THE LEGACY OF JUAN FRANCISCO LARA
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Llamame was written on the back of the business card that Rudy Santacruz’s mother handed him. The other side had the contact for Juan Francisco Lara, assistant vice chancellor at UCI, and founding director of the UCI Center for Educational Partnerships.
Call me. So the UCI freshman called. And Lara, knowing that students don’t turn down free food, invited Santacruz to lunch. "He asked me how things were going, and I said ‘it’s all good,’” remembers Santacruz. “Silent pause. Then he asked, ‘But how are things really going?’ and I lost it.” Santacruz unloaded: He was struggling to pass his first-year Biology classes, at risk of losing his financial aid, and his grades were suffering because he was working to contribute to his family’s household expenses. |
Juan Francisco Lara, former director, CFEP, and assistant vice chancellor emeritus, Enrollment Services.
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“Dr. Lara was so in tune with students; I’ve never seen such a student-centered professional,” said Santacruz, who is now a professor of counseling at Mt. San Antonio College. “Dr. Lara showed me what it meant to be a first-generation student, to be a professional, and to be able to distinguish my position in my family from my position professionally and academically.”
Lara mentored Santacruz to prioritize his long-term educational goals over the short-term need to help his family financially, and helped him get a job at CFEP, so he could spend more time on campus.
This kind of life-changing encounter was run-of-the-mill for Lara.
“I have had many students tell me since his death that my father gave them $25, $50, or $100 so that they could buy school books, and that his generosity helped them pass a class or graduate from college,” said Lara’s daughter, Kiela Lara Conway. Lara passed away in 2016, nine years after retiring from UCI.
His colleagues say Lara handed out business cards like candy — to parents, teachers, entire busloads of students touring campus, and even a car wash attendant who stayed in touch over the years and let Lara know when he graduated from college. Emeritus Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Manuel Gómez, who recruited Lara to UCI, used to joke he needed a separate line item in his budget for all of Lara’s business cards.
But those pieces of paper symbolized much deeper connections that Lara forged.
“He was an extraordinarily rare and gifted educator who had the capacity to touch and ignite the spirit of young people all the while also connecting with their families,” Gómez said. “That manifested in his influence over many students who received direct help, motivation and mentorship from him. He’s left a legacy that still lives every day in the hearts and work of many, many people.”
Lara mentored Santacruz to prioritize his long-term educational goals over the short-term need to help his family financially, and helped him get a job at CFEP, so he could spend more time on campus.
This kind of life-changing encounter was run-of-the-mill for Lara.
“I have had many students tell me since his death that my father gave them $25, $50, or $100 so that they could buy school books, and that his generosity helped them pass a class or graduate from college,” said Lara’s daughter, Kiela Lara Conway. Lara passed away in 2016, nine years after retiring from UCI.
His colleagues say Lara handed out business cards like candy — to parents, teachers, entire busloads of students touring campus, and even a car wash attendant who stayed in touch over the years and let Lara know when he graduated from college. Emeritus Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Manuel Gómez, who recruited Lara to UCI, used to joke he needed a separate line item in his budget for all of Lara’s business cards.
But those pieces of paper symbolized much deeper connections that Lara forged.
“He was an extraordinarily rare and gifted educator who had the capacity to touch and ignite the spirit of young people all the while also connecting with their families,” Gómez said. “That manifested in his influence over many students who received direct help, motivation and mentorship from him. He’s left a legacy that still lives every day in the hearts and work of many, many people.”
Lara with CFEP staff, 2005
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Finding His Calling
Lara was the oldest of three children, born in San Francisco to Mexican-American parents. His father died when he was just five, and his mother often reminded her family, “People can take away your money, but they can’t take away your education.” Lara attended Catholic school and then St. Mary’s College, where, in 1962, he joined the Christian Brothers, a teaching order of the Catholic church. “I think it started in the Christian Brothers, but he always had this dedication to young people and especially underserved kids who really needed the help,” said Lara’s wife Joanne Lara. She, too, trained as a teacher when she joined the Immaculate Heart Sisters in Los Angeles. After meeting in 1969, the pair married and started a family. |
Lara earned a master’s degree in Urban Teaching from Occidental College and won a CORO Foundation Fellowship in public affairs. He started working at UCLA, supporting outreach programs for underrepresented groups. In 1980, he earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from UCLA while working full time and raising his young children, Kiela and Ankarino. He was also a fellow of the National Council of La Raza and a scholar at the Tomás Rivera Center at Claremont Graduate School. After 18 years at UCLA, where he ultimately served as dean and assistant professor, Lara was recruited by then-vice chancellor of student affairs Manuel Gómez to come to the Irvine campus as assistant vice chancellor of enrollment services.
