LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

Transcription

1 Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Piumetti Farland, 1987 February 14, 2011 Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 2222 Martin Street, Suite 212 Irvine, CA Phone: Fax:

2 Lisa Farland Interview [START AUDIO MZ000335] MS. KAYLA BEGG: So just to clarify your name is Lisa Farland. You are a current employee of Alumni Affairs and you attended LMU from 1983 to MS. LISA FARLAND: Correct. MS. BEGG: Correct. Okay, so we just like to start with your decision to attend LMU, why you attended LMU, what made you look at LMU in the first place, how your family felt about it, etc. MS. FARLAND: So we talked a little bit about this on Friday but I'll review it since we're now recording. I had a cousin who had gone to college but I was the first in my family to go, and there was a lot of encouragement for me to pursue my education, but this was considered far even though my family's across town, as there was a proposition of having to stay and live on campus which I actually didn't do my first semester but then we all realized that it would be best instead of driving in traffic twice a day. So I'm the oldest of five girls. I had a great college counselor in terms of my areas of interest and strengths, and so I had a couple of really good options. But a friend of mine whose father had attended here, I remember saying too it was just so interesting for me to have a friend whose father had graduated from college where my parents had not gone. And we visited and once I visited I just knew by being so comfortable, just looking around and feeling comfortable, that this would be the place that I would not only just get a good education but I could continue to explore my interests and just understanding myself better. I just felt like this was an environment where I was going to be able to do that and it just fit, it just fit. MS. BEGG: So was the fact that LMU was a Catholic or a Jesuit institution important to you? MS. FARLAND: Absolutely important to me and absolutely important to my parents. Jesuit education is something that they knew the first Jesuit university was founded in Messina and both of my parents are from Sicily. So they had a really great understanding for them how prestigious this would be for me to go to college, to attend, and being a Catholic Jesuit Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 1

3 university. I had gone to Catholic grade school, Catholic high school, and while there are some other pretty good universities in town at the time I have to tell you the UCs were not they were like safety schools. MS. BEGG: Really? MS. FARLAND: Absolutely, and so was the other private school in town. It was like everyone could get in and no one was excited when they got in, so things have changed a bit right? MS. BEGG: Um-hm. MS. FARLAND: But anyways, back to your question, was it important that it was a Catholic university? Absolutely. So my parents knew the reputation that the Jesuits had and so that was really important. And then as I attended and realized this amazing history between Loyola University and Marymount College that really was intriguing to me, the two merged, and how I came ten years about ten years after the merger, so I wasn't subject to any what I'm sure you've interviewed folks who remember that being a tense time. And those of us who came in the early 80s just really benefited from the merger. I don't know that all my colleagues would say that but certainly we all benefited from what came of the two schools coming together. So the traditions of the religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, that just complemented what I not only why I gravitated towards LMU in the first place but I gained so much more than what I even thought I had come to receive, I gained that much more. So it was really value added. MS. BEGG: What would you say the presence of Catholicism was like on campus? Were there a lot of Catholic students? Was it a very strong Catholic tradition or was it a lot of more secular students or non-catholic students? How would you describe it? MS. FARLAND: I would say that most of us were Catholic, and different than perhaps what is true after us, that you had you have students who come from Catholic background or are raised Catholic but perhaps don't identify with the Catholic religion or while they're in college or as they approach college. I would say most of us were Catholic and most of us identified with being Catholic, and so all of [END AUDIO MZ000335] Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 2

4 [START AUDIO MZ000336] MS. FARLAND: --whether they be Mass or retreats, all of those things were really important to us. I don't remember what the statistic was interestingly enough but certainly conversations with friends, we certainly had that in common. MS. BEGG: Um-hm. Obviously for LMU the three core principles are commitment to social justice, education of the whole person, academic excellence. Did you feel that these principles really came out in your education at LMU or your LMU experience, and were these things that attracted you to LMU or something that you discovered at LMU if you did? MS. FARLAND: The certainly attracted me to LMU. I suppose the way they transform your life is really hard to anticipate or predict. I think they complement one another. So you're pursuing academic excellence and as you're doing that you're learning more about yourself, which is tremendous incite for moving forward. And as you're learning about yourself you begin to have an appreciation for those that are different and why they are different. That really is a I think that can really ground you. And it opens your mind to where is there a need and can you provide that need? What are your talents and how might you commit to something that either by your time or your service can really make a difference. So you become open to that, and with that comes a commitment. So it's interesting. I just think they complement one another and you're just compelled to take action, you're compelled to do something. It's just to a place where you just sit on the bench if you will and kind of just soak it in and walk away with that degree and go, Okay did it. There's so much you've done. So I just think there's a call to action that just is compelling. And perhaps it's just a complement, the academic excellence, education, the whole person. I mean, if you're not trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do I'm just not quite sure you're much good to anybody, right? MS. BEGG: Right. MS. FARLAND: Anyway, so that would be my take on that. MS. BEGG: Just out of curiosity, what was your major? MS. FARLAND: My undergraduate major was in sociology. I also studied business and French so I completed two minors and a major in sociology. Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 3

