
Jennifer Shimako Abe, Ph.D., joined LMU in August 1994 and in the ensuing 30 years has built a remarkable legacy as a professor, researcher, mentor, and administrator. Her research addresses topics related to mental health service delivery for ethnically diverse populations, including help-seeking, disparities, spirituality, cultural humility, and community-defined evidence practices, topics that are reflected in her teaching, such as her course “Liberation Psychologies.” As an administrator, the list of her responsibilities is equally impressive: BCLA associate dean (2005-09); co-director of the Casa de la Mateada Program in Argentina (2013–19); special assistant to the president for intercultural affairs (2018-19); vice president for Intercultural Affairs (2020-21); and interim director of the Marymount Institute (2024-25). In addition to all she’s done for LMU, Abe also served as co-chair of the AJCU Commission on Student Spiritual Growth and Mental Health, helping provide resources for Jesuit institutions of higher education to address community concerns, especially post-pandemic. LMU This Week took the occasion of Abe’s retirement in May 2025 to talk with her about her LMU career.
LMU This Week: You have said that the social and political climate in Los Angeles when you finished your Ph.D. at UCLA in 1992 – after the Rodney King-related uprising – had you questioning an academic career, but that LMU reinvigorated you. What did you mean by that? What did you experience that made LMU convincing?
Jennifer Abe: I wanted to be at a place that allowed me to work with students in a holistic manner and that allowed me to grow as a whole person, as well, not just as a researcher or teacher. I sought a place that valued making connections between individual well-being and social justice, so LMU’s mission really spoke to me, especially after the 1992 L.A. uprising.
LMUTW: What have been the most impressive changes you’ve seen in your 30 years at LMU?
JA: Notwithstanding the present historical moment, I’ve seen LMU grow deeper into its mission, especially in relation to issues of belonging, inclusion, and justice. Tina Choe and I were among the earliest Asian American women faculty to be hired at LMU on the tenure-track (and the first to stay). LMU has come a long way since then (even as we have yet far to go). The growth in the diversity of the campus community and the fact that LMU is now an HSI and AANAPISI institution is tremendously encouraging. We may be facing incredibly challenging times, but our mission and identity as a Catholic institution give us a tremendous resource for being clear about our values and commitments.
Equally meaningful to me is what has continued over time — I cherish our sense of community, our devotion and delight in our students, and the fact that the university mission still animates much of what we do.
LMUTW: Much of your work has involved the confluence of culture, spirituality, and justice; what was the impact of the 2003 Bellarmine Forum, “The Color of God: Culture, Spirituality, and Justice” on your thinking and practice?
JA: Yes, that confluence is where I’ve done my most important work, and the 2003 Forum is where my awareness of that confluence became more explicit. Before then, I had tended to compartmentalize my sense of spirituality from my research and teaching commitments. My research focused on cultural competence and mental health service delivery to ethnically diverse populations, so issues of culture and justice were always part of my work, but my experience of spirituality had always been a more private, individual experience. The 2003 forum, with its rich array of speakers, theatre performances, poetry, and music, pretty much blew my mind and shifted my sense of borders (between what is considered sacred or not) and boundaries (between personal/communal realities). I became much more interdisciplinary in my thinking and teaching after that experience.
LMUTW: Do you have a favorite LMU mission story?
JA: Not so much a story, but I am currently enjoying being part of a conversation between a small group of members of the three sponsoring religious communities at LMU — R.S.H.M., C.S.J., and S.J. They represent such depth of institutional memory and spirit, able to recount both stories of the merger between Loyola University and Marymount College, as well as rich stories from their traditions. Together, they are creating a shared narrative of LMU’s distinctive, multi-stranded identity as a Catholic institution which will help our community articulate and appreciate our institutional identity with greater awareness.
LMUTW: What advice would you relay to faculty members?
JA: The time goes by quickly and while there are many pressures to produce, there are also opportunities to explore and expand our sense of vocation as faculty members. So, I would say, don’t forget to inhabit your faculty role in the way that you want, that you intend, as a way to keep loving the gift of your life and role, in community and communion with others.
LMUTW: What advice would you relay to students?
JA: Be kind to yourself, give yourself space and grace to learn to live, which means tolerating uncertainty, making mistakes, and learning from your failures, in whatever form they appear. It grieves me to see students judge themselves so harshly, when it is part of being, and becoming, more fully human. For me, an education is not just about preparing for a career, but about learning how to live. Father Lawton, one of our former presidents used to quote St. Irenaeus, reminding us that “the glory of God is a [human] fully alive.” That’s why our education never ends.
LMUTW: Do you have any plans for retirement?
JA: Yes, lots of plans as well as a desire for a more spacious way of living. Doug and I will be camphosts at the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park in June. This area is called the “Lost Coast” because of its remoteness; it encompasses a spectacular combination of majestic redwoods, dramatic cliffs, endless ocean, and black sand beaches. It is a beloved place for us, because it is also located near the Redwoods Monastery, with a community of sisters who are also dear to us. Closer to home, I will be continuing my work with the Psychology Applied Research Center (PARC) and finishing up my spiritual direction program with the CSJ Center in Orange. I look forward to keeping in touch with my colleagues and friends of all generations at LMU (that is, including students and alums), which I hope will translate into a lot of upcoming coffee dates!