UCLA will bestow the UCLA Medal, the university's highest honor, on four people this commencement season in recognition of their leadership in the fields of archaeology, engineering, real estate and community development.

 

At separate UCLA ceremonies, the medal will be presented to philanthropist Lloyd Cotsen, whose contributions have made the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA the nation's leader in the field; UCLA alumna Linda Griego, former president and CEO of Rebuild L.A., the agency created to spearhead South Los Angeles' economic recovery following the 1992 riots; businessman, philanthropist and community activist Richard Ziman, who endowed the interdisciplinary Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA; and Charles M. Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and former president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

"Fueled by intellect and a deep commitment to serving others, this year's UCLA Medal recipients have worked diligently to support higher learning and improve the world we live in," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "I am pleased to bestow this honor on four individuals who exemplify this university's tradition of excellence and public service."

 

Since its establishment in 1979, the UCLA Medal has been presented annually to people who have made extraordinary contributions to UCLA or whose significant cultural, political or humanitarian achievements merit the university's highest recognition. Past recipients include former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton; former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres; actors Laurence Olivier, Carol Burnett and Anthony Hopkins; composers Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones; writers Isaac Bashevis Singer and Neil Simon; and business and civic leaders Eli and Edythe Broad.

 

 

Lloyd Cotsen, former chair and CEO of Neutrogena Corp. and current president of the Cotsen Management Corp., will receive his medal May 27 at 6:30 p.m. at a special ceremony at the UCLA Chancellor's Residence.

 

Cotsen, who has been supporting archaeology at UCLA for more than 40 years, began by donating $10 in 1996 to UCLA's Friends of Archaeology after joining several field trips sponsored by the group. In 1999, UCLA renamed its archaeological institution in honor of Cotsen for his contributions, which included a $7 million gift in support of faculty, students, publications, laboratories, academic programs and public outreach. In 2006, he donated an additional $10 million to support graduate fellowships, undergraduate research, publications and a field prize. Cotsen's generosity has established him as the largest individual donor in the history of UCLA's College of Letters and Science.

 

Cotsen is also president of the Cotsen Family Foundation and has served on the boards of numerous educational and cultural organizations, including the Huntington Library, the Getty Trust, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Public Library and the Music Center of Los Angeles County.

 

A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School, Cotsen worked in Greece as a field architect on archaeological digs for the University of Cincinnati and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens for more than 20 seasons. He is also a fellow of the American School of Classical Studies and a premier collector of folk art from around the globe.

 

 

Linda Griego, former deputy mayor for economic development under Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and former president and CEO of Rebuild L.A., will receive her medal June 12 at 7 p.m. at the UCLA Graduate Division's doctoral hooding ceremony at Royce Hall.

 

Griego was born and raised in New Mexico and received her bachelor's degree in history from UCLA in 1975. Following her tenure with Rebuild L.A., she became interim president and CEO of the $430 million federally funded Los Angeles Community Development Bank and was appointed by President Bill Clinton to NAFTA's North American Development Bank Community Adjustment Committee. She was also a special adviser to the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown on economic development in Southern California.

 

Griego is founder and owner of Engine Co. 28, a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, and is president and CEO of Griego Enterprises Inc., which develops and promotes television programs for the young Latino market. She also oversees the operations of the Oso Ranch and Lodge, a lodging operation in northern New Mexico.

 

Griego, who has received numerous awards for public service, currently serves on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards, including those of CBS Corp., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Public Policy Institute of California and the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.

 

 

Richard Ziman, chairman of AVP Advisors, the exclusive adviser to the $500 million real estate fund American Value Partners, will receive his medal June 13 at 4 p.m. at the UCLA Anderson School of Management commencement ceremony in Wilson Plaza.

 

The Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA — named for Ziman in 2001, when he established its permanent endowment — is dedicated to advancing leadership in the field of real estate by generating influential research, educating the next generation of leaders and providing meaningful forums for industry professionals and policymakers.

 

The founding chairman and former CEO of Arden Realty Inc., the largest owner of commercial office real estate in Southern California, Ziman served for six years as volunteer chairman of the board of directors of the City of Hope National Medical Center and the Beckman Research Institute, the world-renowned clinical hospital and research center for cancer, AIDS, diabetes and other diseases.

 

He currently serves on the international board of governors of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, on the board of overseers of the school's Rothberg International School, and on the board of visitors of UCLA's Anderson School of Management, where he is also a founding member of the Council of Entrepreneurs. Ziman was a member of the California Commission for the 21st Century, which was responsible for helping develop a blueprint for California's future. 

 

 

Charles M. Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and vice chair of the National Research Council, will receive his medal June 14 at 12:30 p.m. at the commencement ceremony for the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at Pauley Pavilion. He will also deliver the ceremony's keynote address.

 

Vest is president emeritus of MIT and has been a member of numerous government task forces and advisory committees charged with shaping local, national and international policies on research, science, education and national security. During his 14-year tenure as MIT's president, he added a strong international dimension to the school's education and research programs, strengthened relations with industry, increased racial and cultural diversity, and built public understanding and support for higher education and research.

 

Vest made significant contributions to the National Academies' highly discussed 2006 report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," which highlighted the challenges facing the U.S. in a global economy and made recommendations for improvements in K–12 and higher education, research support, and economic policies.

 

In February 2004, President Bush appointed Vest to the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. He was also a member of the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education and is currently a member of both the U.S. Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy and the Rice-Chertoff Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee.

In 2000, Vest was awarded the National Academy of Engineering's prestigious Arthur M. Bueche Award for his leadership in helping mold government policy in support of research and for forging linkages between academia and industry.