LOS ANGELES — Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration – celebrating 100 years of impact, innovation, and engagement – marked its milestone anniversary with a series of events in New York.
The experience connecting LMU students, academic leaders, alumni, and industry partners during “Wall Street Week” was a defining moment of the CBA Centennial, part of a full year of celebrations honoring the college’s legacy while launching its next chapter.
The trip coincided with a New York Career Trek, an experiential program organized by LMU CBA in partnership with LMU Career and Professional Development (CPD) that connects students with well-positioned and successful alumni eager to share their insights and work experiences. CPD helps students identify their values, interests, and skills, explore a wide range of careers, and leverage their education to reach their full potential. The visit included stops at J.P. Morgan, Paramount, Bloomberg, NBC, Mizuho, Rudin, and Charlesbank, wrapping up with a curated experience at the New York Stock Exchange.
“There’s something about New York City that sharpens the senses. The pace. The ambition. The unmistakable belief that big dreams can become a reality,” said LMU CBA Dean Dayle Smith, Ph.D. “The city reminds us of something essential: the future doesn’t wait. And that is why we invited our students to join ‘Wall Street Week’ – to explore careers, purpose, and possibility.”
LMU President Thomas Poon, Ph.D., said the experience exemplifies LMU CBA’s commitment to developing globally minded leaders through direct industry access.
“Spending time with our students in New York during Career Trek was a powerful reminder of what makes an LMU education distinctive,” said Poon. “As Lions met with alumni and employers across the city, they experienced firsthand how preparation, mentorship, and community open doors. In this centennial year of LMU’s College of Business Administration, it was especially meaningful to see our students stepping confidently into the global marketplace, ready to lead and innovate with purpose.”
LMU CBA, consistently ranked among the nation’s top business schools, traces its roots to Loyola University in downtown Los Angeles, where 13 students gathered in 1926 to take the school’s first courses in economics and accounting.
Those modest classes laid the foundation for what is now LMU’s largest college and among its fastest growing; since Smith became dean in 2018, enrollment has increased from 1,500 to 2,500+ students, and the faculty has welcomed 42 new members. The graduate portfolio expanded from three to eight programs, including new master’s degrees in business analytics, entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation, management, taxation, and entertainment leadership – as well as CBA’s first doctoral program, the Doctor of Business Administration.
Its model of education is inclusive, grounded in justice, and forward-thinking, with each student enrolling in a required foundational course called “Business for Good.”
For Smith, the college’s anniversary invites reflection on the past 100 years and is also a declaration of momentum. She has announced four priorities for shaping the college’s future: expanding experiential learning and high-impact practices so students graduate with interdisciplinary intelligence, innovative thinking, and technological fluency; emphasizing “business for good” through ethics, sustainability, and mission integration; connecting theory to practice through applied projects, industry engagement, and global perspectives; and deepening the school’s ties to the business community.
“Our mission is to develop leaders with moral courage and creative confidence – leaders prepared to be a force for good wherever their careers take them,” Smith said.
CBA at 100 kicked off in January with a special event at SoFi Stadium that brought together LMU leaders with industry partner Office Beacon. The college also hosted a pre-screening of the Bridgerton Season 4 premiere, followed by a Q&A with alumnus Chris DiIorio, co-president and chief marketing officer of Shondaland; and presented a fireside chat with Dean Smith, alumna Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation, and Julie Uhrman, president and co-founder of Angel City Football Club.
In July, LMU CBA will present “The World Comes to L.A.,” a series of three events bringing together educators, business and government leaders, diplomatic corps members, and changemakers to discuss the future of business and leadership. Learn more about CBA at 100 and view the full calendar of events at https://cba.lmu.edu/100/.
