LMU Receives $5 Million from W.M. Keck Foundation to Support New Engineering Innovation Complex
Loyola Marymount University has received a $5-million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation in support of the new Engineering Innovation Complex (EIC), a planned capital expansion for LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering.
The Keck Foundation has supported the university for more than four decades with grants now totaling $9 million. Their latest gift is the first in the match of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation’s $25-million lead gift to the EIC, offering a vote of confidence to inspire other potential donors with the importance of this project.
“The Leavey Foundation issued a galvanizing challenge, and I am heartened that the Keck Foundation responded so generously in an affirmation of their commitment to STEM education in Southern California,” said Peter Wilch, senior vice president for University Advancement. “The EIC will be among the most impactful capital projects for Seaver College in a generation and significantly improves both the teaching and learning experience. I am deeply grateful to the Keck Foundation for its pacesetting contribution.”
Added Stephen M. Keck, co-chair and co-chief executive officer of the Keck Foundation, “We are pleased to continue the foundation’s support for Seaver College, especially because the EIC will give generations of LMU students opportunities for learning, discovery and creativity.”
With best-in-class facilities for research, learning and discovery, the EIC will expand the university’s leadership in STEM education, helping to accelerate new technologies and scientific advances. In addition to housing classes in engineering, computer science, physics and healthcare systems engineering, the facility will support interdisciplinary research programs that are a hallmark of integrative scholarship. Collaborative spaces for learning and research, advanced maker spaces, teaching laboratories and community spaces will enable Seaver College students and faculty to work with industry partners dedicated to innovation in STEM both within and beyond the university, particularly among LMU’s neighbor institutions along Southern California’s technology corridor.
“The W.M. Keck Foundation recognizes the value and impact of interdisciplinary work,” noted Joseph Day, co-chair and co-chief executive officer. “We are excited for the EIC’s flexible labs and community spaces to foster scientific collaboration and advance undergraduate STEM education at LMU.”
Seaver College dean Tina Choe expressed gratitude for the Keck Foundation’s many years of support for the college, particularly grants that have funded labs for computer science and biology. “The imprimatur of the Keck Foundation will inspire confidence in prospective funders to the EIC,” Choe said.
The EIC will use modern architectural touchstones that are built for the future with a focus on flexibility and sustainability. A module-based layout will provide the ability to reconfigure teaching and research spaces to respond to changing needs and opportunities for specialized hubs that address key areas for investigation. The Leavey Foundation’s lead gift matches new commitments to the EIC from donors on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $25 million through Dec. 31, 2026.
