For 95 years, Loyola Marymount University has been a symbol of excellence and an educational institution dedicated to the growth and development of the whole person and service to others. LMU students, faculty, staff and alumni are known for the volunteer work they do with numerous non-profit agencies, schools and religious groups in Los Angeles. According to a survey conducted by the university’s Center for Service and Action during 2005-2006, the LMU community performed 175,000 hours of volunteer service with outreach to 179 community organizations. The community organizations LMU works with cover many areas of focus. LMU provides assistance with healthcare, education, counseling and childcare to senior citizens, homeless shelters, food shelters and animal shelters, among others. Every department and 89 student organizations were involved in volunteer work in the 2005-2006 year ranging in scope from building and rehabilitating homes for Habitat for Humanity to tutoring at local Los Angeles area schools.

University Wide Service Projects

Alumni for Others

Alumni for Others is about life long relationships and bringing families together in service and prayer. The program builds on both the Jesuit and Marymount traditions of developing the whole person, challenging each of us to go beyond the comfort of our every day life and to give of ourselves. The Alumni for Others service program exemplifies the mission statement of LMU in the service of faith and promotion of justice.

• Service Project for Inner City Schools

LMU alumni join together and help refurbish Catholic schools in the inner cities of Los Angeles and the Indian Mission School in Arizona. The schools that receive the aid are picked from a list by the superintendent of the Los Angeles Archdiocese of Catholic Schools. The project receives donations from local contractors.

30-40 LMU alumni volunteer approximately 8 hours of their time each year.

• Tutoring Project

LMU alumni help tutor 8th grade students from 40 inner city Catholic grade schools to prepare them for the high school placement exams for Catholic high schools in the LA Archdiocese. Educational materials and tutor training are provided free of charge. The program is sponsored by Loyola High School.

There are approximately 25 alumni who volunteer about 10 hours of their time each year.

• Loaves & Fishes Program

Every Saturday, the Loaves & Fishes program provides meals and other services for 700 needy men, women and children at St. Joseph’s Church in Santa Ana, Calif. The program is directed by Maria Dzida ’75, MA ’95. In December, the program sponsors an event that provides blankets, clothing, undergarments and toiletries at no charge

Approximately 50 alumni volunteer 4 hours throughout the year.

• Build a Miracle

LMU alumni come together and build a home for a poor family in Tijuana. Each home costs between $7,000 to $8,000 and the families pay for their home by doing 500 hours of community service. Activities include mixing concrete and hammering. Alumni work alongside the many families who have received homes. Julianne ’88 and Chris ’85 North are the contacts for the project.

Approximately 25 alumni contribute 12 hours each year to this project.

United Way

320 LMU faculty and staff members contributed $44,558.67 this year to the United Way campaign. Faculty and staff members were given the option to donate to any 501 (c) 3 organization or directly to the United Way. Donations were made either by a lump sum or were taken from a direct debit plan. LMU has participated in this campaign for the past three years.


National recognitions

Recent rankings bestowed on LMU include:

• LMU was again ranked third in “Best Universities-Master’s” by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” issue. LMU’s 72 percent graduation rate also earned the university a ranking of fourth in the West.
• Alan Sitomer, teacher in the School of Education, was named the 2006 California Teacher of the Year and is in the running for the National Teacher of the Year.
• Marilyn Whirry is the 2000 National Professor of the Year and is an adjunct professor in the School of Education.
• LMU’s Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering also was ranked 14th among universities with no doctorate degree.
• LMU was named one of the “Best in the West” by The Princeton Review in its regional guidebook, “The Best Western Colleges.” LMU was also a repeat honoree in “361 Best Colleges” and earned special mention as one of the country’s most beautiful campuses.
• LMU was recognized as “Hottest for Hispanics” in “America’s 25 Hot Schools” by the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek “How to Get into College” guide.
• Out of 159 law schools, Loyola Law School ranked third for “Best Overall Academic Experience,” third for “Professors Rock,” fourth for “Number of degrees granted to Latinos,” and sixth for “Best Environment for Minority Students” by The Princeton Review.
• LMU’s MBA program was ranked ninth for Best Campus Environment and eighth for Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students in The Princeton Review’s “Best 237 Business Schools”
• LMU's MBA program was listed as 22nd in the nation, and was one of only three universities in Southern California to be ranked in the top 25 in the part-time MBA category earlier this year by U.S. News & World Report magazine's online edition.