How UCLA's New Chancellor Will Inspire Success in Bruins Athletics

The foundation of any successful sports program is support and alignment all the way from the top of leadership. Look no further than UCLA's new chancellor Julio Frenk, who has made it known that Bruins athletics and its success will be a priority as he begins his tenure with the university.

In an interview with the LA Times, Frenk detailed the importance of a successful athletics program to a university and how he plans on making that success a priority.

“I am [going to be involved] because I think athletics plays a very central role,” Frenk told The Times. “It is, first, an avenue for recruiting very talented students. Secondly, it benefits the other students. It enriches the student experience of everyone. But let me tell you, when we talk about the contribution to society, part of the reason many universities have a deficit, it’s not because of football. Football actually has a positive cash flow for the university."

The finances are an important wrinkle in Frenk's intentions. UCLA athletics ran up a $219.5 million deficit over the last six fiscal years that has since been covered by the university. And even then, Frenk plans to allocate more resources to revenue sports like football and men's basketball, he told The Times.

“I acknowledge this costs money,” Frenk said, “but the money goes to be able to have all the other disciplines that do not generate money. The most direct way to do that would be to find other sources of funding. Right now, we use the revenue from football and that requires investments to fund the entire athletic operation."

This ideology is paramount after groundbreaking news of student-athlete revenue sharing being approved in the House vs. NCAA settlement. UCLA's athletic director, Martin Jarmond, has been nothing but complimentary of the chancellor's intentions and commitment to athletic success in Westwood.

“Chancellor Frenk has been extremely supportive of athletics and the impact that it has on our community,” Jarmond told Ben Bolch of the LA Times. “He has been supportive of our efforts every step of the way. He hit the ground running during a pivotal time not just for athletics but the university, and he has demonstrated support at a high level and I’m grateful for his leadership at such a pivotal time for athletics.”

Between the aligned visions of Frenk, Jarmond and UCLA's football head coach DeShaun Foster, the Bruins have already seen incredible success in bringing in talent, starting with landing transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava and on the heels of acquiring four-star offensive lineman Micah Smith.

Success will be a priority in Westwood, and that's coming from the top of command.