Earlier this week it was announced that after almost 23 years of full-time service in the LMU School of Education, I will be leaving in June 2018 to become Provost at Seattle University. I have loved my time at LMU, an institution that has been so influential throughout my personal and professional life, and it has been my great honor and privilege to serve as dean these past 13 years. Through collaboration and partnerships, we have built a nationally recognized school of education that makes a difference in the lives of those we serve and impact on a daily basis. My leaving in June is bittersweet as these have been wonderful years at LMU, and I deeply cherish the relationships and sense of community I share with you.
I leave to engage in an important and compelling leadership opportunity in one of our Jesuit institutions of higher education in the newly formed Jesuits West Province. I do not leave simply to pursue a higher level of administrative leadership—the shared Jesuit educational mission of Loyola Marymount University and Seattle University continues to be the compelling force that animates my life and my decision to accept this new role.
The LMU SOE, a professional learning community that is committed to continuous improvement, is a solid organization with a strong sense of community, committed faculty and staff, and a curriculum and set of values and practices that serve our students and communities well. We all have much to be proud of as the SOE celebrates 25 years as a school of education and looks forward to the future.
I will have more than six months at LMU before I transition to Seattle University, and I will continue to be fully engaged during that time. Thank you for your dedication, support and partnership over these past years, and I look forward to what we will do together in the next six months and what you will do going forward.
Best,
Shane P. Martin, Ph.D.
