Thomas E. Lifka

Biography

Tom Lifka, retired UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor for Students Affairs, who was also an adjunct professor, philanthropist and friend to the UCLA Department of History, passed away January 28, 2025.

Tom earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern in 1967, followed by a masters in 1968 and doctorate in 1973, both from Harvard University. Tom’s doctoral dissertation explored policy-making during World War II with an emphasis on how policy workers employed the concept of totalitarianism. Rather than devote his career to academic research, he decided to embark on a career in university administration, with a particular focus on admissions. His goal was to insure as wide and diverse an admissions pool as possible at UCLA.

As a philanthropist, Tom made an immeasurable impact on the Department of the History. He established the endowed Thomas E. Lifka Chair in History, currently held by inaugural chair holder Kelly Lytle-Hernandez. In 2013, he established the endowed Thomas E. Lifka Dissertation Prize in the department. Tom finalized a bequest intent in 2023 to benefit the history department through his estate to establish a $4 million endowed graduate fellowship, one of the largest of its kind in the history of the university’s division of social sciences.

Regarding his philanthropic support of the History Department, Tom said “I remember how much it meant to me to receive both admission and significant fellowships when I was doing my Ph.D., so it’s very satisfying to me to be able to do that for others. Particularly at a time when recruiting people to pursue graduate degrees in history is not the easiest, I hope that having a good source of funding will encourage good people to follow this path. Whatever careers they end up following, having people trained in the way historians think — following evidence carefully balanced — is crucial for solving many of today’s problems.”

In 2023 Dean Abel Valenzuela honored Tom by creating the Thomas E. Lifka Staff Excellence Award and naming him its first recipient. Upon receiving the honor Tom remarked, “The entire experience, of course, reinforces my life’s great gratification in becoming an active part of the UCLA community over 40 years ago.” Tom then worked with Dean Abel Valenzuela to endow the award bearing his name to recognize non-academic staff in the UCLA Division of Social Sciences for exemplary service.

Tom came to UCLA in 1982 as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Academic Service, retiring in 2011 as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Academic Services. During his 29-year career at UCLA, Tom oversaw admissions, financial aid, loan services, the registrar’s office, career center and international student services. As a campus leader and proud gay man, Tom was an early contributor to UCLA’s efforts to increase the numbers of students from underserved communities and vocal supporter of the establishment of the LGBTQ+ Resources Center.

Following his retirement Tom served on the UCLA History Board of Advisors and the UCLA Social Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board. He also was deeply gratified to discover a new calling after retiring as a museum docent, first at the Los Angeles County Museum and then at the Holocaust Museum LA, where he lectured to thousands of visitors. Tom Lifka had many friends who enjoyed the pleasure of his company and who will miss his intelligence, humor, and generosity.