About
The Center for Mission and Identity
A unit of Mission and Ministry, the Center for Mission and Identity coordinates and collaborates with the many activities of the LMU community that engage our mission and identity, with particular emphasis on mission formation and mission engagement for faculty and staff members. These activities involve partners from across the university, the greater Los Angeles community, and the broader AJCU network.
For specific questions, please contact Kat Brown, Director of Mission and Identity Programs, at Katherine.Brown@lmu.edu.
New employee formation
The Center for Mission and Identity presents at New Faculty Orientation each year, and sponsors a semester-long mentoring program pairing first-year faculty with seasoned colleagues to reflect on their vocations as teacher-scholars for mission. The Center also offers several rotating workshops per year specifically for first-year staff members, on topics including Ignatian vocabulary, faith and justice, care of the whole person, and more. These programs introduce new faculty and staff members to the mission, identity, and values of the university; connect them with resources and individuals to assist them in forming relationships and gaining knowledge; and build community belonging and an inclusive climate.
Spirituality, pedagogy, and service
-1-2880x3402.jpg)
The Center facilitates multiple annual programs that engage faculty and staff in various aspects of the rich and varied Ignatian and Marymount traditions, from Ignatian discernment to service of the marginalized to fostering global citizenship. For example, the annual year-long Companions in Mission program accompanies cohort members in learning about the history of LMU and Jesuit education, hearing from colleagues about intersections of mission with their specific roles, and engaging in Ignatian reflection and service learning in the LA region. The annual international immersion honors the memory of the Salvadoran martyrs and responds to the Society of Jesus' call to build well-educated solidarity by bringing faculty and staff to encounter issues of faith and justice in diverse contexts outside the United States. The Center also collaborates with partners such as the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to offer programs that integrate mission values and Ignatian frameworks with restorative practices, inclusive pedagogies, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and more.
Faculty development
.jpg)
The CMI sponsors and facilitates an annual Faculty Writing Retreat over spring break, offering space for faculty members from across the university to work on a research or creative project in a peaceful setting, as well as to discuss intersections of their work and the mission with their colleagues. The Center also partners with CTE Faculty Fellows and Cabinet Associate participants on their projects related to integration of mission and identity in their respective roles and areas.
Leadership for mission
Each year, the CMI facilitates and sponsors faculty, staff, and administrator participation in multiple national programs offering formation in the Catholic intellectual tradition, Jesuit education, and Ignatian spirituality and leadership. These include the Colloquy on Faith and Intellectual Life hosted by the ACCU's Collegium and the AJCU's Ignatian Colleagues Program and AJCU Leadership Institute. These programs offer LMU community members the opportunity to grow as leaders and animators of the university's mission, as well as to form relationships with colleagues at peer institutions throughout the United States. The Center also coordinates with the Trustee Committee on Catholic Mission and Identity to engage members of the Boards of Trustees and Regents in understanding and living out LMU's unique mission and educational calling.
-2637x3291.jpg)