Hope Connects Us
Turning Collective Insight Into Campus Action
On February 23, campus leaders, faculty, clinicians, staff, and students gathered at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center for the launch of Hope Connects Us — Turning Collective Insight Into Campus Action, a university-wide campaign to strengthen student mental health, suicide prevention, and coordinated care.
The convening was held in response to recent student losses and reflects UCLA’s shared commitment to ensuring that every Bruin feels supported, connected, and able to ask for help.
Chancellor Julio Frenk opened the day by affirming that student well-being is foundational to academic excellence and institutional responsibility. Vice Chancellor Monroe Gorden framed the summit as both a moment of reflection and a call to action — emphasizing that hope is not passive, but something institutions build intentionally through policy, culture, and care. Dr Thomas Parham served as keynote speaker, framing the issue from the very core pillars of both the student affairs profession and mental health scholarship.
The program also featured an expert panel highlighting UCLA-specific data, prevention strategies, and best practices, facilitated breakout sessions focused on prevention, early identification, system coordination, and campus culture, and an innovation workshop dedicated to identifying actionable next steps.
Participants engaged in candid dialogue about reducing stigma, strengthening early intervention pathways, aligning campus and clinical systems, and expanding community-based approaches to connection and resilience.
Throughout the day, one theme remained consistent: student mental health is not the responsibility of one office — it is a shared campus commitment.
In the coming months, Student Affairs and campus partners will synthesize feedback and advance coordinated strategies to strengthen prevention, improve communication pathways, and expand access to care. Be Well Bruin also provides a comprehensive overview of current resources.
Hope Connects Us signals UCLA’s commitment to lead with urgency, compassion, and collaboration — recognizing that when we work together, we can build a campus environment where students are supported long before they reach crisis.
"This challenge is bigger than any one office, any one discipline, or any one intervention."
