Our Mission & Values

UCLA/Getty Conservation Program Mission Statement
Adopted November 16, 2020

Mission

The mission of the UCLA/Getty Conservation Program is to educate and train students in the highest standard of conservation research and practice, and to prepare them to work as professionals and scholars in the preservation of cultural heritage. The Program confers both a Master’s degree and a PhD. It provides a multidisciplinary education drawn from resources within UCLA, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Museum, and other institutional partners. It is distinguished by its emphasis on materials, technologies, and preservation of archaeological and Indigenous heritage. Program goals include enhancing the standards of conservation strategies, treatment and research through the incorporation of environmentally sustainable practices, and the application of both cultural understanding and scientific methods of documentation, examination, analysis, and practice. Our Program draws on holistic approaches to the preservation of tangible and intangible global heritage.

Values

Collaboration

Stressing the importance of working within a cultural context and as part of an interdisciplinary team, we emphasize the collaborative nature of conservation. During their coursework, students work with source communities as well as students and professionals from archaeology, anthropology, art history, materials science, and other allied disciplines on projects designed to foster an exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are key to ensuring that everyone’s heritage is preserved and remembered. We emphasize the importance of working with source communities and recognize their right to make decisions on how to best preserve their heritage. We acknowledge the inequities within the field of conservation which are perpetuated by barriers to entry and are committed to taking steps to make the field more inclusive.

Sustainability

We are committed to research and implementation of sustainable practices in conservation, including recycling, waste management, energy use, and the adoption of green chemicals in our laboratories. In addition to reducing the environmental impact of our actions, we are equally interested in mitigating the effects of climate change on cultural sites and movable cultural heritage objects.