Dear LMU Community:
Welcome to the 2019-2020 academic year! In the last two weeks, I have enjoyed meeting many new LMU Lions and I am inspired and energized by your intellectual curiosity, creativity, diversity, and commitment to our common mission. The beginning of the academic year affords us an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to our values while our bold ambitions propel us to expand our perspectives. Our academic foundations bind us as we challenge our students and each other, fostering a learning community characterized by intellectual rigor, open dialogue, and a commitment to our traditions rooted in our Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount heritage.
Our faculty are instrumental to the success of our university and I am delighted to acknowledge those who, during the last year, were either advanced to tenure, promoted in rank, or both. I am proud to work with these scholars; their talents and creativity invigorate our community. Join me in congratulating them, and I encourage you to visit their LMU websites to learn more. Anna E. Bargagliotti (Mathematics); Stefan Bradley (African American Studies); Susan Elkinawy (Finance and Computer Information Systems); Nancy Fujishige (Biology); Angelica Gutierrez (Management); Mitchell Hamilton (Marketing and Business Law); David Hardy (Psychology); Lei Huang (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science); Emin Issakhanian (Mechanical Engineering); Rosemary Kim (Accounting); Dmitry Kmelnitsky (Art and Art History); Sina Kramer (Women’s and Gender Studies); Sharon Mooney (Production Film and Television); Anna Muraco (Sociology); Vanessa Newell (Production Film and Television); Jennifer G. Pate (Economics); K.J. Peters (English); Matthew Petrusek (Theological Studies); Eliza M. Rodriguez y Gibson (Chicano/a and Latino/a Studies); Julian Saint Clair (Marketing and Business Law); Beth Serlin (Screenwriting); Vandana Thadani (Psychology). I also welcome our new cohort of faculty colleagues joining us this fall.
Last week, we welcomed the most competitive incoming first-year class in our history — a talented and diverse group of 1,520 students from 42 states and 53 countries. The members of the Class of 2023 earned an average GPA of 3.9, an all-time high for LMU, and were selected from a record-breaking pool of approximately 18,500 prospective students.
Our progress and future successes are fueled by our ambitious vision, which is growing and will showcase further our academic prowess. We start this year as a Doctoral University: High Research Activity (R2) institution, reflecting our academic excellence and positioning LMU with the nation’s leading institutions of higher education. I am confident that our visibility initiatives will continue to increase our reputational capital and renown. Our efforts to upgrade our facilities and undertake the most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign in our history will expand our capacity and support for future academic endeavors. Together, these ingredients open pathways to new educational opportunities while elevating the outstanding accomplishments of our faculty and students.
Speaking of our stellar faculty, I’m thrilled to share that the university raised $9.1 million in faculty research and sponsored projects funding in FY2018. These worthwhile endeavors will strengthen our scholarship, creativity, and research. Also, our global engagement activities continue to flourish, providing our students, faculty and staff with high-quality international and intercultural learning experiences that prepare them to succeed in our interconnected world.
In closing, I draw your attention to two signature events on the horizon. The Mass of the Holy Spirit at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Sacred Heart Chapel is one of our most important fall semester events. And on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 11:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel, President Snyder will share his vision for the upcoming year in his annual convocation to the LMU community. Please look for further announcements regarding the details of these events as their time draws near and please accept my best wishes for a fulfilling and productive year.
Sincerely,
Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