Coming to UCI
New to Orange County, Lara set to work building relationships, leveraging his charisma and an uncanny ability to remember not only names but also the stories of everyone he met.
“He knew the power of relationships, which is central to our work,” said Santana Ruiz, deputy director of the CFEP. “He established true partnerships, from a genuine acknowledgement that if you’re here in this room, you’re here for a reason. That really stood out.”
Lara’s work included extensive collaboration with the Santa Ana Partnership, which had been active since 1983 between UCI, California State University Fullerton, Santa Ana Unified School District and Santa Ana College to improve educational outcomes and college matriculation in the community. Through that project, he came to work closely with Dr. Sara Lundquist, then-vice president of student services at Santa Ana College.
“As he invested in bending the arc of systems towards learners, he simultaneously committed countless hours to supporting students on an individual level in ways that altered their academic and professional journeys and changed the face of educational leadership nationally,” Lundquist said.
In 1991, UCI won a $5 million, five-year grant to establish the California Alliance for Minority Participation program – one of just six sites nationwide to pilot the federal program – and Lara became the statewide director for the program.
He was also instrumental in getting Latino business leaders to support the creation of Orange County’s Hispanic Educational Endowment Fund in 1993. Since its inception, HEEF has given more than 2,200 scholarships totalling more than $2.7 million to support students.
“Juan was such an ideator – he was coming up with new ideas all the time,” said Karina Hamilton, who met Lara when they both served on the board of directors for Sage Hill School. “He could take an idea but also figure out how to bring it to life, from soup to nuts.”
Coming to UCI
New to Orange County, Lara set to work building relationships, leveraging his charisma and an uncanny ability to remember not only names but also the stories of everyone he met.
“He knew the power of relationships, which is central to our work,” said Santana Ruiz, deputy director of the CFEP. “He established true partnerships, from a genuine acknowledgement that if you’re here in this room, you’re here for a reason. That really stood out.”
Lara’s work included extensive collaboration with the Santa Ana Partnership, which had been active since 1983 between UCI, California State University Fullerton, Santa Ana Unified School District and Santa Ana College to improve educational outcomes and college matriculation in the community. Through that project, he came to work closely with Dr. Sara Lundquist, then-vice president of student services at Santa Ana College.
“As he invested in bending the arc of systems towards learners, he simultaneously committed countless hours to supporting students on an individual level in ways that altered their academic and professional journeys and changed the face of educational leadership nationally,” Lundquist said.
In 1991, UCI won a $5 million, five-year grant to establish the California Alliance for Minority Participation program – one of just six sites nationwide to pilot the federal program – and Lara became the statewide director for the program.
He was also instrumental in getting Latino business leaders to support the creation of Orange County’s Hispanic Educational Endowment Fund in 1993. Since its inception, HEEF has given more than 2,200 scholarships totalling more than $2.7 million to support students.
“Juan was such an ideator – he was coming up with new ideas all the time,” said Karina Hamilton, who met Lara when they both served on the board of directors for Sage Hill School. “He could take an idea but also figure out how to bring it to life, from soup to nuts.”
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Launching CFEP
Lara’s ideas for improving educational outcomes spanned the entire school pipeline, from helping train K-12 teachers to preparing college students for graduate school. In 1996, UCI established the Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP), the first in the UC system, and Lara became its founding director. The center brought a number of existing programs under its umbrella and, over the next decade, would launch an array of new programs to reach K-12 students, K-12 teachers, community colleges and enrolled UCI students. “Dr. Lara saw the potential benefit of taking these scattered programs at UCI, from admissions outreach to faculty initiatives with local schools, and putting them under one roof,” said Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, assistant vice chancellor, educational partnerships. “With one organizing unit responsible for coordinating, managing the relationships with the schools, he knew we could achieve synergy between all these different areas.” |
Lara with students at Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) ceremony, 2004
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In addition to running the statewide CAMP grant, Lara was instrumental in obtaining the five-year, $14.2 million NSF-funded FOCUS grant to support outreach, as well as multiple GEAR UP and Upward Bound federal grants worth tens of millions of dollars.
During his tenure, CFEP launched COSMOS, the Irvine Math Project, the California Reading and Literature Project, UCI History Project and the SAGE Scholars Program.
For 17 years, Lara commuted to UCI from Pasadena, starting meetings at 7 a.m., or even earlier. He tended not to eat during lunch meetings, because he was too busy connecting with everyone in the room. Colleagues often marveled at his boundless energy.
