Eric Avila to speak at the inaugural College Lecture Awards on October 12

October 8, 2026

On October 12, UCLA will host its inaugural UCLA College Lecture Awards at Royce Hall, honoring five distinguished professors across the College’s five divisions to showcase the university’s commitment to leadership, research, and creative inquiry.

Among the featured speakers is Eric Avila, Professor of History, Chicana/o Studies, and Urban Planning, representing the Division of Undergraduate Education. An urban culture historian focused on 20^th-cenutry Los Angeles, Avila’s research examines the intersections of racial identity, urban space, and cultural representation. 

Avila has long worked with undergraduate students through his work teaching Fiat Lux seminars, courses in the Honors Collegium and the Cluster Program. He is the Neikirk Term Chair in Undergraduate Education.

UCLA alum Randall Park will host the awards ceremony, which celebrates the highest Bruin ideals in higher education. Alongside Avila, the event honors Martha Bailey (Division of Social Sciences), Wesley Campbell (Division of Physical Sciences), Helen Deutsch (Division of Humanities), and Elaine Hsiao (Division of Life Sciences), who will each share insights into their research and scholarship.