Read the Message from the Vice Provost

As Vice Provost, Professor Cindy Fan is UCLA’s senior international officer (SIO) and responsible for the university’s global strategy, international partnerships and global engagement. She is the first woman and Asian American to hold that position, and she works closely with the UCLA Chancellor’s Office to strengthen the university’s relationships and partnerships with institutions all over the world.

As part of the UCLA Global Initiative that Vice Provost Fan created, she has spearheaded UCLA Global Forums, worldwide events that forge meaningful links among countries, foster UCLA’s international ties and networks, and address issues of global and local relevance. In addition, she provides strategic leadership for UCLA’s international programs, promotes international education and oversees the UCLA International Institute. The Institute, comprised of 26 interdisciplinary research centers and eight academic programs (M.A.s, B.A.s, and Minors) on world regions and global issues, advances multidisciplinary research, education and outreach on global and area studies at UCLA.

Prior to her Vice Provost appointment, Cindy Fan served as Associate Dean of Social Sciences, Chair of the East Asian Studies Interdepartmental Program, and Chair of the Asian American Studies Department. She was born in Hong Kong, received her B.A. from the University of Hong Kong in 1981, her M.Phil. from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1984, and her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1989, after which she joined the UCLA Department of Geography as a faculty member.

Professor Fan is internationally known for her research on migration, regional development and gender in China and has published numerous articles. Her book China on the Move: Migration, the State, and the Household (Routledge, 2008) is a pioneering study on rural-urban migration and split households in China. She has co-edited two international, interdisciplinary journals: Regional Studies and Eurasian Geography and Economics. Her work was recognized with a Distinguished Scholar Award from the Asian Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers in 2017 and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Bristol in 2019.

A regular commentator for the New York Times, Professor Fan is also frequently interviewed by the media, including the BBC, China Radio International, National Public Radio, Tavis Smiley, and Bloomberg News. She has delivered numerous keynotes in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the U.S. She is a recipient of the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award, a Distinguished Scholar Award from the Asian Geography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers, an American Council on Education Fellowship, an Andrew W. Mellon grant to innovate area and international studies, and major research grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and National Science Foundation.