Loyola Marymount University

Coordinates: 33°58′12″N 118°25′05″W / 33.9700°N 118.418°W / 33.9700; -118.418
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Loyola Marymount University
Former names
  • St. Vincent's College (1865–1911, 1915–1917)
  • L.A. College (1911–1915)
  • Loyola College of Los Angeles (1917–1930)
  • Loyola University of Los Angeles (1930–1973)

Also:

  • Marymount Junior College (1932–1948)
  • Marymount College
    (1948–1973)
Motto
Westchester, Los Angeles, California
,
U.S.
CampusUrban
150 acres (60.7 ha)
Fight song"Fight on Loyola"
Colors   Crimson and blue[4]
NicknameLions
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division IWCC, PCSC
MascotIggy the Lion
Websitewww.lmu.edu

Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a

NCAA Division I level as members of the West Coast Conference
in 20 sports.

History

Founding of Loyola

The university's first iteration was the first institution of higher learning in Southern California, St. Vincent's College for Boys, founded and run by the Vincentians until 1911.[5][6] In 1865, the Vincentian Fathers were commissioned by Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi to found the school in Los Angeles.[7] Father John Asmuth was the first President Rector. Classes were held for two years in the Lugo Adobe on the east side of the Plaza while a new campus building remained under construction. The historic building, donated by Don Vicente Lugo, was one of few two-story adobes in the city at the time, standing across Alameda Street between the Plaza and Union Station (near Olvera Street).

St. Vincent's College, from the east over Grand Ave., north of Los Angeles Trade–Technical College, 1905

The new 7th Street campus, a stone building now called St. Vincent's Place, took up the block bounded by Fort (Broadway), 6th, Hill, and 7th streets. In 1869, St. Vincent's was accredited by the state.[8][9] In 1887, the college moved to a new campus, bordered by Grand Avenue, Washington Boulevard, Hope Street, and 18th. The campus had a chapel, residence hall, cottages, and traditional brick-and-ivy complex housing classrooms and lecture halls. The new campus retained a tall, central tower topped with St. Vincent's trademark mansard roof.[10][5]

Alongside campus expansion, the athletic program grew, and the Catholic Collegiates competed against Occidental College's Presbyterians and the University of Southern California's Methodists. St. Vincent's athletes were also recruited into professional sports. During this era, from St. Vincent's College graduated numerous notable alumni, including Isidore Dockweiler, Eugene Biscailuz and Leo Carrillo.[5]

In 1911, the Vincentians pulled out of educational ministry and were replaced as administrations by the Jesuits by Bishop Thomas Conaty. The group moved the college to a larger property and renamed the school Los Angeles College, made up of several bungalows at Avenue 52, Highland Park, Los Angeles. Simultaneously, the Jesuits their high school division, Loyola High School.[citation needed] The old campus became St. Vincent's School.[11] In 1922, St. Vincent's campus was sold. Over time, the historic buildings of old St. Vincent's College have been torn down and replaced by developments such as the Grand Olympic Auditorium (1924) and parking lots.[5] Father Richard A. Gleeson was the first Jesuit president of the institution.[citation needed]

Rapid growth prompted the Jesuits to seek a new campus on Venice Boulevard in 1917.[

Westchester campus and achieved university status in 1930, becoming Loyola University of Los Angeles. Loyola Law School did not move with the rest of the university, but in 1964 was reestablished at a Frank Gehry-designed campus in downtown Los Angeles.[14]

As enrollment dropped during

Japanese internment camps
.

