The UCLA Faculty Center is a classic, mid-century modern structure and mainstay of the campus since 1959. A little-known fact is that Faculty Center membership is open to all members of the UCLA Alumni Association, who can avail themselves of the many different options for meals, gatherings, relaxation, and socializing for a monthly membership fee of $25.

The food and beverage options are plentiful: the main dining room is self-serve for lunch, while meals on the Rose Patio and Coral Grill, featuring delicious burgers of all varieties, plus a wide range of salads, appetizers and other entrees, are waiter-served. The main dining room also has waiter-served gourmet dinners on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Several new services have recently been introduced, including:

  • waiter-served breakfast in the beautiful Playa Lounge, which features a wood-burning fireplace, from 7-10 a.m.
  • a “small bites” menu, from 3-7 p.m.
  • an upgraded wine list
  • a vegetarian bar
  • sushi
  • house-made muffins
  • paninis
  • “dinner-to-go,” available for pickup between 5:30-7 p.m.

In addition to the various choices available for meals, snacks and libations, there are several meeting rooms, including one downstairs in the south wing that features ornate hand-carved wood-paneling behind the carved-wood bar. There is even a huge billiard room, complete with a library.

For faculty and other members, these warm and welcoming spaces compose a wonderful oasis, a place where philosophy and theatre arts professors socialize with their math and science colleagues – a sort of “Cheers” straddling the two halves of the campus, where North meets South.

These facilities are open to any guests or groups that a member wishes to sponsor and are even open to education-related organizations without the need of member involvement. Those staying in the UCLA Guest House are able to make use of the facility as well, and the center sees anywhere from 400 to 600 people per day. An intriguing additional benefit of membership is the option to use any of the over 100 faculty clubs with which the Faculty Center shares reciprocal privileges, a list that includes other UC campuses, as well as USC, Stanford and Harvard.

The Center is a perfect place for any celebration, having hosted many weddings, receptions, banquets, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, etc. An interesting option, particularly for families from out-of-town, is to host a graduation party at the Center.

To learn more about the UCLA Faculty Center, visit facultycenter.ucla.edu.