureate and UCLA Professor Paul Boyer.

"These various 'Unabashed' messages identified under-promoted assets the university possesses to our stakeholders in the community who are vital to our interest and support," said Assistant Vice Chancellor Lawrence Lokman, who managed the campaign.

"We've received incredibly positive feedback from both the people who saw the ads as well as the people who were in them," said Assistant Vice Chancellor Keith Parker, head of GCR, who, on a recent trip to Washington, D.C., heard from pleased alumni there. Congresswoman Watson, he said, loved her ad so much that she cut it out of The New York Times and hung it on her office wall. Members of the New York Congressional delegation who saw the ad congratulated her.

"The response to these ads has been phenomenal," said Rhea Turteltaub, vice chancellor of external affairs. "Other institutions have been calling with congratulations and praise for what we're doing because their constituents are reading the ads and want their own institutions to do something similar in support of higher education."

Many with ties to the campus, like Michael P. Richards, came away after reading the ads brimming with pride.

"When I picked up the paper and saw these ads about leaders who feel about UCLA the same way I do, it just made my day great," Richards said. "As an alumnus of the UCLA Professional Screenwriting Program and Theater, Film and Television, and a proud UCLA Healthcare employee, yes, I am unabashed — UCLA."

On television, viewers saw the "My Big UCLA Moment" spots, messages that ran last year during televised Bruin football and basketball games. The spots featured outstanding UCLA alumni athletes, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, describing the strong, well-rounded academic program that led them to successes beyond sports.

Parker said staff and faculty also have an important role in speaking up for UCLA at this time.

"All of us are represented by someone in the state Senate and Assembly. Making contact with our legislators on behalf of the university is really important," he said. "As constituents, we have a powerful voice.

"You can say, 'I am a UCLA employee and a taxpayer. My UCLA salary and the taxes I pay help to contribute to the overall economy and support public services. My work makes a difference to the quality of life of California.' That is a compelling message for a legislator to hear," Parker said.

To advocate for UCLA via e-mail or in person, start by going to www.advocacy.ucla.edu.

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