David W. Burcham

David W. Burcham
15th President of Loyola Marymount University
Term	October 4, 2010 – present
Predecessor	Robert B. Lawton, S.J.
Interim President of Loyola Marymount University
Term	May 31, 2010 – October 4, 2010
Predecessor	Robert B. Lawton, S.J.
Born	1951 California, United States
Alma mater	Occidental College Cal State Long Beach Loyola Law School
Residence	Los Angeles
Religion	Christian
Website	[1]

David W. Burcham (born 1951) became the 15th and current President of Loyola Marymount University on October 4, 2010. Burcham is a recognized authority on constitutional law who previously served as the university’s interim president. He is a 1984 graduate of Loyola Law School, and is the first lay president in the university’s history.

Academic, professional, and personal

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 graduated first in his class from Loyola Law School, and clerked 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 was later in private practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (1987–91).^[1]

After seven years in public and private practice, he returned to Loyola Law School to teach. He was appointed senior vice president of LMU and dean of the law school in 2000. During his tenure as dean of Loyola Law School, Burcham forged strategic improvements in the curriculum. He oversaw a host of innovative programs, including the Business Law Practicum, the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, the Legal Masters Program (LLM) in International Legal Practice, the London IP Institute, and the Tax LLM program. Practical training programs became a hallmark of the curriculum under Burcham’s stewardship. The Byrne Trial Advocacy Team won five national championships during his deanship and he oversaw the creation of the National Civil Trial Competition, one of the country’s preeminent mock trial events.^[2]

Burcham enhanced the size and prestige of the faculty, increasing the number of full-time law professors by almost 15 percent. He also worked with faculty to establish programs in their core areas of expertise, including the Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, the Civil Justice Program, the Distinguished William J. Landers Lecture on Prosecutorial Ethics, the Fidler Institute on Criminal Justice, the Intellectual Property Special Focus Series, the Journalist Law School and the Sports Law Institute. Burcham also strengthened the law school’s financial foundation. He raised money to establish seven new faculty chairs, as well as paying for and completing the Girardi Advocacy Center and its flagship classroom, the Robinson Courtroom. With that accomplished, he instituted a building moratorium to focus on the school’s endowment, which more than doubled under his watch.^[3]

He served as the law school dean until he was named LMU’s executive vice president and provost in 2008. As LMU’s chief operating officer, Burcham strengthened the university for the long term by overseeing the current $380 million capital fund drive and the city approval process of the university's 20-year Master Plan for future growth. To that end, he reconfigured the university budget during the recent economic downturn, transferring funds from various support functions to ensure that academics remained fully funded. He also charged the chief academic officer with modernizing the core curriculum and academic requirements. In 2009-2010, LMU was named a "top producer" of Fulbright awards among institutions with master's degree programs by The Chronicle of Higher Education.^[2]

Burcham and Chris, his wife, have been married for 36 years. They have two children.

See also

• Presidents of Loyola Marymount University

References

1. ^ "Local Beat: LMU Names First Lay President in University's 99-Year History," KNBC (nbclosangeles.com), Oct. 4, 2010, accessed Dec. 20, 2010.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Loyola Marymount University Selects David W. Burcham as President" (press release), PR Newswire, Oct. 4, 2010, accessed Dec. 20, 2010.
3. ^ official biography, Loyola Marymount website

[2]

External links

• Official website
• [3]

Academic offices
Preceded by Robert B. Lawton, S.J. #14	Presidents of Loyola Marymount University 2010- #15	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Burcham, David W.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1951
Place of birth	California, United States
Date of death
Place of death