LMU: An Employer of Choice

LMU’s ability to deliver a transformative student experience depends on the people who bring our mission to life. Faculty, staff, and administrators are foundational to the university’s academic excellence, sense of community, and long-term. As such, LMU is committed to being an employer of choice - where talent is valued, leadership is collaborative, and meaningful work is aligned with purpose.

At the heart of this commitment is a deliberate strategy to support, retain, and attract exceptional faculty and staff, beginning with our compensation, which meets or exceeds market benchmarks across employee groups.

Specifically, LMU uses a metric called compa-ratio, short for “comparison ratio,” a metric used by human resources to assess how an employee’s salary compares to the midpoint of their salary range for their position, indicating whether their pay is above, at, or below the market rate. It helps determine if an employee’s pay is competitive and equitable within the organization and the broader market. This helps LMU establish standardized, transparent, and market-aligned metrics. Market benchmarks are based on reputable third-party data and an analysis of 42 private institutions with comparable enrollment size and institutional type, most recently reviewed in 2025.

A More Competitive Position

In December 2023, LMU launched a Multi-Year Compensation Initiative to raise salaries from the 50th percentile - long considered the market median - to the 75th percentile. The initiative reflects a significant investment of millions of dollars to move LMU into a more competitive position among peer institutions and affirms that competitive compensation is essential to advancing LMU’s mission to deliver the academic excellence and student experience that define LMU, including supporting continuity in instruction and mentorship for our students. The initiative spans 3 years for faculty and 5+ years for staff and includes non-tenure track faculty beginning in Year 2. Salaries for NTT faculty in the bargaining unit are subject to bargaining and have not been impacted by this initiative.

As of fall 2024, LMU implemented new salary ranges anchored at the 75th percentile as the midpoint range, versus the market 50th percentile, creating higher pay opportunities across employee groups. The result is a more competitive compensation framework that strengthens LMU’s ability to recruit and retain top talent in one of the country’s most competitive hiring markets. As of July 2025, more than 60% of LMU employees have already received increases as part of the initiative.

LMU Compensation Meets or Exceeds Market

LMU faculty and staff salaries are competitive with those offered by peer institutions, reflecting our investment in attracting and retaining top talent:

• Tenure-track faculty: average compa-ratio is 94%, placing it within the competitive range near the 75th percentile
• Non-tenure track faculty: average compa-ratio 88%
• Part-time faculty:
  • LMU 3-unit lecture salary is 94.8% compa-ratio compared to benchmark institutions
  • LMU 4-unit course lecture salary is 94.8% compa-ratio compared to benchmark institutions
• Full-time staff: average compa-ratio is 89% of the updated 75th percentile benchmark based on peer institutions
• Part-time staff: average compa-ratio is 91% of the updated 75th percentile benchmark based on peer institutions

LMU Benefits are Competitive

As an employer of choice, LMU also invests in its people through a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that reflects our commitment to well-being, professional growth, and work-life integration. LMU’s total benefits value is above the median of peer institutions by six percent, surpassing market standards in key categories, and reflecting our commitment to support well-being, retention, and success. Our total compensation approach goes beyond just salary to include healthcare coverage, retirement contributions, tuition assistance, wellness resources, and paid leave - benefits available across a broad range of employee roles.

LMU offers a competitive benefits package for part-time employees, including eligibility for medical and other benefits starting at 20 hours a week for staff and two courses per semester for faculty- exceeding market standards, which typically require a 30-hour minimum. While no higher education institution provides part-time employees with benefits identical to those of full-time staff, LMU’s lower eligibility threshold reflects a commitment that surpasses peer and industry norms. Currently, 46% of LMUs part-time employees are enrolled in university-sponsored medical plans.

Additionally, LMU is committed to strengthening its academic community by exploring ways to grow its full-time faculty ranks, while still ensuring flexibility to meet evolving educational needs.

Our Work is Ongoing

Our commitment to being an employer of choice is ongoing. We recognize our efforts are essential for LMU to deliver on its mission to provide an educational experience defined by academic rigor, personal attention, and the holistic development of every student.

As higher education grapples with systemic challenges, LMU is taking a measured, mission-aligned approach to advance equity, sustainability, and excellence in faculty employment. LMU’s approach to compensation is not only about pay - it’s about sustaining the excellence of the LMU experience. By investing in faculty and staff, the university ensures continuity in instruction, mentorship, and student support.

LMU Employees Choose to Stay

The result of our investment is clear: LMU employees choose to stay. The average years of service for tenure line faculty and full time staff is 9.71 years. Among full time term faculty, it is 10.76 years. The average years of service for part time lecturer faculty at LMU is 3.77 years, and the average years of service for part time senior lecture faculty at LMU is 11.5 years. These strong retention numbers reflect the strength of our commitment and the kind of workplace we strive to cultivate - one where purpose-driven people feel valued and empowered, and choose to stay.

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