5 MS. BEGG: How would you describe the different departments that you interact with, specifically your major department, and what was the overall academic experience? Like, what was the classroom like? How did you feel about your academic education? MS. FARLAND: It was very engaging. So for me it was helpful because part of the learning was certainly the classroom discussion, and I had studied sociology and was able to do a lot of fieldwork which was interesting to me to be able to just apply methodology rather than just learn statistics now I had a way to apply those statistics to whatever methodology I was developing for my thesis and what my research was going to be, so it was just the application of all of that in the social science, particularly sociology, because of the group component versus psychology with the individual component. So class sizes were small and you did a lot of group projects. We studied in groups which was helpful to me. I jus tend to learn that much more if I can talk about it or process the information or clarify with different perspectives. It really sort of helps you articulate a position or understand a concept. There were mostly men which is I know very different than where we are now. So we were ten years about when I started my freshman year we were about ten years from the time of the merger. And while I didn't particularly take note of it at the time there certainly were more men at LMU at the time. So having come from an all-girl high school and having men in the classroom and the discussions and the debates it was just a very engaging education. So small class sizes, the faculty were tremendous. They were challenging and interesting. In sociology there was such a variety in terms of style and background. I mean, I didn't know you could actually study deviant behavior. And the professor who taught it [END AUDIO MZ000336] [START AUDIO MZ000337] MS. FARLAND: --anyone who's had his class I know they learned from him but we just loved Dr. Curcione. Every lecture was so interesting, but even though he was so interesting and was interesting. Deviant behavior. I won't go into it but his tests were very challenging. If you hadn't read the material and could think critically and write effectively on your exams lots of written essay answer questions that required essay and really taking a position and being able to make a Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 4

6 case for that position you just didn't do well. So it was really academically very challenging but very interesting. I wouldn't think of missing a class, he was just that interesting. But in the department overall I would say just a real variety. So I was the type of student had they told me I could minor in five areas that's what I would have done but they said I couldn't do that so MS. BEGG: How would you describe the population at LMU, students, especially in terms of diversity? What was the campus as a whole concerning the people, what was it like? MS. FARLAND: I think a lot of us came from Catholic high schools. Certainly that felt like a lot of us had come from that background. Not nearly as diverse. Not nearly as diverse as we are now. It became something that I became personally committed to in the 90s working in admissions. I now had an opportunity to affect that. So I was very proud of the goals that the university set forth to achieve in terms of greater ethnic, cultural, racial diversity. With my background in sociology I just was so fortunate to be working in undergraduate admissions charged with those goals and just really committed to achieving those goals. It absolutely took an institutional commitment to do that but having just having been a part of it and so it's just so rewarding. I'm so proud of that. During the time I was here we just weren't nearly as diverse, that's for sure, racially, ethnically diverse. I tended to have a great interest in cultures that were different than my own. I felt like I came from kind of a monoexperience [phonetic], monocultural. I mean, certainly I had gone to high school and was exposed to a lot of different cultures, but having both parents who were immigrants and being the first to go to college you tended to gravitate towards others who had similar experiences. So part of that is the same high school or similar type of high school and then it's just sort of background and kind of helps you get grounded. But this place, it's an opportunity of really the opportunity to learn from those that have different perspectives or different background. That opportunity is here, and it's here everywhere. It's in the classroom, it's with what you get involved with. My experiences were good, positive, but we weren't anywhere near as diverse as we are now. I'm really proud of where the university is today and I understand the commitment that it takes on all of our behalf to continue to make that something that we aspire to be. Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 5

