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Small Steps to Big Change

Welcome to the new LMU Magazine website. For the past year, we’ve conducted a lengthy review and redesign of Vistas magazine, Vistas Online and LMU’s monthly alumni e-newsletter. We took into account the opinions of LMU’s many constituencies: alumni, university leaders, representatives of LMU’s founding religious traditions, faculty and staff. In fall 2009, we surveyed the Vistas readership (see the results of that survey here). Finally, we hired Pentagram Design, a nationally acclaimed design firm, to oversee the review process and to present design choices. This website is the first unveiling of the results of our work. In May, everyone on our alumni e-newsletter list will receive the first edition of that electronic publication. Early this summer, you’ll receive the first LMU Magazine at home.

Please tell us what you think of the new LMU Magazine website. As you can see, LMU Magazine Online will not consist simply of the physical LMU Magazine posted to the Web. You’ll find original stories, videos, short films and slideshows, and more. We’ll use all the tools we can master. And we hope you’ll be proud of the new work you’ll see, just as you are proud of being part of LMU.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this project by contributing their time, opinions, criticism and creativity, especially DJ Stout and Daniella Floeter at Pentagram Design in Austin, Texas, and Hunter Cross of Ponticlaro, also in Austin. They’ve made this project fun to work on, as well as beautiful to see.

Last, a few words about this blog. There are moments that take place in the life of a university and the people who comprise it that inspire: To hear in a eulogy that a beloved Jesuit who first came here some 35 years ago had seven other job offers that he turned down speaks volumes about him and the university. Or this: the success of the men’s basketball team this season was thrilling. I’m convinced that the unrelenting determination of last year’s 3-28 team — they played every game like a pack of hungry dogs — is a big reason why this year’s team was so good. Not all readers can be on campus to be part of those moments, and I hope to share a few here.