Chancellor Announcement
October 6, 2020
Dear LMU Community,
With enthusiasm, I announce the appointment of Rev. Michael Engh, S.J., as chancellor of Loyola Marymount University, effective Oct. 1, 2020.
Chancellor Engh will serve our LMU community as an advocate for Catholic higher education. He will continue to build upon the foundational work of the late Robert Walsh, S.J., former Chancellor; the late Patrick Cahalan, S.J., chancellor emeritus; and the late Al Koppes, O.Carm., former associate chancellor, in promoting our distinctive mission as a Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount university.
Much of what LMU is today results from the many contributions Father Engh made during his 20 years on the Bluff from 1988-2008. As dean of LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, he promoted an ambitious initiative in inter-religious dialogue by establishing the Huffington Ecumenical Institute, the Doshi Professorship in Indic Religions, and the Jewish Studies Program. He also raised $15 million for endowed professorships and student scholarships.
During his visionary tenure as the 28th president of Santa Clara University from January 2009 until June 2019, Chancellor Engh advanced the university’s mission and reputation. Among his achievements, he expanded academic offerings; transformed the size, diversity and caliber of the student body by growing the number of applicants by 60 percent; and he improved the graduation rate by some 10 percent. Under his bold leadership, SCU’s endowment nearly doubled from $515 million in 2009 to $926 million in 2018.
Chancellor Engh has served on several boards and continues on the board of trustees of Boston College and on the board of directors of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, housed at USC. Previously, he served on the board of directors of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group; the board of directors of the Bay Area Council; the board of directors of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities; the board of trustees of the Graduate Theological Union; and the board of trustees of Bellarmine College Preparatory. He chaired the President’s Council of the West Coast Conference and held an appointment on the executive board of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. Chancellor Engh was also a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges and the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference Working Group on Catholic Higher Education.
He earned a B.A. from Loyola University of Los Angeles, now LMU, an M.A. from Gonzaga, a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and a doctorate in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A generous teacher and astute historian, Chancellor Engh’s commitment to the intellectual rigor of Jesuit education, coupled with his ministerial service, will help us fortify our reputation as a leader in Catholic higher education.
Please join me in welcoming Chancellor Engh back to LMU.
With appreciation and thanks,
Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D.
President