LMU Pres. to Step Down at End of School Year

Loyola Marymount University President David W. Burcham has announced that he will step down at the end of the current school year. A search committee headed by David Zuercher, a 1968 graduate of LMU and member of the Board of Trustees, is expected to find Burcham’s replacement by May 2015.

Burcham became the university’s 15th president in October 2010, after serving as provost, executive vice president, dean of Loyola Law School and a professor of constitutional law. He will have spent 24 years at the university when he leaves office on May 31, 2015.

During his tenure as president of LMU, Burcham oversaw the completion of the $400 million “Right Place. Right Time. The Campaign for LMU” fundraising campaign. He also oversaw the launch of a $100 million Scholarship Initiative. Under Burcham’s leadership, the university kept tuition increases below nationwide averages while also setting records for the number of student applications.

Burcham graduated first in his class from Loyola Law School in 1984. He was a clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Byron White (1986-87) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the third Circuit for Chief Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert (1984-86). He worked in private law practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher from 1987 to 1991.

A native of Southern California, Burcham earned a B.A. in political science from Occidental College in 1973 and a M.A. in education administration from Cal. State, Long Beach in 1978. He also served as a teacher and administrator in the Long Beach Unified School District.

regions: Los Angeles

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