Igniting Partnerships

by Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D.

As a convener of thought leaders in the Los Angeles community, we are pleased to welcome Timothy Law Snyder, Ph.D., President of Loyola Marymount University, as the guest author of this week’s Business Perspective.

Last month, Loyola Marymount University partnered with the L.A. Area Chamber to co-host the inaugural Education Summit. This event, a convergence of higher education and business visionaries, reflected on our collective commitment to addressing educational challenges, and, as we say at LMU, to ignite a brighter world.

We are fortunate to be in L.A., a region synonymous with creativity and imagination. Here, disruption spurs innovation, and transformation emerges from creative collaborations.

At LMU, we recognize that while the future of technology, education and work remains unpredictable, our responsibility to nurture nimble beings who are prepared for anything is a mainstay. The act of evolving aligns with LMU’s core values and is essential in preparing our students for the world they will inherit.

Education that goes beyond the classroom, forming individuals equipped to lead and serve in a rapidly changing world, is ripe for this generation of students. The “Solidarity Generation,” as I call it, is driven by values and a passion for justice. Our students and recent graduates are poised to be the ultimate disrupters, reshaping the future work landscape, as they have already reshaped the classroom and other environments.

Now, we need to share our lessons with businesses and continue to meaningfully collaborate with our students before they graduate so their future workplaces are ready for them, and vice versa. Experiential learning is one of the most effective ways businesses and higher education can join forces for societal good. Our partnership with the Los Angeles Rams is one of many such collaborations, which has already provided a path for mentorship, networking and course offerings.

The Chamber's Education Summit was a first step in advancing dialogue between educators and business leaders. Together, we aim to reimagine our landscapes and prepare our students — and workplaces — for a life of perpetual change and success. Indeed, these efforts promise to sculpt a future as luminous as it is limitless.