LMU Selected as Lead Academic Partner to Jesuit Refugee Service

LMU and JRS will collaborate on leadership training and development for JRS leaders working in complex refugee and displacement contexts

LOS ANGELES, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Loyola Marymount University (LMU) has been selected by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) as Lead Academic Partner to co-create and deliver leadership and management development programming as part of JRS's multi-year initiative to strengthen mission-centered leadership across its global organization.

The partnership brings together mission-aligned organizations in LMU's College of Business Administration (CBA) and Center for Ignatian Spirituality (CIS), with JRS – a global apostolate of the Society of Jesus that accompanies, serves, and advocates for refugees and other forcibly displaced people in 57 countries. As Lead Academic Partner of JRS's Leadership Development Program, LMU will provide faculty, curriculum, and guidance toward the co-design and pedagogical development of courses, blending Ignatian leadership, mission-centered reflection, and the practical management competencies needed by leaders working in complex refugee and displacement contexts.

Rooted in shared Jesuit values of accompaniment, discernment, and service to the common good, the partnership represents a mutual commitment to advancing human dignity – preparing leaders to navigate the complex realities of humanitarian work while accompanying forcibly displaced communities around the world.

LMU's College of Business Administration will contribute expertise in leadership development and organizational management, helping participants strengthen the skills needed to lead effectively in complex and rapidly changing environments. LMU's Center for Ignatian Spirituality will help shape the program's mission-centered approach by integrating practices of reflection, discernment, accompaniment, reconciliation, and community throughout the curriculum.

"CBA's mission aims to create leaders who understand and address global challenges while leading with purpose and discernment,' said Dayle M. Smith, Ph.D., dean of the LMU College of Business Administration. "Our partnership with JRS is directly aligned with that mission, allowing LMU to contribute to the service of vulnerable communities, while forming JRS leaders who unite reflection with action."

"There is something deeply meaningful about two Jesuit institutions coming together in this way," said Dominic Chai, S.J., associate dean for Strategy and Mission at LMU College of Business Administration. "I am grateful for this collaboration and for the opportunity to support JRS leaders in their mission of accompanying forcibly displaced communities around the world."

The JRS Leadership Development Program is a strategic part of JRS's broader Mission and Identity initiative, which focuses on accompaniment, reconciliation, and Ignatian leadership.

"As JRS has grown into a large and complex global apostolate, so too has the challenge of leadership within it," said Brother Michael Schöpf, S.J., JRS international director. "We are grateful to have found a mission-aligned partner in LMU, who brings together Ignatian formation, academic depth, and leadership and management expertise in a way that's practical and applicable for our emerging JRS leaders."

The program's curriculum will include in-person and online components, combining peer learning with academic instruction in humanitarian management and Ignatian leadership. Participants will include regional and deputy regional directors; country and deputy country directors; project directors; heads of global functions; and emerging leaders from across JRS.

The partnership began in June 2026 and extends through December 2028, with the first phase focused on designing a leadership formation experience that equips JRS leaders to respond to the evolving challenges of forced displacement with competence, compassion, and hope. The program's first cohort is tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2027, including an intensive, in-person week in a "frontier location" where JRS is present.

About LMU College of Business Administration (CBA)
For a century, the LMU College of Business Administration has built a national reputation for developing impactful leaders and bold innovators. CBA is known for its top-ranked programs, academic rigor, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to business ethics, sustainability, and social justice. The student experience is invigorated by real-world learning opportunities across Los Angeles and beyond – internships, industry mentors, business case competitions, global conferences, networking events, and more. CBA is powered by its mission to advance knowledge and develop business leaders with moral courage and creative confidence to be a force for good in the global community. Learn more at cba.lmu.edu.

About LMU Center for Ignatian Spirituality (CIS)

The Center for Ignatian Spirituality serves LMU faculty and staff by fostering personal and professional formation in the Jesuit tradition. Rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola — the foundation of Ignatian spirituality and one of the principal sources of the university's Catholic, Jesuit educational mission — the center offers retreats, spiritual direction, the Spiritual Exercises in daily life, and opportunities for reflection, discernment, and communal formation.

Through these programs, the center accompanies individuals, departments, and university leaders in integrating faith, discernment, and a deeper understanding of the human person into their teaching, leadership, scholarship, and service. Since its founding in 1999, the center has sustained the spiritual and formational life of the university by fostering a community of faculty and staff shaped by the Ignatian tradition.

About the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)
The Jesuit Refugee Service seeks to accompany, serve and advocate the cause of refugees and other forcibly displaced people, that they may heal, learn, and determine their own future in community. JRS journeys with refugees throughout their experience of displacement, accompanying them with education, livelihoods, mental health and psychosocial support, reconciliation, and advocacy services. Founded in November 1980, JRS has served millions of refugees and internally displaced people over the years and has a presence in 57 countries worldwide.

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University