In 1949, Father Charles Cassassa was named president. His work included the formation of a graduate division on the Westchester campus in June 1950, following the establishment of the Teacher Education Program during the preceding two years. Cassassa also expanded campus infrastructure and established the Institute of Human Relations to promote improved racial relations in business and government.[15] In 1950, he ordered the school's football team to forfeit an away game against Texas Western since the school's rules prevented African-American players, including Loyola team member Bill English, to play on their field.[16] Loyola University also continued as an all-male school until its merger with Marymount College in 1973, with several notable exceptions.[citation needed]

At the time of the 1965 Watts riots, Loyola and Marymount were predominantly white institutions.[17][18] In response to the riots and the evolving local civil rights movement, Black students organized a Black students' union in 1968. In response, Loyola president Charles S. Casassa issued policies on 'unlawful student protests'.[18][19] Despite stonewalling from Casassa, the Black Student Union of Loyola pledged that it would "work through established channels, to dialogue, and to present our case in an intelligent, cohesive, and non-violent fashion."[18] When the campus newspaper The Loyolan surveyed students, most were generally supportive of introducing inclusive courses such as Black history.[18][20]

Founding of Marymount

The

Westwood in 1933.[citation needed
]

Mother Gertrude Cain was the first president of the junior college and guided its development into a four-year college in 1948, assuming the name Marymount College of Los Angeles. In 1960, having outgrown its shared Westwood campus, Marymount College moved its programs to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southwestern Los Angeles, becoming Marymount California University.

In 1967 Sister Raymunde McKay, president of Marymount College, alongside Sister Mary Felix Montgomery, General Superior of the

The Catholic University of America
in 1953. In 1959 it was incorporated as an autonomous, four-year institution, and assumed the St. Joseph College name. However, in 1968 Marymount and St. Joseph's Colleges merged under the Marymount name with an agreement that the traditions and heritage of both the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange would be retained.

Subsequently, the institution was renamed Marymount College of Orange. During the academic year, it remained a college for women religious seeking their baccalaureate degrees; college courses were offered to men and women during the summers at the Orange campus. However, in the same year, Marymount College began its affiliation with Loyola University, moving its four-year program at the Palos Verdes campus to the Westchester campus of Loyola University.[10]

Loyola-Marymount merger and expansion

By the mid-1960s, Loyola University of Los Angeles had unsuccessfully petitioned the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal James Francis McIntyre, to allow coeducation for several years. In 1967, McIntyre permitted Sister McKay to begin an affiliation with Loyola University. In 1968 when Marymount's baccalaureate program moved to Loyola's Westchester campus; this arrangement of two independent schools on one campus continued for five years. In 1970, the Student Governments of Loyola University (ASLU—Associated Students of Loyola University) and Marymount College (ASMC—Associated Students of Marymount College) joined to form the Associated Students of Loyola and Marymount (ASLM).

Loyola University and Marymount College officially merged and assumed the name Loyola Marymount University in 1973. The expanded university retained its roots of Catholic higher education and incorporated the educational traditions of the Jesuits, Marymount sisters, and Orange sisters into one institution. The ASLM became known as the Associated Students of Loyola Marymount University (ASLMU).[

Pico-Union, near downtown Los Angeles.[22] Merrifield and the university commissioned architect Frank Gehry to design the new campus, which was needed to accommodate increased enrollment.[22]

Merrifield also implemented a number of programs to increase minority enrollment, such as

African American and Latino studies programs. He stepped down as president of Loyola Marymount in 1984, but remained the university's chancellor until 2002.[21][22]

Recent history

In 2007, the university reestablished its presence in Orange County, California when the Theological Studies Department began offering a two-year master's program in Pastoral Theology in Orange, California. The first cohort graduated in the spring of 2009, and three additional cohorts completed a three-year master's degree in Pastoral Theology until the cohort program ended in 2018. The classes were held in the Marywood offices of the Diocese of Orange and then at the Diocese's Christ Cathedral campus, each nearby the former Orange Campus of the university.[citation needed]

The Sunken Gardens and Sacred Heart Chapel
Xavier Hall

In 2010, Loyola Marymount President, Father Robert B. Lawton, announced his retirement.[23] Lawton cited health problems, including a slow recovery from a 2009 back surgery, as the main reason for his departure.[23] He had served as president since 1999.[24]

David W. Burcham became the first lay president in the school's history. Burcham held the office from 2010 to 2015. Timothy Law Snyder became the 16th president in 2015.[25][26]

