Alec Glasser Center for the Power of Music and Social Change

I am delighted to announce that UC Irvine and the School of Social Ecology have received a significant investment from philanthropist and businessman Alec Glasser that provides a full endowment for the school’s Center for the Power of Music and Social Change, which has been renamed the Alec Glasser Center for the Power of Music and Social Change.

The center, under the leadership of Richard Matthew, professor of urban planning & public policy and director of the UCI Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation, was established early last year to focus on leveraging the power of music to galvanize students, other individuals and communities for social progress and well-being. It is fostering collaboration among scholars, students and practitioners dedicated to using music for social good across myriad contexts, as well as helping expand partnerships between the Blum Center and organizations in three African countries that promote social change through music. With its ability to inspire movement toward positive change, the Glasser Center will establish diverse platforms for students, faculty and individuals from across the academic landscape to engage and advocate using the compelling medium of music. 

Music has always been central to Alec Glasser’s life. He learned to play the saxophone, clarinet and flute as a public school student in New York City and credits his new abilities with developing his social, artistic and scholarly talents. Trained as an attorney, he practiced real estate and securities law, as well as taught at the USC Gould School of Law, before becoming a commercial real estate developer. In 2019 he opened The Drake, a restaurant in Laguna Beach known for its intimate dining and live music experience in a New York style supper-club setting. He is also the founder of The Drake Gives, a nonprofit 501c3 whose mission is to connect, inspire and provide underserved youth with the music education, materials and instruments they need and deserve to fuel their passions and experience the power of music.

Please join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Alec Glasser for his exceptional philanthropy and steadfast support of our mission.

Chancellor Howard Gillman