The Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination was founded in April 2014 under the direction of the president of Loyola Marymount University, David W. Burcham, and an interdisciplinary committee of faculty. The creation of ACTI actualized Theme 5, Objective 1 of the Strategic Plan to develop a plan for a center that will explore the rich Catholic intellectual tradition in ways that engage and benefit the entire University, the greater Los Angeles area, and beyond.
Mission
The Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination at Loyola Marymount University is a community of scholars who work in dialogue with the Catholic intellectual tradition(s) through developing, critically examining, communicating, or otherwise engaging the rich resources of Catholic thought and imagination, especially as it is informed by Jesuit and Ignatian vision. The Academy serves as a hub for scholarship, interdisciplinary research, innovative pedagogy, and creative outreach across LMU’s campus in the southwest United States and beyond. Therefore, ACTI’s mission directly supports the two most central functions of a Catholic university: (1) the education of students, and (2) the production and dissemination of knowledge by faculty.
Advisory Board
Dr. Stephanie August
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering
Fr. Allan Deck, S.J.
Distinguished Scholar in Pastoral Theology and Latino Studies,
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Larry Kalbers
Chair, Department of Accounting & R. Chad Dreier Chair in Accounting Ethics,
College of Business Administration
Dr. Joseph LaBrie
Professor of Psychology,
Director of Heads UP Alcohol Prevention & Intervention Lab,
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Steven Mailloux
President's Professor of Rhetoric,
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Elizabeth Murray
Professor of Philosophy,
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Kirstin Noreen
Professor of Art History,
College of Communication and Fine Arts
Dr. Eric Strauss
President's Professor of Biology,
Executive Director, LMU Center for Urban Resilience (CURes),
Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering
Dr. Tracy Tiemeier
Associate Professor and Undergraduate Director of Theological Studies,
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Kennedy Wheatley
Assistant Professor of Film and Television,
School of Film and Television