Campus

LMU is located on the Del Rey Hills in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles. It overlooks the former site of Hughes Aircraft. The original 99 acres (40 ha) were donated to the university by Harry Culver. Xavier Hall, named for St. Francis Xavier, and St. Robert's Hall, named after St. Robert Bellarmine, a cardinal and Doctor of the Church, were the first two buildings to be built on the current Westchester Campus. Following their completion in 1929, Xavier Hall housed both the Jesuit Faculty and the students at the time while St. Robert's Hall served as the academic and administrative building.[27]

Sacred Heart Chapel and the Regents Bell Tower were the next non-residential structures to be built on the campus (1953–55). The Malone Student Center, named after Lorenzo M. Malone, an alumnus of the university and former dean of students and treasurer of the university, was completed in 1958 and renovated in 1996. LMU now houses 36 academic, athletic, administrative, and event facilities as well as twelve on-campus residence halls and six on-campus apartment complexes. The campus houses four large open grass areas not reserved exclusively for athletic play.

LMU acquired the 1,000,000-square-foot (93,000 m2) building in January 2000 from Raytheon, which bought Hughes Aircraft. LMU completed the interior remodel in April 2001. The building, which houses the university's Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, is constructed of steel and concrete and is divided into seven structures above ground.

In 2022 The Princeton Review ranked LMU as having the fourth-most beautiful campus in America.[28] CampusSqueeze college e-zine ranked LMU as having the third-most beautiful campus in America.[29]

Sustainability

LMU has a large solar electric rooftop array that generates 868,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, providing 6% of the annual campus electrical needs.[30][non-primary source needed] The university purchased another 6 percent of its electrical energy through Renewable Energy Credits.[31]

There are three

LEED-certified buildings on campus, including the William H. Hannon Library. All new and renovated roofing projects include installation of a highly reflective white membrane cool roof.[32]

Student sustainability jobs are available in the recycling program. Loyola Marymount earned a grade of a "B−" on the College Sustainability Report Card 2010,[33] published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.[34]

Academics

Loyola Marymount is home to six colleges and schools, in addition to being the parent school of Loyola Law School in downtown Los Angeles. LMU offers an Air Force ROTC program, an Honors Program which an enriched core curriculum, and several year-long, semester, and summer study abroad programs across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Incoming students for 2022 come from 45 states and 64 countries.[35]

Undergraduate admissions

Freshman Admission Statistics[36][37][38][39][40][41]
  2022 2018 2014 2013 2012 2011
Applicants 21,312 18,081 12,117 11,472 11,913 11,309
Admits 8,240 8,498 6,387 6,209 5,975 6,043
% Admitted 38% 47% 52.7% 54.1 50.2% 53.4%
Enrolled 1,710 1,500 1,348 1,341 1,278 1,288
SAT Math +
Reading range
1290-1420 1210-1390 1100-1300 1090-1300 1100-1300 1100-1280
ACT range 28-32 27-31 25-30 25-29 24-29 24-28
Avg GPA 3.92 3.81 3.75 3.72 3.76 3.71

U.S. News & World Report classifies Loyola Marymount's selectivity as "more selective."[42]

Rankings

Forbes[43]
100
U.S. News & World Report[44]66
Washington Monthly[45]230
WSJ / College Pulse[46]77
Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2020
Race and ethnicity[47] Total
White 43% 43
 
Hispanic 23% 23
 
Asian 10% 10
 
Foreign national 10% 10
 
Other[a] 7% 7
 
Black 7% 7
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[b] 12% 12
 
Affluent[c] 88% 88
 
  • U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges 2021" ranked Loyola Marymount tied for 66th in the U.S. among national universities. U.S. News & World Report also ranked Loyola Marymount tied for 31st in Best Undergraduate Teaching, tied for 38th Best for Veterans, and 98th Best Value school in the national universities category, and tied for 26th best undergraduate engineering program at schools where doctorates are not offered.[48]
  • The Wall Street Journal, in its "2020 WSJ/THE College Rankings," ranked Loyola Marymount 90th in the country.[49]
  • The Hollywood Reporter, in its "Top 25 American Film Schools" 2014 edition,[50] 2015 edition,[51] 2016 edition,[52] 2017 edition,[53] 2018 edition,[54] and 2019 edition[55] ranked Loyola Marymount eighth in the country, and in its 2020 edition, ranked it seventh in the country.[56]
  • The Wrap ranked LMU fifth in the country in its Top 50 Film Schools of 2023.[57]

Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts

The Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts includes twenty-five undergraduate programs of study as well as five graduate programs. It embodies the wider university goals of liberal education, which is the heart of the university's core curriculum for all undergraduates. The college is named for Saint Robert Bellarmine.[58]

College of Communication and Fine Arts

The College of Communication and Fine Arts offers majors in Art History, Communication Studies, Dance, Music, Studio Arts, and Theatre Arts as well as a graduate program in Marital and Family Therapy. Students are able to choose a specific emphasis within the studio art (STAR) major such as drawing, painting, photography, art education, sculpture, and multimedia.[59]

There are beginning (lower division) and advanced (upper division) courses offered in the STAR department that explore fine art practices in two-dimensional design, ceramics, typography, visual thinking, and graphic design.[60] The current dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts is Bryant Alexander.[citation needed]

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley teaches playwriting in the Theatre Department. Colin Hanks transferred to LMU from the acting program and Chapman University. Linda Cardellini and Busy Philipps are also alumni from the Theatre Department. Many of the faculty in the department are currently working in the industry.[58]

College of Business Administration

The College of Business Administration teaches effective principles and practice of business through foundation building, undergraduate programs, and flexible graduate programs for advancing professionals. It is home to eight undergraduate programs of study as well as an MBA program for graduate studies.[58]

Rankings

  • LMU's Part-Time MBA Program was ranked 6th nationwide by Bloomberg Businessweek in their 2013 rankings[61]
  • U.S. News ranked Loyola in its 2017 list of "America's Best Colleges" as tied for 94th in the nation for Best Undergraduate Business Program.[62]

Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering

The Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering contains undergraduate and graduate programs. Graduate programs are offered in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, in environmental science, in computer science, in systems engineering, and in dual program called systems engineering and leadership (SE+MBA).[citation needed]

School of Education

The School of Education at Loyola Marymount has four undergraduate and nine graduate programs of study including a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.).[58]

School of Film and Television

The School of Film and Television was established in 2003 by consolidating LMU's programs in film and television. Admission to the undergraduate program is competitive, with 19% of applicants admitted to the program.[63] It is the seventh highest ranked film program in America, according to The Hollywood Reporter[54][55] and the fifth highest ranked program, according to College Factual (USA Today).[64] In 2018, it opened a 35,000 square foot facility, primarily for graduate film students.[65] The Playa Vista campus includes three greenscreen studios, eight Avid editing rooms and a Foley stage. In the spring of 2020, dean Peggy Rajski broke ground on the Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion, a 25,000-square-foot structure equipped with a screening theater, a camera-teaching stage and a motion-capture workspace, which is due to open in the fall of 2021.[66] Unlike some other film programs, LMU film students own the intellectual property rights to the films they create while they are in college.[67]

The School of Film and Television offers bachelor's degrees in Film and Television Production, Screenwriting, Animation, and Recording Arts along with a minor in Film Studies and also Master's programs in Writing and Producing for Television, Film and Television Production, and Feature Film Screenwriting. A range of advanced facilities and equipment are available to students, including two soundstages, advanced editing labs, a fully equipped theater, and top-of-the-line camera equipment including five

RED One Cameras
.

Notable alumni from LMU's film school include

James Bond films since 1990, James Wong, Brian Helgeland, writer/director of the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, Francis Lawrence, director of three of The Hunger Games films, and David Mirkin, an executive producer and showrunner for The Simpsons.[68]

Loyola Law School