7 MS. BEGG: How sensitive were the students at the time to diversity? Was it something that people talked about? Was it something that people were conscious of? How was it perceived by the student body at the time when you were attending? MS. FARLAND: I think there were students who were involved in various organizations it was more on the agenda. So if it was an ethnic cultural club really working and striving to bring batter awareness to the entire campus. I admired that work, tried to play a role where I could. Student government, the Student Senate. So there were certain organizations that certainly did just wonderful work on behalf of bringing greater awareness to the students. And therefore, you attended a program where you had a conversation with a friend or there was a certain celebration that was being prepared and so it gave you an opportunity to have that conversation and understand their passion for that program [END AUDIO MZ000337] [START AUDIO MZ000338] MS. FARLAND: --or their commitment to their cultural heritage. There was great opportunity for that insight, but I don't know that it was on the majority of organizational clubs' agenda at the time. MS. BEGG: How would you describe the dorm life? I know you said the first semester you commuted from your home but I'm assuming that you eventually just moved on campus? MS. FARLAND: I did. MS. BEGG: How would you describe that experience at the time? MS. FARLAND: Fun. I lived in McKay. I did a study at the time as one of my sociology papers, if there was a difference in social life if you lived in a I forget the actual thesis statement, but was there a difference between living in McKay and living in Desmond, and I discovered in my interviews and fieldwork that there was. But it was fun. Lots of traditions, lots of activities. There were a lot of things within the residence halls as I know there are now, intramural teams. There was just you just had every opportunity to make the most of absolutely every day. Just lots of different activities. And you could be involved in Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 6

8 planning those activities, much like today with RHA. RHA was just starting out back then, where there was sort of this concept of student-led planning around residence life. So we got involved with that and then could determine what kinds of things we wanted to do in the residence halls. It was definitely I think now you have like a floor of women and a floor of men or all kinds of variation. It was definitely the women were here and the men were there. There was a lottery system but I think a lot of us, most students Again I'd probably have to go back and look at the numbers, but most students were on campus, so there was a really rich campus life. MS. BEGG: How would you describe the physical campus at the time? What did it look like, what are some of the buildings that you have really strong memories about? How would you compare it to the campus today physically? MS. FARLAND: Well of course it's expanded quite a bit. Buildings like Hilton weren't here, and that's even probably considered old now. University Hall was not an integrated part of the campus life and the opportunities that that has brought. The buildings, gosh you know it's interesting as I think back too because it certainly has been the people. Buildings that meant the most to me then, and I think to today, the Bird Nest. MS. BEGG: Oh really? MS. FARLAND: So much fun was had in the Bird Nest, Hannon Loft too but somehow the Bird Nest. Maybe it was that you could go out and just kind of soak in that whole view and kind of contemplate both the future and life and cherish the present. Huesman Chapel. Sacred Heart, special place in my heart but not like Huesman Chapel. Huesman Chapel I think that they I believe there's still a 9 p.m. Mass. So I used to go home every weekend and I'd come back on Sundays and often the 8 p.m. Mass which was well attended and everybody talked about, it and it was just one of the things that a lot of people did I often missed. So going to Huesman in that intimate setting it still remains one of the most special places for me. My husband did not go here although I think I can quote him. He says he married LMU since I have been here for so long. And so we got engaged at the Bluff and then we were married in Huesman Chapel. MS. BEGG: Really? Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 7

9 MS. FARLAND: So I'd have to say still really special, really special. Interesting combination between the social life which was really fun. I worked on campus. I actually worked with catering. It's Sodexo now but back then it was actually Saga, Stuart Anderson [phonetic] and the Marriott and now Sodexo. But yeah, I think those would be the two that definitely stand out for me. MS. BEGG: I have a note here on your bio that you were involved with Gryphon Circle. Can you tell me about some of your experiences in that organization and why you decided to get involved with them [END AUDIO MZ000338] [START AUDIO MZ000339] MS. BEGG: --in the first place? MS. FARLAND: Okay, a couple reasons. Okay first Sister Peg Dolan was the moderator. Second, I had these wonderful upperclassmen women who one was my RA and I just really looked up to them, and they were in the organization. At the time you could apply to be a Gryphon in your freshman year. Bells so there were only You know this right? Do you know this from other interviews? It was just Crimson, Belles, Gryphons, and Ignatians had just started. So I definitely wanted the all-women organization. I had come from that experience in high school and it was sort of an organizational way to still kind of be a part of something like that. And at the time you could apply to be a Gryphon as I said in your first year, Belles you had to wait until your sophomore year. I wasn't about waiting. Besides I had all of those other things that were really compelling, and I thought well why don't I try rather than wait to join this? I'll try and then if I don't then I'll have another year to try again. So it worked out and I actually got in the first year. I was also, I've always been very devoted to Mary and to have the religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, that having been the student organization that came over with the merger I just was fascinated by all of that. It really was of great interest to me and I drew just a lot of inspiration from it. The other thing that was different at the time So if I was to compare the Belles and the Gryphons at the time the Belles did service with student activities, I guess. So you would take tickets at the movies or take tickets at basketball game. There wasn't the shift, which we can talk Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 8

