The Path Forward

Protecting LMU's Autonomy, Advancing Our Future

After careful reflection and discernment, the Loyola Marymount University Board of Trustees has chosen to invoke the university's constitutionally protected religious exemption from the National Labor Relations Board's jurisdiction. This decision reflects LMU's responsibility to safeguard the university's mission, ensure long-term sustainability, and keep an LMU education attainable for students and families. This step strengthens LMU's ability to engage faculty directly though shared governance, rather than through a third-party intermediary that may not share our values. The definitive decision by LMU's Board of Trustees means that collective bargaining with non-tenure track (NTT) and visiting faculty represented by SEIU Local 721 will cease, and LMU will no longer recognize these unions.

The LMU Board views the religious exemption as a safeguard to be used only when necessary to protect the university's ability to educate and serve students. While we entered into initial union negotiations in good faith, the unrealistic demands from SEIU proved financially unsustainable and would have diverted significant resources away from students and undermined LMU's ability to sustain its mission. This decision is final and applies solely to matters under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act and the National Labor Relations Board; it does not alter LMU's commitments to Titles VI, VII, and IX, civil rights protections, healthcare mandates, or our unwavering policies of non-discrimination.

The Board of Trustees has directed university leadership to chart a clear path forward: protecting LMU's autonomy to carry out its mission, strengthening shared governance and direct partnership with faculty, and addressing the concerns of non-tenure-track and visiting faculty in ways that are meaningful, equitable, and sustainable. By taking these steps, LMU remains faithful to its mission to serve students, while positioning the university to thrive in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.

Values and Commitments

LMU's Catholic mission in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions calls us to steward the university responsibly, to sustain an environment where teaching and learning thrive, and to ensure that an LMU education remains within reach for current and future generations. These commitments guide our path forward and shape the decisions we make to protect the integrity of our mission and the long-term vitality of our community. In doing so, LMU also affirms Catholic social teaching, which recognizes the dignity of work and the rights of workers. We believe the best way to honor those values is through direct engagement with faculty, rather than through a third-party intermediary, like the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees unions like Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Our Commitments to Faculty

Working together with urgency and with student success as our north star, LMU is taking immediate steps to implement changes and improvements that support faculty and strengthen our community. These commitments include:

Improving Compensation

LMU is committed to supporting, retaining, and attracting exceptional talent through compensation that meets or exceeds market benchmarks. Our approach is guided by transparent, market-based metrics and informed by comparisons with peer institutions, ensuring pay that is competitive, equitable, and aligned with LMU's mission and values.

Market benchmarks are based on reputable third-party data and an analysis of 42 private institutions with comparable enrollment size and institution type, most recently reviewed in 2025. As part of the Multi-Year Compensation Initiative launched in 2023, LMU implements its salary ranges at the 75th percentile of the midpoint range of the market, versus the 50th percentile, creating higher pay opportunities across employee groups.

Full-Time, Non-Tenure Track Faculty

LMU is implementing salary and merit increases for full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty in Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts (BCLA), College of Communication and Fine Arts (CFA), and School of Film and Television (SFTV) that had been paused due to collective bargaining. These adjustments, averaging 3.85%, with some individual increases up to 10%, are part of LMU's Multi-Year Compensation Initiative and reflect the university's commitment to equitable, competitive, and market-based pay. When combining market adjustments with merit-based increases and promotions, faculty within the former bargaining units in BCLA, CFA, and SFTV receive an average total increase of 7.8%, effective August 16, 2025. Faculty in CBA, SOE, and SCSE received their merit, promotion, and market adjustments on August 16, 2025. Market-based increases averaged 3.45%, with some individual increases as high as 10%. Merit and promotion increases averaged 4.72%. Combined, the total average increase across this group was 6.28%.

Part-Time Faculty

In Spring 2025, Part-Time Faculty received a 3.5% increase following the state's updated AB736 thresholds. In addition to that increase, the university is implementing a 2% further market-based adjustment for Lecturers and Senior Lecturers, resulting in a 5.5% increase for these faculty roles. Additionally, part-time faculty who received a promotion will receive an additional 10% salary increase.

Visiting Faculty

Returning eligible Visiting Faculty will also be awarded a 3.5% merit increase for the 25-26 AY.

With these new increases, LMU has invested $7.7 million in market adjustments for all faculty and staff over the past two years of the Multi-Year Compensation Initiative - in addition to the average annual 3.5% average merit increases provided during the same period.

Staff at LMU's Westchester and LMU Loyola Law School campuses are in the second year of the Multi-Year Compensation initiative, with implementation set for September 28. LMU Loyola Law School faculty received their merit increases at the start of their July 1st contracts, and the first year of the Multi-Year Compensation Initiative market adjustments will be implemented in the coming weeks.

Expanding Full-Time Opportunities and Contract Stability

Beginning in Academic Year 2026, LMU will launch a three-year plan to expand full-time faculty positions and strengthen contract stability across campus. Key elements include:

Faculty Partnership and Engagement

LMU is committed to building strong partnerships with faculty through shared governance, collaboration, and clear pathways for growth. As we chart our path ahead, we will work more closely with the Faculty Senate and faculty committees to address priorities that enhance teaching, research, and student access.

Strengthening Shared Governance

LMU is committed to deepening collaboration with the Faculty Senate on key priorities that support excellence across the university. Immediate priorities include:

• Academic Freedom: Building on LMU's longstanding commitment to academic freedom by strengthening and clarifying language in the Faculty Handbook.
• Titling: Advancing a titling initiative that adds promotion levels for Teaching Professors and Lecturers.
• Promotions: Establishing clearer promotion pathways and Periodic Reviews and developing consistent standards and timelines for part-time faculty reviews.
• Clarifying Shared Expectations: Work with faculty to create a clear workload model and shared expectations of faculty duties.
• Leadership Collaboration: Establishing greater collaboration between faculty and university leadership.

Building Community

To foster stronger connections, we will explore scheduling and programmatic approaches that create space for faculty to engage across disciplines, collaborate more intentionally, and strengthen our academic community.

Supporting Professional Growth

LMU is enhancing professional development resources and processes to enhance the ways we recruit, welcome, and support faculty. Initial changes include:

• Strengthening communications about faculty job openings to ensure our community is fully aware of opportunities and taking a more proactive approach to internal outreach before searches are shared more broadly.
• New onboarding material will provide clarity on review and promotion pathways.
• Full-time term faculty will receive annual professional development funds.
• Funds will be added to the existing Delphi Award, which is managed by the Center for Faculty Development and awarded by the Committee on Excellence in Teaching.
• New faculty orientations will be provided each semester, along with ongoing workshops through the Center for Faculty Development open to all faculty, to foster continuous learning and innovation in teaching and scholarship.