Robert B. Lawton (born May 3, 1947)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

and the 14th

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Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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. He also holds tenured professorships in both the Classics and Archaeology Department and the Theological Studies Department of LMU. A

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

graduate of

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

(

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

) with a major in

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

in 1971, he went on to earn his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1977, where he was a Danforth and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on June 13, 1981. Lawton taught

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and

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at the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. His ...

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from 1982 to 1984. He also served as the

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of Georgetown College, the liberal arts and sciences college of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Loyola Marymount University

Lawton became the 14th President of Loyola Marymount University in 1999, succeeding Thomas P. O'Malley, S.J. New buildings and facilities were added to Loyola Marymount's campus during Lawton's eleven-year presidency, including University Hall and the William H. Hannon Library. Lawton also oversaw the drafting of Loyola Marymount's 20 year "Master Plan." On March 1, 2010, Father Lawton announced his retirement from the presidency of Loyola Marymount University, effective at the conclusion of the

academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...

in May 2010. He also announced an immediate medical leave from the university. Lawton cited two main reasons for his decision to retire as head of the university. In an email to LMU faculty, students and staff, he noted that a long recovery from back surgery in 2009 had "affected my ability, because of my schedule, to do the physical activity and exercise advised and, more importantly, to do my job to the fullest." He also cited the so-called "rule of ten" as a second factor in his decision to retire saying, "Ten years in these kinds of jobs is usually enough and after that both the institution and the person benefit from change. At least that is true of me." Lawton said that he had originally hoped to remain president of Loyola Marymount until the school's centennial celebration concluded in May 2012, but health problems, including his back surgery had become an obstacle to administration. He will take an immediate

sabbatical A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...

following his retirement to concentrate of his health. The chairman of the Loyola Marymount

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

, R. Chad Dreier, announced that Executive Vice President and Provost

David W. Burcham David W. Burcham (born 1951) is an American academic and lawyer. He was the 15th president of Loyola Marymount University, serving from October 4, 2010 to May 31, 2015. He is a 1984 graduate of Loyola Law School, and was both the first lay presi ...

, the former dean of LMU's

Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Academics Degrees offered include the Juris Doctor (JD); Master of Science in Legal ...

, was appointed the university's acting president while Father Lawton was on medical leave and would become interim president when Father Lawton's retirement took effect on May 31, 2010. On October 4, 2010, The Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University unanimously elected Burcham as the 15th President of

References

External links

Biography
at Loyola Marymount University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawton, Robert B. 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits Presidents of Loyola Marymount University 1947 births Living people Fordham University alumni Georgetown University faculty Deans and Prefects of Studies of the Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences Harvard University alumni Academic staff of the Pontifical Biblical Institute Religious leaders from Cumberland, Maryland

Loyola Marymount University

See also

References

External links