Dear UWLA Family: Students, Faculty, Staff, and Stakeholders:

I am writing as we near the end of another unique and unprecedented year. As we strained to overcome the perils of COVID-19, we also realized that we were in a time which was inclusive of challenges and opportunities for growth. Within the UWLA community, we continue to be excited and inspired by the stories of persistence, determination, perseverance, resolve, and tremendous selfless efforts from the individuals within the UWLA community. Although we haven’t been together in person, we have been together in spirit and I have taken a great deal of solace and energy from the UWLA community. Thus, I am writing to make some important announcements about the upcoming year for UWLA.

First, I would like to announce that we are excited to welcome students, faculty, and staff back on campus starting in the Spring 2022 terms to each of our campuses.This will include all programs and tracks (JD, MS, BS). We are very excited to be able to return as a community and bring life back to our campuses. Ironically, although we have been in possession for the past two years, we have never held any classes at our new San Fernando campus, which we moved into in March of 2020. I am extremely excited to host our UWLA community on campus at this wonderful state  of the art location. However, please be informed that we will have stringent health and safety measures in place to keep each of our students, staff, and faculty members as safe as possible under the circumstances. Our policy was created and is in alignment with the policy of Los Angeles City as created on October 6, 2021 and which can be reviewed at  https://lacity.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?compiledMeetingDocumentFileId=13120. UWLA’s policy will require a proof of vaccination or negative covid testing within the last 72 hours prior to entry and masks must be worn at all times while inside the campus. We will be taking safety measures such as adding air purifiers to classrooms to enhance the health and safety of all of our attendees. We will continue to monitor the status of the pandemic and make adjustments as the health and safety of the UWLA community requires.

Additionally, we recognize that many of you may wish to continue your UWLA education online for various reasons. As we discussed at our last townhall meeting, UWLA has not been resting during this pandemic. Our Provost, Deans, Faculty and staff worked tirelessly  to have all of our programs granted full online/distance education programmatic accreditation from our respective accreditors. As we have mentioned previously, as of Spring 2022, all of our programs will also be offered in 100% online modalities. Thus, if you wish to stay in the online modality or return to an on-campus modality of your program the choice is yours. You may make your election of which modality you prefer when you register for the upcoming Spring 2022 term or semester. We are excited to offer you the maximum opportunity to pursue your education the way you want choose to pursue it. While at the same time ensuring that the robust and student success centered educational programs that UWLA has pioneered for over half a century continue in each educational modality. I encourage you to tell your friends and colleagues. We need your vocal support, so that our community will be informed of what UWLA has to offer in the form of equitable educational empowerment and the changes that we have made to achieve that mission of providing high quality affordable superior education to our community.

Next, I would like to confirm that barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will be having an in-person commencement ceremony in 2022. This ceremony will be open to graduates from 2020, 2021, and 2022. We are in final discussions with potential venues and will announce the venue and date soon.

Lastly, we will be opening our campuses with some exciting updates and changes that we hope will create the best student success centric learning experiences and continue to push UWLA into the future as one of the most advanced and sophisticated campuses to match  the level of its amazing student body and faculty. Many of you will be visiting our new SFV campus for the first time and others of you will realize that same ‘first-time’ experience at our LAX campus even if you have attended there previously, due to our facilities updates.We will be investing in excess of a half million dollars to revamp and revitalize each of our classrooms and common areas with new technology to enhance the learning experience for professors and students at UWLA which will facilitate the educational, personal, and social relationships between our online and on-campus students and faculty.

I want to reiterate that we are excited about all of these updates. We continue to do everything with the equity, success, health, and safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors in mind. For those of you who have been through the ups and downs and will be excitedly present on our campuses starting in the Spring, we can’t wait to see you! For those of you who will remain with UWLA via our online programs, you will remain as a crucial and honored part of the UWLA family and will get the same quality UWLA education you have come to expect. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions and if as any updates arise (expected or unexpected), I will make sure to let our community know.

Speak soon,

Robert W. Brown, Esq. President

University of West Los Angeles