Eric Juline and his wife, E, are a match made in UCLA heaven. In fact, both their families are. To date, 28 family members have attended the school, and each decade since the ’30s has seen a relative on campus. Both Eric and his father are UCLA Anderson graduates.
Eric graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in ’69 and followed that up with a Master of Science in business administration from the pre-Anderson UCLA business school. He was a partner at Assurance and Business Advisory Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, has been a UC Regent, president of the UCLA Alumni Association and is now Regent Emeritus.
On top of a continual stream of need-based giving to diverse programs and departments across the UCLA campus, the couple established the Eric and E Juline Faculty Excellence in Research Award, which recognizes excellence in research among UCLA Anderson’s assistant professors. "I believe in our faculty and the valuable research they provide. That’s why I felt it was important to demonstrate in a meaningful way, how their studies still impact my day to day activities,” Eric says about the award.
The 2013 award winners were Felipe Caro and Jenessa Shapiro. Shapiro was recognized for her work on prejudice, stereotype stigma and inter-group dynamics. Caro was chosen because of his research contributions to developing near-optimal solution methods to stochastic dynamic programming problems with learning, and for applying his methods to supply chain management, assortment planning and pricing issues at fast fashion retailers.
When it comes to giving, Eric says the move to self-supporting status for the Full-Time MBA program is a positive step. “I like the idea. I think it sends a message,” he says. That message is one that puts the onus on the school to raise funds, but also creates flexibility in managing the school’s affairs without losing public accountability. “As it relates to admissions and state standards, Anderson is still subject to all of them because it's a public school and always should be,” he says. Moreover, he thinks the public nature of the system creates value through its perceived worth. “Government shouldn’t forget the school’s importance to the state. There’s no better investment that can be made,” he says.
Eric says that as a Regent and as an accountant, he learned that chancellors are in a position—more so than any other—to know how to address the most immediate needs in the system. He thinks anyone ready to give back to Anderson should consider making an undesignated gift, one that allows ultimate flexibility for the dean or chancellor. “Oftentimes, the undesignated gift is the most valuable because it can be used for the greatest need at that moment,” he says. “But, it can be the hardest to give, because you have to have trust.”
And, seeing as their granddaughter (who attended her first UCLA game at two weeks old) hopes to make UCLA her home soon, the family tradition that began so many years ago should live on, and the Julines will continue being thankful for and trusting the institution that has given so much to them.
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