The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) present a new visiting programme about inclusion, diversity, equity & access. This programme offers students from diverse backgrounds - for example first-generation and/or traditionally underrepresented students - the opportunity to participate in lectures and workshops on inclusion, diversity, equity & access abroad. The visiting programme is for students from UCLA as well as students from EUR and will start in June 2025. Later on, the aim is to expand the programme further, to staff exchange, and cooperation in research on inclusion, diversity, equity & access.
Today a delegation of UCLA is visiting EUR to sign the memorandum of understanding for the partnership, and to make connections with (new) representatives of EUR. Cindy Fan, Charles Alexander, Claudia Salazar and Ifeoma Amah of UCLA met up with a.o. prof. Annelien Bredenoord, President of EUR’s Executive Board, prof. Jane Murray Cramm, EUR’s Chief Diversity Officer, with students (of UNIC, student ambassadors of our Outreach Programme and the Student Council for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), with EUR’s Academic Outreach Programme, and with EUR’s international office.
The partnership follows a long running collaboration and knowledge exchange between UCLA and IDEA Center (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access Center) of Erasmus University Rotterdam, which started with a focus on outreach programmes. The new programme looks at inclusion, diversity, equity & access with an open, broad perspective, diving into how universities are working on them.
Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement at UCLA: “With this partnership we strengthen the cooperation between UCLA and EUR, and we create international opportunities for traditionally underrepresented students. International education is so important because the world is interconnected, because global challenges require global collaboration and because international experience makes you more competitive on the job market. I believe every student should have the opportunity of an international experience.”
Jane Murray Cramm: “Especially in these times, it is important to continue to ensure access to education for all. This wonderful partnership also crowns and recognizes the efforts of our IDEA Center and our Academic Outreach Programme. We’ll be working on important topics, eagerly and energetically, with the leaders of the future.
I would like to thank Charles Alexander of UCLA for the trust and for the great collaboration so far, and Mary Tupan-Wenno of ECHO Expert Center on Diversity Policy, who spearheaded our collaboration with UCLA. It was wonderful to welcome such a big delegation of UCLA today, and we are looking forward to welcoming the first group of students from UCLA in June!”