Newsletter
Volume 30 | 2007 | Number 3
A Proposal to Establish the Ivar Lovaas Endowed Chair in Autism and Other Developmental Disorders at UCLA
The UCLA College of Letters and Science respectfully requests a gift of $1 million to establish the Ivar Lovaas Endowed Chair in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders at UCLA.
UCLA’s Psychology Department
UCLA’s Psychology Department is not only one of the largest departments on the Westwood campus; it also is one of the largest and most productive departments of its kind in the nation. Housed in Franz Hall, the department’s extensive resources provide ample opportunity for innovative psychological research. Its state-of-the-art facilities include precision equipment for electro-physiological stimulation and recording, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), control of stimuli for human and animal experiments, and all major areas of sensory study. Specialized laboratories offer opportunities for group behavior studies and naturalistic observation. Psychology Department faculty are acknowledged leaders in their field whose pioneering research has contributed substantially to scientific understanding of human behavior and has helped facilitate UCLA’s emergence as a world-class research university.
A Tribute to Ivar Lovaas
An internationally renowned researcher and educator in psychology, Professor Ivar Lovaas began teaching in the UCLA Department of Psychology in 1961. Shortly thereafter, he founded the Clinic for the Behavioral Treatment of Children, dedicated to collaborating with other clinics around the nation and the world to treat children diagnosed with autism. Dr. Lovaas’ successful efforts have garnered continuous funding from the National Institute of Mental Health since 1963. He has received many honors for his work, including the Edgar Doll Award, a distinguished research award from the American Psychological Association, a California Senate Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He retired in 1994 but has remained active at UCLA and in his field.
Now, to honor Dr. Lovaas for his many years of groundbreaking research and innovative teaching, the UCLA College of Letters and Science seeks a gift of $1 million to establish the Ivar Lovaas Endowed Chair in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. The Lovaas Chair will enable the Department of Psychology, in perpetuity, to support research directed toward isolating and correcting brain function in children with autism who do not recover with early and intensive behavioral treatment.
The Lovaas Chair will be based on the premise that research into the neural mechanisms of autism can lead to more favorable treatment outcomes. The chair will support a faculty member who is a world leader in behavioral neuroscience and who will continue the work of Ivar Lovaas through further contributions to the understanding and treatment of autism and other developmental disabilities. Following in the eminent footsteps of Professor Lovaas, the chairholder will collaborate with colleagues in the learning and behavior, child, clinical, and developmental areas.
Because it is the honor most coveted by university faculty, an endowed chair is a powerful means of attracting and retaining professors of international distinction by providing crucial resources for their teaching and research. Income from the endowment will help fund the Lovaas chairholder’s research, new teaching initiatives, equipment, professional travel, and other necessities. The endowment will also enable the chairholder to support the participation of outstanding graduate students in research and teaching related to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
The Ivar Lovaas Endowed Chair in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders will be a fitting tribute to Professor Lovaas’ forty-six years of distinguished research and teaching at UCLA. The establishment of the Lovaas Chair will provide an unparalleled opportunity to build on Dr. Lovaas’ pioneering work and to reinforce UCLA’s standing as a preeminent center for research into the causes and treatment of autism.
Supporting Teaching and Research in Autism
The Ivar Lovaas Endowed Chair in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders will enable the Psychology Department to continue to attract and retain eminent scholars and researchers who are highly regarded in their field. Holders of the Lovaas Chair will continue and expand the work of Dr. Lovaas by pursuing a better understanding of autism and other similar disabilities and developing more effective treatments.
Establishment of the Ivar Lovaas Endowed Chair in Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders in the UCLA College of Letters and Science will not only provide vital support for the work of an exceptional faculty member, but will also ensure that this important field, with its profound implications for the mental health of humankind, will be a subject of teaching and research at UCLA for generations to come.