As Loyola Marymount University moves closer toward becoming the center for global imagination, the university is fully committed to investing in the future of its students. From award-winning academic programs to world-class professors, LMU students are offered countless opportunities to develop and learn. This growth has translated into another record-breaking year for first-year admission, with more than 18,000 applications. Most recently, the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research recently made a substantive change to LMU’s classification, the first since 1994. As a result, LMU has moved from the Master’s Colleges and Universities category to the Doctoral University: High Research Activity (R2) category. This announcement and change recognizes LMU’s commitment to high-level research and the growth in doctoral degrees offered to students.
We are also excited about new leaders who recently joined us on the Bluff following the retirements of several of our undergraduate deans. Last summer, LMU hired Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Peggy Rajski, as the new Dean of the School of Film and Television. We also welcomed Dayle Smith, an accomplished business leader, author, and scholar, to lead the College of Business Administration. In 2020, the School of Education will welcome Michelle Young, a nationally renowned education leader and scholar who will chart the School of Education’s ambitious course for the future. These amazing women will join the ranks of Dean Tina Choe, Dean Robbin Crabtree, and Dean Bryant Alexander, and mark an exciting time for the university!
Construction will also begin on several new buildings this year so students can continue to grow in the best academic environment. LMU has partnered with one of the top architectural firms in the nation, Steinberg Hart, to build two new residential facilities. The structures will host more than 600 beds, which will allow LMU to provide housing to an additional 400 students.
Later this year, LMU will also begin construction on a new pavilion for the School of Film and Television. It will house offices for faculty and staff as well as classrooms. This facility will meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s aspiring filmmakers, and keep up with the rapidly shifting landscape of technological innovation in media arts. The school’s graduate programs recently moved to the new campus in Playa Vista.
As our valued neighbor, we hope you share in our pride of this amazing institution. We have come a long way since the Westchester campus opened in 1929, and we hope you will visit us and get to know all that we have to offer. From lectures to athletics games, musical performances and summer camps, there is a plethora of events and programming that are open to the community.