E. OM . H ICE UR YO R VO S. W U YO R NE U YO
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w w w. l a l o y o l a n . c o m
Est. 1921
N IO
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Los Angeles LOYOLAN
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2015 8,
Staff writer Eddie Estrada gives tips on how to woo your boo before summer.
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V o LU M E
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This week’s food page highlights the Loyolan staff’s favorite places to eat in L.A.
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WHO IS TIMOTHY LAW
SNYDER? Caroline Burt | Loyolan
University introduces its 16th president Snyder’s experience and leadership style will aid him and LMU as he plans to tackle ambitious goals in his presidency.
Will the return of a Catholic to LMU’s top position steer the University in a different direction?
Ali Swenson
Michael Busse
Editor in Chief
Executive Editor
@aliswenson
@mrbusse
“When you graduate and somebody asks where you went to school and you say LMU, I want them to say one word: wow.” These were Dr. Timothy Law Snyder’s words during his first interview with the Loyolan, on the afternoon of Friday, March 27. Earlier that day, it was announced that Snyder would succeed President David W. Burcham to become LMU’s 16th president, effective June 1, 2015. In a special, off-schedule meeting held Friday, the Board of Trustees deliberated and selected Snyder, according to Kathleen Aikenhead, chair of the board. Snyder is an ambitious leader, judging from the bold visions he has articulated for his time at LMU. With goals to share LMU’s successes “more broadly and more deeply,” to further globalize LMU and to foster creativity and the arts on campus, his dreams for LMU are not small. They are challenging and far-reaching. But in conversation with Snyder, it becomes clear that his academic background and his professional experience substantiate his ability to make these visions a reality. What’s more, his demonstrated knack for setting lofty goals and actually achieving them testifies to his qualification for the position. For example, as an undergraduate at the University of Toledo, Snyder realized he could have two different degrees if he enrolled in nine courses in his final quarter instead of the typical four or five. He took on the challenge, graduating with both a B.S. in mathematics and a B.A. in psychology. That quarter, Snyder got all A’s. Beyond his undergraduate career, Snyder’s academic
Less than two years after the New York Times reported a “battle for the university’s soul” underway at LMU, the University has appointed its first lay Catholic president in Dr. Timothy Law Snyder. The debate over covering faculty members’ elective abortion under LMU’s healthcare coverage – the subject of the New York Times article – has been the centerpiece in a variety of controversies surrounding the school’s religious identity during the five-year tenure of current president David W. Burcham. Burcham is notably the first non-Catholic president of the University, which has been led by Jesuit priests since its founding. Does the return of a Catholic to LMU’s helm mean a new direction for the school? The Decision Although the University’s official announcement did not state that Snyder is Catholic – that was later reported by the Los Angeles Times – it made clear that his selection is in part intended to bolster LMU’s role as a participant in and promoter of the Church. Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Aikenhead, in her announcement to the LMU community, emphasized that Snyder had the full support of local Catholic leaders. Father Michael Weiler, leader of California’s Jesuits, and Sister Joan Treacy, leader of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary for Western America, were specifically named. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who oversees the largest Roman Catholic Archdiocese in the country, lent his voice to the message as well. Snyder has worked at three Jesuit universities and is
See President | Page 2
via Dean of Students Office
See Catholic Identity | Page 2