UCLA Chancellor Gene Block will step down in 2024

Gene Block, who has served as UCLA’s chancellor since 2007, will step down from the position next summer, the university announced Thursday.

“Since I became chancellor 16 years ago, UCLA has been my community and my home, a source of endless inspiration, and an indelible part of who I am,” Block said. “Serving as the leader of our university has been the greatest honor of my life.”

In a news release, UCLA touted a number of accomplishments the campus achieved under Block’s leadership, including increasing student enrollment by 24%, growing research funding to $1.7 billion and ranking as the top public university in the country in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

With Block planning to step down, that means that both UCLA and UC Berkeley will be searching for new chancellors at the same time. Carol Christ, UC Berkeley’s chancellor, announced in June that she plans to retire next summer.