The Office of Alumni Relations wishes the 37,000 members of our UCLA Anderson alumni family and their loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a bright new year filled with extraordinary joy, success and pursuits.

» View UCLA Anderson's Year in Review «

With the year coming to a close, we take a look into the next at what the new economy might look like under President-Elect Trump. On December 6, the UCLA Anderson Forecast team shared its outlook on this special topic at the Forecast Conference that took place at the UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center.

Making policy assumptions about increased tax cuts, higher defense spending, a relaxed regulatory environment and changes to immigration and trade policy, Senior Economist David Shulman says that the "good" will be economic growth powered by rising consumption and spending on equipment and defense. The "bad" is that housing activity will be a casualty while the "ugly" may be a slowdown in trade due to minor tweaks to trade policy. For California, Senior Economist Jerry Nickelsburg says the new administration’s anticipated policies are projected to drive increased spending on technology for defense, a surge in home prices as wages increase to induce skilled workers, and a focus on mass deportations that will impact the state’s agriculture sector. Read more.

» Watch videos from the December 6 Forecast Conference
» Read David Shulman’s First Pass at Trumponomics report

Do you often struggle with how to effectively allocate your time and funds to family, colleagues, a significant other or a charitable organization? In the December 11, 2016 article “The Mistakes We Make When Giving to Charity” in The Wall Street Journal, Shlomo Bernartzi, professor and co-head of the behaviorial decision-making group at UCLA Anderson and Christopher Olivola, assistant professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, identified three main errors that limit the effectiveness of our efforts despite most people’s generous nature:

1. The martyrdom effect
   “The tendency to prefer forms of giving that involve significant sacrifice and efforts…we are biased to admire the more-challenging ways of helping (e.g., volunteering in a poor country) even when easier means (e.g., donating money) are for more effective.”
   
   
2. The Other-Nothing Neglect
   “Instead of asking potential donors whether or not they would be willing to donate a particular suggested amount, charities could frame the question as a choice between donating that amount versus “choosing” to have the charity receive nothing (or $0).”
   
   
3. The unexpected joy of giving
   “We often assume giving money away is a choice between our happiness and the happiness of others. But this research is a reminder that generosity is much better than that: We are built so that giving also feels good.”

» Learn more about how to make better decisions to not only improve the world but also to improve your own mood.

When current MBA student Alexander Cain ’17 heard about UCLA Anderson's Embracing Diversity Conference, he was skeptical at first—having attended several disappointing diversity events during his own MBA application process. But in the spirit of “Give back to those who come behind you,” Cain decided to participate to share his Anderson story and learn about the challenges prospects are facing.

The annual professional conference is for prospective MBAs to meet students and alumni who are current or former members of UCLA Anderson's student clubs Black Business Students Association, Latino Management Student Association and Out@Anderson. Prospects learned about what Anderson can offer in terms of a unique professional network, career trajectory and a collaborative community through discussions and remarks from Dean Judy D. Olian and Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors who is also one of the first openly gay prominent sports executive.

“The Embracing Diversity Conference assuaged my initial hesitations about yet another event of this sort by demonstrating the school’s commitment to diversity at all levels of the Anderson staff, by the upscale presentation at the new UCLA Luskin Center, and through pledging the budget and careful planning necessary to make the conference empowering to prospective students, not only with respect to their MBA, but to their professional career going forward,” said Cain.

» Read more about Anderson’s commitment to embracing diversity of thoughts and cultures.

» Connect with our alumni affinity groups AAAAA, ALMA, Anderson Women and GLBA.

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Be a part of UCLA Anderson’s excellence and make your gift today.

“I contribute to the Anderson Fund to pay it forward, supporting the programs and resources that develop the next generation of business and community leaders.” —Wendy Spinner '89, President Emeritus, UCLA Anderson Alumni Network

Join the Los Angeles tech community on January 12 for the third annual CES® at UCLA Anderson. Through keynotes, speaker panels and a special Anderson Afternoons technology exhibit, immerse yourself in the latest in themes being highlighted at the annual CES event in Las Vegas including wearables, Internet of Things, virtual reality, augmented reality, machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data, autonomous vehicles and smart homes. Featured keynote speakers will be Neil Sahota, WW Business Development Leader & Master Inventor at IBM Watson Group and Milind Kamkolkar, PA Life Sciences Expert, PA Consulting. Register now for complimentary access.

» Connect with Anderson alumni at a special CES Coffee Break in Las Vegas on Jan. 5.