New President Installed at Loyola Marymount
The Rev. Robert B. Lawton on Tuesday became the 14th president of Loyola Marymount University, the largest Roman Catholic university in Southern California.
Lawton, a Jesuit priest as were all his predecessors, took the reins of the 5,000-student university during an inauguration ceremony that included videotaped greetings from Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and several celebrities, among them “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno. Representatives of more than 100 colleges and universities joined students, alumni and civic leaders at the ceremony.
In his inaugural remarks, the new president promised to enhance the university’s film school, which he said will emphasize the “ethical responsibilities” of students joining the entertainment industry. He said the university’s law school, located in downtown Los Angeles, also will focus on ethics issues.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fordham University, Lawton, 52, previously served as dean of Georgetown University’s Georgetown College. He earned a doctorate in Near Eastern languages from Harvard University in 1977 and was ordained at Georgetown University in 1981.
Before accepting the presidency of Loyola Marymount in May, Lawton was a trustee of the University of Scranton and of Fairfield University.
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