Hope, Made Here: LMU Inaugurates President Thomas Poon, Ph.D.

In his inaugural address, LMU's 17th president envisions a future for the university filled with purpose, possibility, and hope

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Loyola Marymount University President Thomas Poon, Ph.D., shared his hopeful vision for LMU and the future of higher education at his inauguration before nearly 1,200 community members, delegates, and invited guests on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.

"Honoring our legacy begins with hope," said Poon, LMU's 17th president, during the ceremony steeped in tradition, drawing higher education leaders from across the country. "Hope isn't passive. It is, as the Jesuits say, 'contemplatives in action.' Hope rolls up its sleeves and asks, 'What's the work we need to do to make things happen?'"

The ceremony on LMU's Westchester campus celebrated the university's enduring ties to the city of Los Angeles and LMU as a hub for knowledge, human potential, and global opportunities rooted in its Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount traditions. See the press kit with images and view the inauguration speech HERE.

At a moment when higher education remains an essential engine for innovation, social mobility, and civic leadership, yet is being reshaped by demographic shifts, technological disruption, and evolving global challenges, Poon championed a theme of "Hope, Made Here." Through his three shared hopes for the future of LMU, he affirmed the university's core responsibility of creating service-minded leaders able to engage a complex world and redefined how universities can serve their communities by converting mission to impact through new partnerships.

"My first hope: to expand access and open doors. We must make an LMU education attainable for every talented student called to our mission. And once they're here, ensure they have every opportunity to thrive," he said.

Nearly 90% of LMU students receive some sort of financial aid, supported by LMU's 338 various scholarships. At the close of the last academic year, LMU awarded over $183.3 million in grants and scholarships to students. Poon's commitments to accessibility echoed recent partnerships with the Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, creating new pathways for local students through guaranteed admissions.

"My second hope is that LMU will build bridges between our campuses and our communities," Poon said, highlighting LMU's positioning in Los Angeles as a hub of connectivity and center of culture, creativity, and ideas.

LMU has three campuses spanning Los Angeles — LMU main campus in Westchester, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and located ten minutes from LAX; LMU Loyola Law School downtown; and LMU Playa Vista Campus, home to graduate programs in the top-ranked LMU School of Film & Television.

LMU generates more than $1.4 billion in economic impact, supporting more than 10,200 jobs across the U.S. Locally, the university has deepened its civic, business, and nonprofit partnerships in the Los Angeles region, including through the L.A. Area Chamber Business and Education Innovation Summit, the Social Impact Filmmaking Lab, LMU Innovation Symposium, and partnership with the L.A. Rams.

Poon announced two new partnerships in his address. The first is with Homeboy Industries, founded by LMU alumnus Reverend Greg Boyle, which has become the model for engagement of at-risk youth and operates the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. The new partnership ties mission to impact, launching a credit-bearing certificate program in business management and social services, creating pathways to higher education for those who have been historically excluded.

The second is with the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, designating LMU as a high-performance center for Team USA and positioning LMU as an important convener with Los Angeles, a frequent host to world-class sporting events.

Poon's third and final hope is the formation of LMU leaders through "Ignatian excellence." Reflecting on the life and conversion of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, Poon intoned, "out of his own conversion came a new way of seeing God in all things, a new way of discerning purpose, and a new way of forming leaders, one that unites intellect with reflection and hope with action."

The inauguration's installation ceremony was the centerpiece of a season of events, welcoming higher education delegates from around the country, and guests including Jesuits West Provincial Sean Carroll, S.J.; former Democratic congressman and disability rights icon Tony Coelho '64; and past LMU presidents David W. Burcham, Timothy Law Snyder, and Robert Lawton, S.J. Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez presided over the morning Missioning Mass.

Poon was unanimously elected as LMU president in April by the Board of Trustees and began his term in June. In his previous role as LMU's executive vice president and provost, he shaped nearly every aspect of academic life, leading efforts to achieve Carnegie R2 status, expand tenure-line faculty diversity, launch new academic programs, and advance major strategic goals. His leadership ushered in the introduction of 21 new academic programs in fields such as business analytics and computer science, alongside a more than 80% increase in support for research and creative endeavors. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from Fairfield University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Poon concluded with a call to collective action: "This next chapter will be written by all of us. Each of you holds the pen. Each of you is part of the story. And together, we will write the next chapter of Loyola Marymount University: one filled with purpose, possibility, and hope, made here."

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SOURCE Loyola Marymount University