The Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership was established in 2011 as part of a transformative gift from Meyer and Renee Luskin. Their vision in establishing the endowed lecture series gives UCLA an opportunity to share knowledge and expand the dialogue among scholars, leaders in government and business, and the greater Los Angeles community. Featured speakers are selected collaboratively by the senior dean of the UCLA College, the dean of the UCLA School of Law, the dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs, and the dean of social sciences in the College.

Meyer Luskin has often cited a $30 scholarship to UCLA as the genesis of his success in business. After an interruption in his education during World War II, Luskin commuted to UCLA from his home in Boyle Heights and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1949. He later earned an M.B.A. from Stanford in 1951, and met his wife Renee, who is also a Bruin. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in sociology in 1953. The philanthropic leadership of Meyer and Renee Luskin has made an enormous impact throughout campus.