Fall 2009 Message From the President

September 2009

Dear Alumni and Friends of LMU,

This year marks my 10th as president of Loyola Marymount University. Each year has brought its share of joys and challenges, and 2009-10 will be no different.

First, some good news in numbers. We have 1,872 graduate students, 1,348 law school students and 5,668 undergraduate students, including 363 transfers and 1,387 freshmen. We were able to contain costs and hold increases in our tuition and housing to 4.4 percent. I previously wrote about our containment measures, but as a reminder, we cut nearly $2 million from division budgets, senior administrators received no salary increases, a hiring freeze was placed on nonacademic positions, and the university extensively audited all requests for contractual and inflationary funding.

Despite the continuing national economic distress, the university endowment has rebounded and to date is at $310 million. It is important to remember that because endowments are gifts in perpetuity, university policy allows us to spend only a portion of these assets, approximately 5 percent, each year.

You have read much about our fundraising campaign, Right Place. Right Time. The Campaign for LMU. Last May we passed our original $300 million goal on our way to the target of $380 million by LMU’s centennial in 2011. These funds have touched every school and college, department and center, our faculty and our students. It is with profound thanks to the generosity of alumni, donors, parents, faculty and staff that we have done so well. Everyone’s contributions, large and small, have allowed us to improve the campus and the quality of the education we offer. There is, of course, still more to accomplish in final years of the campaign.

We have added a signature building that is a testament to a generous benefactor and a leap forward in our research capabilities, the William H. Hannon Library. I cannot adequately describe the feelings this new library evokes. You must come to campus to see it. Through a generous gift to the university from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the library will be home to a page from a 15th century Gutenberg Bible. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony made the presentation at the dedication August 30, and our librarians are working on plans to display this treasure. The dedication of the William H. Hannon Library can be viewed at http://library.lmu.edu/grandopening. The Von der Ahe Library, which served us well for many decades, will become a welcome center and will house other critical university operations. Another addition to campus is the Thomas P. Kelly Jr. Student Art Gallery, which is a student-managed gallery that features works from LMU students as well as student artists from around Los Angeles. Campus Ministry was renamed the Peg Dolan RSHM Campus Ministry Center in recognition of three decades of dedication and work by our dear Sister Peg, LMU’s alumni chaplain. Her influence has been felt by countless students and alumni. Our next major capital fundraising priority is a new life sciences building.

On the faculty side we have been equally busy and successful. Two new deans have joined LMU, Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, who will lead Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, and Victor J. Gold, who is the 16th dean of Loyola Law School. The School of Film and Television will be lead by an interim dean, Stephen V. Duncan. We welcome 44 new faculty members, including 19 visiting professors, for the fall semester. A Jewish Studies Program has been added as part of our interfaith scholarship and our Chemistry and Biochemistry Department made promising progress into Alzheimer’s disease research. LMU professors have been awarded solar research grants, received distinguished teaching awards and have been given prestigious fellowships. Their accomplishments are evidence of the quality instruction our students receive. Click here for LMU Highlights, where you can read more about the achievements of our faculty and students.

On the playing fields, our sports teams had a generally good year. Notably, our women’s water polo team won its seventh Western Water Polo Association title in nine years and reached the championship round of the NCAA tournament. It was a disappointing year for our men’s basketball team, but the outlook for 2009-2010 is promising as Coach Max Good begins his second season and welcomes back all our recruits from last season.

The coming year may continue to be financially trying as the nation’s economy recovers in fits and starts. We are preparing ourselves for what might come our way. We will energetically continue our Right Place. Right Time. The Campaign for LMU. I cannot stress enough the importance of private support, which is the lifeblood of our university. Private support helped us provide $62 million in grants and scholarships to our undergraduate and graduate students last year. Given that almost 80 percent of our students receive some financial aid, this support is critical to maintaining a highly diverse socio-economic student body of great academic promise. You will shortly receive a specific request for funding scholarships, and I hope you will make a gift.

For nearly 100 years LMU has played a key role in the life of Los Angeles and beyond. We have contributed scholars, engineers, scientists, teachers, lawyers, business leaders, artists and athletes. Our Centennial Committee has just begun plans to commemorate that rich history during LMU’s yearlong celebration in 2011-2012. And for now, we rededicate ourselves to another year of scholarship, inspiration and service.


Sincerely,

Robert B. Lawton, S.J.
University President