Michael P. Rudinica ’75, M.S.C.E. ’79 Awards Honor Faculty Work

When Michael P. Rudinica ’75, M.S.C.E. ’79 was a senior in high school, he took an aptitude test to gain some insight into his interests and talents. The result suggested his future might be in science or engineering. He applied to Cal State Long Beach and USC, because those schools had the biggest programs at the time. After a friend of his father, suggested then-Loyola University, Rudinica applied there, too. One visit to the Westchester campus sold him on Loyola, which was in the midst of its merger with Marymount College. “There was a warm, welcoming feeling about the campus and the people,” Rudinica said. After earning his bachelor’s degree in engineering from LMU, he continued on to a master’s degree. Rudinica’s ties to the university have become stronger with time: his sister, Janne, graduated in 1977; his brother, Vincent, graduated in 1978; his wife, Elizabeth, whom he met after college, is a 1979 graduate of the College of Fine Arts; his oldest son graduated in 2008; and his youngest is a freshman. Rudinica has built a successful engineering career. He is executive vice president for RBF Consulting, based in Irvine, Calif., which provides engineering, planning and construction management services for public and private projects. Rudinica has worked on international developments, including resorts in Mexico that required complete infrastructure design and construction. The company also has been involved in numerous landmark Orange County projects, including Disneyland, Linda Isle, South Coast Plaza, Newport Shores and Fashion Island. He is also an officer in the RBF Consulting Foundation, which supports the arts, education and medical research. Ask Rudinica about the most significant element of his LMU education and he’s likely to say mentoring. During his freshman year, Rudinica was on academic probation, but the encouragement and help of faculty helped him turn things around. “The professors in science and engineering made those extra efforts, took some extra time to help me get back on track,” Rudinica said. It also helped that Dean James E. Foxworthy lived near Rudinica’s parents’ house in San Pedro and was available to coach him. In 2008, Rudinica and his wife established two prizes to honor the work of Seaver College faculty members. One Rudinica Prize recognizes and supports faculty who mentor through teaching and advising; the other recognizes faculty for their interaction with students through research opportunities. “The whole education at Loyola Marymount helped me learn how to balance things in life,” Rudinica said.