Mentoring Others
Lara’s network was expansive and he was always happy to make introductions, but those who knew him say his connections were deep and often impactful.
“He made you feel seen and heard and important, no matter what level you were, and especially if you were a student,” said Dr. Adrienne Grayson, who met Lara as a UCI undergraduate and who currently serves as associate dean of educational partnerships at Riverside City College. “I don’t know how his heart was so big.”
That genuine interest in the lives of everyone he met underscored a relentless, tireless desire to improve the educational trajectory of individual students, while also institutionalizing the programs and partnerships that would impact as many students as possible.
“He is famous for putting your life’s trajectory on a white board,” Grayson said. “He sat me down, and said, ‘You finish your undergraduate degree at this time, masters at this time.’ As a 22-year-old, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead, but he encouraged me to start thinking for the future in the present.”
During his tenure, CFEP launched COSMOS, the Irvine Math Project, the California Reading and Literature Project, UCI History Project and the SAGE Scholars Program.
For 17 years, Lara commuted to UCI from Pasadena, starting meetings at 7 a.m., or even earlier. He tended not to eat during lunch meetings, because he was too busy connecting with everyone in the room. Colleagues often marveled at his boundless energy.
Mentoring Others
Lara’s network was expansive and he was always happy to make introductions, but those who knew him say his connections were deep and often impactful.
“He made you feel seen and heard and important, no matter what level you were, and especially if you were a student,” said Dr. Adrienne Grayson, who met Lara as a UCI undergraduate and who currently serves as associate dean of educational partnerships at Riverside City College. “I don’t know how his heart was so big.”
That genuine interest in the lives of everyone he met underscored a relentless, tireless desire to improve the educational trajectory of individual students, while also institutionalizing the programs and partnerships that would impact as many students as possible.
“He is famous for putting your life’s trajectory on a white board,” Grayson said. “He sat me down, and said, ‘You finish your undergraduate degree at this time, masters at this time.’ As a 22-year-old, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead, but he encouraged me to start thinking for the future in the present.”
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He made you feel seen and heard and important, no matter what level you were, and especially if you were a student. I don't know how his heart was so big.
Associate Dean of Educational Partnerships, Riverside City College |
Many remember him prodding them about completing the next phase of their education. Reyes-Tuccio said she was neither planning to pursue a doctorate nor apply to UCI for graduate school, when Lara mailed her an application. She knew she had to apply, at least so she could tell him she had tried. She ultimately earned her Ph.D. from UCI in 2001.
Dr. Melba Castro, dean of student success at Rio Hondo College, met Lara while working with the Santa Ana Partnership (SAP) in various roles over the years. Castro would also work as SAP coordinator for CFEP. Lara was a life-long mentor, she said. When Castro was working toward her doctorate, he would ask her when her expected completion date was, write it on a piece of paper, and hand it to her. Even if he saw her again two weeks later, or the very next day, he would go through the same routine, reminding her of the importance of graduating. When she defended her dissertation at the University of Illinois, he sent a photo via text of the Santa Ana Partnership leadership team congratulating her with a celebratory toast. |
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Leaving a Legacy
With his baritone voice, Lara loved to sing and sometimes hand out lyrics he had rewritten for a popular tune, and lead everyone in song during a meeting. He was known to entertain guests with an opera at dinner. Once, during KinderCaminata, when hundreds of young children and their parents visited UCI, Lara even donned the Peter the Anteater costume. “He had a little theatrical flair,” his wife, Joanne, said with a laugh. During his years at UCI, he shifted from wearing a tie – often thrown over his shoulder – to a bowtie, which became his signature. When Lara retired in 2007, hundreds turned out to thank him. The door gift at the occasion? None other than a bowtie. “I felt so proud watching my father be celebrated that day at UCI,” said his daughter, Lara Conway. “He spent his entire life helping other people and was so selfless, but that event was just for him.” For nearly a decade after his retirement, Lara had time to focus on his five grandchildren and enjoy walks with his wife around the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena. After he passed away, Lara’s family honored him with a memorial bench, featuring a quote by Jack London: “I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom in a magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” |
CFEP's main conference room is dedicated to Juan Franciso Lara. A plaque with the above inscription hangs inside.
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Those who knew Lara might agree that he was like a shooting star who disappeared too quickly. His legacy persists in the impact he made on CFEP, UCI and innumerable students.
The preceding story is part of the "CFEP: 25 Years of Impact" series, honoring the people, programs and partnerships that have helped impact millions of students, teachers and families over the past quarter century. View the entire series here.
