Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, to Become Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Boston
UCLA Office of the Excutive Vice Chancellor and Provost
To: Administrative Officers, Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Vice Chancellors and Vice Provosts, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Faculty and Staff
Dear Colleagues:
I am writing to share the news that Marcelo Suárez-Orozco will be leaving UCLA as of July 31 to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He has served in the role of the Wasserman Dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSE&IS) since September 2012 and has had a profound impact on the school and the campus.
As dean, Marcelo forged important new initiatives in education and information studies, while raising more than $120 million in support of GSE&IS and the university. Marcelo represented GSE&IS at some of the world’s most influential forums — from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery to the Vatican and the G-20 Economic Summit, where he advocated for quality public education as fundamental to the disruption of growing inequality and for fostering the practice of democratic citizenship.
During Marcelo’s tenure, with a focus on the needs of urban schools and students, GSE&IS established groundbreaking community schools and furthered the development of teachers and education leaders to meet the needs of California’s diverse student population. With his leadership and fundraising, UCLA Lab School (formerly University Elementary School) was fully renovated. Additionally, during his years as dean, GSE&IS launched important new initiatives addressing the preservation of artistic and historical artifacts; the scholarly study of new media, information, and communication technologies; new approaches to archival and library studies; the educational implications of global migration; opportunities for improving reading through mind and brain research; comprehensive strategies for addressing the needs of at-risk youth and families; and most recently, efforts to strengthen teaching about climate change.
To ensure a smooth transition, I expect to announce a process for selecting an interim leader shortly and will keep you informed as we initiate the search for Marcelo’s successor.
Chancellor Block and I are extremely grateful for Marcelo’s exceptional leadership as dean and for the many impactful initiatives that he led during his time at UCLA, in the Los Angeles community and beyond. We wish him every success in his new leadership role at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Sincerely,
Emily A. Carter
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost