U.S. News and World Report recently named UCLA the nation’s #1 public research university for an unprecedented eighth year in a row. This milestone achievement demands excellence across the board—from our world-class Professional Schools to our groundbreaking research laboratories, from our decorated undergraduate students to our top-ranked faculty, UCLA marches confidently into its second century of innovation and discovery.

We embody this astounding legacy of excellence through our 13th annual Blue & Gold Challenge. This special week of giving is a tribute to all that is made possible when our amazing community of Bruins—alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends—join together to give back. Your generosity and participation are what make this Challenge a success!

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! Bruins near and far have answered the call at the fastest pace ever—exceeding our original Challenge goal and unlocking the massive six-figure gift pledged by our generous True Bruin Challenger, alumnus Jeff Chang ’97. This overwhelming generosity has inspired us to set a *new stretch goal* of 5,000 gifts by midnight this Saturday, and you can still be a part of this record-breaking year!

As part of this year's celebration of philanthropy, we're thrilled to announce the exciting addition of SoCal Rival Week—a week-long competition between UCLA and USC to raise support for our respective marching bands! Every gift to our UCLA Bruin Marching Band will count towards the overall Blue & Gold Challenge goal in addition to helping us beat 'SC off the field in this classic battle of the bands! And thanks to generous donor and Bruin Marching Band alumnus Wayne Adachi '71, UCLA stands to unlock an additional $30,000 Challenge Gift if we can raise more donations than our crosstown rivals!

The time has come. And we're calling on YOU to rally together alongside your fellow Bruins to make an incredible impact. Are you up for the Challenge?