Centennial April 23, 2012

Page 9www.laloyolan.com

EVOLUTION OF LMU

1911

Before LMU became the institution that sits atop the bluff in Westches-ter, it was St. Vincent’s College, the first Catholic college in South California. Looking to expand, when St. Vincent’s closed, the Society of Jesus took up the institution and Los Angeles College was born. Becom-ing Loyola College of Los Angeles in 1918, it moved to its present Westchester location in 1928 (pictured right).

The footings for Loyola Law School Los Angeles began in 1920 when St. Vincent’s College opened the St. Vincent College of Law at Loyola of Los Angeles. Loyola Law School would eventually become the first American Bar Association-approved law school in California that requires a pro-bono requirement in order to graduate.

1953It wasn’t until 1953 that students had a place to practice their faith on campus – congregations gathered instead in the on-campus Arts building, on-campus gym or a church in Hollywood to substitute for a chapel’s absence. Sacred Heart Chapel was formally dedicated on September 24, 1953, the same year that the campanile of Sacred Heart Chapel (or more commonly today referred to as the bell tower) was built. This came despite dissatisfac-tion from Howard Hughes, who feared that the tower would interfere with planes coming in and out of the Hughes Aircraft airfield located next to the University. In order to repre-sent the deep Jesuit tradition that the University was a part of, the inside of the chapel is lined with stained glass windows, each depicting the coat of arms of each of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universi-ties within the United States.

On July 1, 1973, Loyola University and Marymount College joined forces to create Loyola Marymount University. It was a long road to the merging of the two institutions, who had shared campus grounds since 1968. Concerns abounded, for reasons like: what this would mean for the credibility of the institutions, how the three Roman Catholic orders would work together, whether or not this would actually save both institutions money, among others. An editorial written in the Los Angeles Loyolan on May 24, 1971 underscored the concerns that students had at the time: “The question which remains, then, is this… What justification is there for the maintenance of the complexities of the affiliation, in place of a coeducational Loyola?” Despite the long road to the merger, the community, under the guidance of President Fr. Donald Merrifield, S.J. of Loyola University and President Sr. Raymunde McKay, R.S.H.M. of Marymount College, the merger was made official in 1973. Merrifield became the first president of Loyola Marymount University.

1973

Liliore Green Rains, an oil heiress, left $40 million of her estate to LMU in 1986. The Rains bequest of $40 million continues to support research grants for faculty and funds salaries for part-time profes-sors.

Fundraising and a $20 million pledge from the Jesuit community allowed LMU to purchase U-Hall, originally built by Howard Hughes, in 2000. In 2001, the University received permission from the city for permanent occupancy after agreeing to make the Lincoln Boulevard entrance the main campus entrance and to close the Loyola Boulevard entrance at night, as well as to limit the height of all future buildings on the Leavey campus. Historian Kevin Starr cited the realization of University Hall in his cenntenial history book as “one of the most dramatic acquisitions of existing usable space by a university in American academic history. Like the [purchase of] Leavey campus, it was another Louisiana Purchase, almost difficult to imagine.” The massive building contains more than a half-million square feet of floor space.

2000

2009

The discussion of a new library on campus began in the 1990’s under the leadership of President Fr. Thomas O’Malley, S.J. who wanted to expand the campus and create a place where students would study, relax and hang out. It was clear that the former Charles Von Der Ahe Library wasn’t able to be expanded. Donors were sought but it wasn’t until William H. Hannon left $10 million that the library could be realized under the Fr. Robert B. Lawton, S.J. administration in 2009. At the dedication on August 30 of that year, Lawton spoke of the building’s significance to the community and retired from his post the following year saying that seeing the completion of the library signified the end of his term: “What this library says to us… is to have high ambition, have high aspirations, and aim for greater academic achieve-ment. …But the building also speaks about another LMU quality: that great achievement is not simply for oneself but for the good of others.” 2011

The first lay-president of LMU, President David W. Burcham, was inducted into office in March 2011. Chosen by a search committee that reviewed a pool of applications, the Board of Trustees ultimately approved Burcham as LMU’s 15th president in Oct. 2010. Being the first non-Jesuit (and non-Catholic) president was historic: “I am very sensitive that I am a first in this way, and I am absolutely committed to being successful – and by successful, I mean advancing LMU’s mission. ... I am keenly aware that my appointment undoubtedly raised eyebrows in certain quarters, but I am absolutely 100 percent commit-ted to our mission that focuses on academic excellence and the service of faith and the promotion of justice,” he told the Loyolan on March 10, 2011, following his inauguration.

The Groundbreaking

Building a Place for Worship

The Merger

1920

A California School of Law is Born

The $40 Million Investment in LMU’s Future

Acquiring University Hall

A State-of-the-Art Library Lands on the Bluff

Burcham Elected as First Lay President

1986

Compiled by Laura Riparbelli, senior editor; Photos: LMU Archives and Special Collections