In a ceremony before an estimated crowd of 2,000 at Gersten Pavilion on Tuesday, David W. Burcham was officially installed as the 15th president of Loyola Marymount University.
Burcham was elected unanimously by the LMU Board of Trustees as president last October, after a nationwide search to replace President Robert B. Lawton, S.J., who retired last Spring.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke at the event, which was attended by delegates from colleges and universities from around the nation and the world. Before the inauguration, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez celebrated a Mass at Sacred Heart Chapel.
In his inaugural speech, Burcham described a bright future for LMU. “Extraordinary opportunities lie ahead,” he said. “Our time – LMU’s time – has arrived. Our region, and the world beyond, desperately need supremely well-educated, ethical leaders with deep moral convictions rooted in faith. And in partnership with each of you, that is exactly what we will continue to provide.”
Burcham is a 1984 graduate of Loyola Law School. He has been a professor, dean, and administrator at the law school and LMU, and is the first lay president in LMU’s 100-year history.
“Dave Burcham is the best person to lead LMU,” said R. Chad Dreier, chair of the Board of Trustees. “He has a long and distinguished career at the university, both as an educator and as leader, with a passion for our mission manifested in the tradition of our Jesuit and Marymount education. His record of accomplishments speaks directly to LMU’s commitment to academic excellence.”
After graduating first in his class from Loyola Law School, Burcham clerked for Chief Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert of the U.S. Court of Appeals, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White. He was in private practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, one of the nation’s top law firms, from 1987-1991.
Burcham returned to teaching at Loyola Law School, and was appointed senior vice president and dean in 2000. In 2008, he was named LMU’s executive vice president and provost, and took over leadership of the university when President Robert B. Lawton, S.J., resigned for health reasons in 2010.
“We set a very high bar for what we wanted and expected in our next president, including academic excellence, executive leadership, fundraising experience and furtherance of our Jesuit, Marymount and Catholic traditions,” said Kathleen Aikenhead, vice chair of the LMU Board of Trustees and chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “Dave Burcham already has proved himself.”
A native of Los Angeles, Burcham earned a B.A. in political science from Occidental College in 1973, an M.A. in education administration from Cal State Long Beach in 1978 and a J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1984. Prior to attending law school, he was a teacher and school administrator from 1973 to 1981. Burcham and Chris, his wife, have been married for 37 years. They have two children.
