Luskin Lecture for
Thought Leadership

The Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership was established in 2011 as part of a transformative gift from Meyer and Renee Luskin. Their vision in establishing the endowed lecture series gives UCLA an opportunity to share knowledge and expand the dialogue among scholars, leaders in government and business, and the greater Los Angeles community. Featured speakers are selected collaboratively by the senior dean of the UCLA College, the dean of the UCLA School of Law, the dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs and the dean of social sciences in the College.

Previous speakers

Jared Diamond
A middle-aged man with short gray hair, a trimmed beard, and mustache, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and patterned blue tie, sits against a solid blue background.
Stephen Greenblatt
A man with dark hair, wearing a pinstripe suit and light blue shirt, smiles in front of a blue background.
Fareed Zakaria
An older man with gray hair and a beard, wearing glasses, a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a red patterned tie, sits against a plain blue background, smiling gently at the camera.
Lonnie G. Bunch III
An older man with gray hair and glasses smiles at the camera. He is wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a navy polka dot tie. The background is a solid blue gradient.
Bob Woodward
A bald person with glasses and facial stubble wears a dark jacket and black shirt, looking seriously at the camera against a blue gradient background.
Ayad Akhtar
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a red textured jacket with a black zipper and a small brooch, smiling in front of a solid blue background.
France A. Córdova
A man in a suit sits on a dark armchair, speaking on stage in front of blue banners that read UCLA College and Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership.
Rahm Emanuel
A woman in a dark suit sits on a black leather chair, clasping her hands, in front of a blue backdrop with the partial letters UCLA and the phrase Of Letters and Scienc visible.
Hilary Rodham Clinton
An older man with short gray hair and a beard sits in a brown armchair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie, looking to his left against a dark background.
Kofi Annan
An older man in a suit and red striped tie speaks into a microphone while seated, gesturing with his hand against a dark background.
Bill Clinton

About the

LUSKINS

Meyer Luskin has often cited a $30 scholarship to UCLA as the genesis of his success in business. After an interruption in his education during World War II, Luskin commuted to UCLA from his home in Boyle Heights and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1949. He later earned an M.B.A. from Stanford in 1951, and met his wife Renee, who is also a Bruin. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in sociology in 1953. The philanthropic leadership of Meyer and Renee Luskin has made an enormous impact throughout campus.