Welcome to LMU: Where Mission Becomes Experience
Dear LMU Lion Families,
Welcome to a new academic year at LMU.
This moment is always personal for me. I first came to the Bluff as a student more than 30 years ago. On my first day, I met my future spouse in my orientation group. Years later, I watched my own children begin their LMU journeys. I know the excitement and possibility of these first days—and the uncertainty that can accompany them. Families experience LMU, too: through the stories students share, the confidence they gain, and the occasional call when something feels confusing or difficult.
In his welcome message, President Poon reminds us that even as the world around us changes, LMU’s deepest work remains profoundly human: helping students become thoughtful, compassionate people prepared to use their gifts in service of others. My responsibility as chief operating officer is to connect the people, systems, spaces, and opportunities that make that mission tangible—and help LMU feel like one university.
Our campuses are not simply the backdrop to an LMU education. They are where mission becomes experience: in a classroom ready for learning; a staff member who knows how to help; a meal shared with friends; a welcoming place to gather; technology that opens a door rather than becoming a barrier; and an internship that connects a student’s aspirations to the possibilities of Los Angeles and beyond.
At LMU, operational excellence is our mission in action. It is also a form of care: anticipating needs, removing friction, and giving time and attention back to students. Every minute a student does not spend searching for parking, navigating an unclear process, or trying to determine where to turn is a minute returned to learning, friendship, creativity, service, and growth.
That is the purpose behind the work teams across LMU completed this summer. Some of it will be easy to see: the transformation of The Lair, which will reopen in October; continued progress on University Hall’s escalators; and other improvements taking shape across our campuses. Other changes will be less visible but no less consequential: new audiovisual technology in classrooms and event spaces, new computers in five labs, and expanded access to tools such as Copilot—LMU’s secure, university-supported AI solution—and LinkedIn Learning. And a great university should not ask students to spend more energy navigating the institution than experiencing it. That’s why this fall, we are rolling out a new smart parking app, JAPA, which will provide real-time parking availability across campus.
You can view all of our current projects and timelines through our new campus improvements landing page, Building a Better LMU. And on Momentum, my COO blog, I will continue to share not only what is changing, and why, but also spend time highlighting the people, partnerships, and decisions shaping LMU’s future.
President Poon writes that transformation begins in human encounter and relationship. Our responsibility is to create the conditions in which those encounters can flourish. That is where mission becomes experience. It is the everyday work of transformation—and work we will never consider finished.
Whether your family is joining LMU for the first time or has been part of the Lion family for years, welcome. Thank you for the trust you place in LMU. We are glad your student is here, and we look forward to listening, learning, and building an even better LMU together.
Go Lions!
Sincerely,
John S. Kiralla
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
COO | CMO | CCO