Daen Park

Q&A with Dean Alissa Park

“I had an impression going in, which was confirmed once I started, that all the members of UCLA Samueli are passionate about the school ”

Q: What aspects of being a dean have surprised you the most, compared to what you anticipated going into the role?
A:
I had an impression going in, which was confirmed once I started, that all the members of UCLA Samueli are passionate about the school. They just feel like family. I also continue to see how the school is viewed by the rest of the campus, and it’s always very positive. The more meetings I attend with campus leadership, the clearer it becomes that everyone understands engineering is the future and they want to be part of it. It’s refreshing that so many of my fellow deans, faculty, staff and students want to meet with me and hear my vision.

Q: What did you set out to achieve in your first year as dean?
A:
Arriving here, I already had my own vision, which was based on my past experience. However, I really wanted to get input from everyone; not only faculty but staff, students, leadership, other parts of the campus, donors, alumni and more. My leadership style involves engaging with people. Their feedback — verbal, nonverbal, positive, negative — shapes the way I lead.

In terms of short-term goals, I knew that we needed to hire more faculty. UCLA Samueli is already one of the top engineering schools in the world, but there’s also a lot of room to grow. A lot of soul searching has been done with our faculty members on our areas for growth, and we look forward to this near-term expansion.

Q: What has been one of the most memorable experiences or events in your first year?
A:
Welcoming our alumni and donors during a series of “Meet the Dean” events, from the Bay Area down to Orange County, was quite a new experience for me. I know a lot about interacting with faculty and students, but engaging with donors and alumni as dean was very different. One memorable interaction that reaffirmed my decision to join UCLA was with a gentleman in the Bay Area who told me he was the first person in his family to attend college, and that UCLA Samueli gave him the opportunity to have an incredible career, which enabled him to support himself and his immediate family, as well as his extended family. He said he owed everything to UCLA Samueli, and we both teared up. Hearing from first-generation students like him (one-third of Fall 2023 UCLA students, and 17% of UCLA Samueli students, are the first in their family to attend college) demonstrates that we really do make a difference. That’s what UCLA Samueli is all about. I know time and again that I made the right decision coming here.

Q: Can you share more about your experience connecting with alumni, including through the “Meet the Dean” events?
A:
I think people felt disconnected during the pandemic. Returning to meeting people face-to-face really helped reengage alumni and reconnect them to both the school and the alumni community. It was so nice to learn about how their experiences at UCLA transformed their lives. Some stayed in the engineering field and some pursued other fields, but all of them shared how UCLA Samueli had a positive impact on their lives.

Q: What has impressed you the most about the UCLA Samueli faculty?
A:
Our faculty continue to astonish me with the depth and breadth of their research. They are deeply involved in many emerging research areas and their growing international reputation is remarkable. What surprises me the most is how humble they are. They’re not great at bragging, so I need to brag for them!

Q: How have you connected with the students and what makes them so special?
A:
Sometimes I think our students invented 48-hour days, because of how much they accomplish. I’ve been surprised at how creative and innovative they are. Students from all over the engineering school work together on a wide variety of projects. They’re just so proud of working as a team, and the team mentality and culture are incredibly strong here.

As dean, something fun that I started doing with the students is called “Pizza on the Patio.” It has been so successful that it’s something I intend to continue doing at the beginning of each quarter. Many students have shared that these gatherings help them feel more connected to both their department and the school as a whole.

Q: What are some of the best parts of living in LA?
A:
This might sound cliché, but I really love all the sunshine. I think the weather encourages people to go outside more and interact with others, and that positive feeling of people mingling with each other is so fun. When I was in New York, the first thing I would do in the morning was check the weather. I don’t have to do that anymore!