With LMU’s roots planted and thriving in the Los Angeles-SoCal region — glorious sunsets; wide, inviting beaches; and, usually, lovely Mediterranean weather — it may be jarring to think of the LMU community planting stakes and laying claim to New England, the nation’s capital and Big D Dallas. Well, LMU is.
During the 2022–23 year, LMU’s senior leadership is taking the message of the university’s exciting future to alumni, parents and friends in cities around the United States. The project, called Beyond the Bluff, was launched in August with a visit to Boston. Other cities on the itinerary span the gamut of America’s landscape: New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, as well as SoCal’s Orange County, with additional cities to be added in the coming years.
“Beyond the Bluff invites the engagement of every Lion — whether they are on the bluff or across the country,” says Peter Wilch, senior vice president for University Advancement. “That’s how we have always strengthened our community and how we will continue to ascend.”
The Beyond the Bluff project is designed to bring alumni, parents, friends and donors from across the country into closer dialogue with the university. President Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., and other leaders share the latest news and outline LMU’s ambitious plans. For example, the class of 2026 entered LMU with the highest academic qualifications ever and was drawn from the largest applicant pool — 21,600. New high-level hires (see Page 8) give evidence to LMU’s commitment to achievement and diversity. Strengthened efforts in marketing and communications have brought heightened visibility to the university’s academic strengths and reputation.
Yet, Beyond the Bluff is as much about LMU’s future as LMU’s present. The university is building on its commitments of inclusion, creativity and global presence. From leadership to student affordability, inclusion is a priority in terms of maintaining a university community that both reflects the diversity of society and enrolls students from all walks of life.
This past year, LMU’s commitment to creativity took the form of the new Drollinger Family Stage, an outdoor facility that hosted summer 2022 Shakespeare productions and LMU’s convocation, and the new SFTV Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion, an addition to the No. 8-ranked LMU School of Film and Television. An Engineering Innovation Complex, currently in the planning stages, will further the university’s work in engineering creativity.
Last, as a university in a great world city, LMU has the potential to lead in global education and learning, through new partnerships and interdisciplinary initiatives. Students from around the globe have enriched the LMU community, from Marialena Seletopoulou ’23, a water polo player from Greece, to Max Isi ’14, an astronomer from Uruguay. When international students enroll at LMU, they bring the world with them, enriching all of us.
Beyond the Bluff is coming to cities across the United States. More events are being planned. Go to lmu.edu/btb to learn more.
San Francisco
Nov. 17, 2023
Phoenix
Jan. 17, 2023
New York City
Jan. 31, 2022
Washington, D.C.
Feb. 1, 2023
Las Vegas
March 2, 2023
Dallas
March 9, 2023
San Diego
April 19, 2023
To find out more about Beyond the Bluff and locations near you, go to lmu.edu/btb, or
contact Erin Hanson, erin.hanson@lmu.edu.