10 about The shift to off-campus service started in the latter 80s so certainly that started while I was here and then really took off in the 90s to where now most of the service is off campus. At the time, like I was saying, so Belles they would be involved with student organized events or functions with students. The Gryphons at the time did a lot of their service with the administration, and I remember one and with the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. So there was one sister, her name was Sister Mary David who did a lot of the fundraising and she just was I'm just really privileged that I had gotten to know her, the Religious of Sacred Heart of Mary doing like major fundraising. It was just right, I mean it was just trailblazers. So Gryphons did that kind of work. So that also intrigued me. It was different. And I felt as though I was doing a lot to get to know students and sort of form those friendships but I thought that by joining Gryphon I was going to interface with Sister Mary David; I would have never met her otherwise, and just more of the administration at the time. So I thought that that was a good way for me to gain more, gain more from serving and seeing how this all works. MS. BEGG: I have a note here that you got your master's degree in 1993? MS. FARLAND: Um-hm. MS. BEGG: What was your master's degree in and also when did you start working for Alumni Relations? MS. FARLAND: Okay, so we'll go through the chronological order of things here. I got my degree here from the School of Education. The idea back then was that I was going to go to the secondary level. I was working in Student Affairs and the issues surrounding diversity and the students of color at the time advocating for changes, lot of changes, was something that I became very involved with the students. I was in Student Affairs; those were the early 90s. My education really helped to kind of frame my own career motivation and be inspired to what I thought at the time was to continue on at the secondary level. Upon finishing that and realizing the good work that the university was now [END AUDIO MZ000339] [START AUDIO MZ000340] Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 9

11 MS. FARLAND: --committed to really do in the area of recruitment and all of the areas that really have to support those goals for a diverse campus I'd have to go back to Undergraduate Admissions which is what I did. So I worked for Undergraduate Admission for seven years. I simultaneously was the director of orientation for five years. So I'd sort of do the admissions enrollment cycle until about April and then from April to August I became primarily focused around orientation. And it was just a tremendous opportunity. I was working with students at the high school, interviewing, reading applications, doing that work, presentations, engaging the students and their families and then seeing them through the entire orientation process. So I met lots and lots of wonderful people. I have a drawer full of photos and Christmas cards that I haven't quite finished unpacking and figuring out how to display them all, but I love being surrounded by the pictures. It reminds me of the people in my life through this work and it's just been tremendous. We've accomplished a lot. There's still a lot to accomplish, and it's one of those endeavors where it's the proposition is together. It just can't be done by any one group of what have you so Am I answering your question? MS. BEGG: Um-hm. MS. FARLAND: So, alumni first. So I was in Undergraduate Admissions for seven years. And I had a colleague who continued to ask me about coming to work in University Relations, so it's University Advancement work [phonetic] Alumni Relations at the time. Now I have responsibility for Alumni Relations Annual Giving and Parent Programs and Parent Giving. I came and began working in University Relations with Alumni Relations end of August of 2002, so I've been in this division ever since. MS. BEGG: So basically from the time you started attending LMU you've been either attending or working at LMU to this point? MS. FARLAND: Yeah pretty much from just a couple months after commencement. MS. BEGG: Wow, that's pretty amazing. How has the campus changed over that period of time? Wait hold on sorry. Do you want to pause and MS. FARLAND: Yeah, let's do that. MS. BEGG: Okay. Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 10

12 [pause] MS. FARLAND: One thing I wanted to add is I've tried to remain focused on the years I was here as an undergraduate. I have to actually pause to think about those years, absolutely memorable years. Learned so much about myself. I grew up. I met some of the people who I admire to this day, admired them then, knew they would do wonderful things, knew they would contribute to their community, and just be wonderful husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, all of those. But I have to actually pause to think about those years in particular because as you asked me, I've been here for over 20 and so when I think of people it spans over two decades and when I think of alumni now it's very interesting that I'm in Alumni working with University Relations, I feel the real personal commitment to this work. I feel a real personal commitment that we get the legacy right. In other words, now there are alums who are some alums whose children are here, some alums who will be I hope looking to Loyola Marymount to send their children, and I want to be sure that that process is a particular one and absolutely special for alums. I'm thrilled to have the Alumni Center now to receive alumni. I feel a personal commitment to the students that I recruited in the early 90s who have been such a source of inspiration for me. I've been privileged to be on the path with them. As I met them in high school I knew they were special. They didn't all come here. Some went off to [END AUDIO MZ000340] [START AUDIO MZ000341] MS. FARLAND: --to other schools and that was okay. I was committed helping students find a good match, and many found that this was the perfect fit. But it's just a personal commitment to now get that alumni networking piece, I need to get that stitched up. Our alums, I think, there's a definite lifelong relationship with the institution through our friendship, but there's an infrastructure that has to definitely support that from a formal institutional perspective where over 25% of our alumni graduated since 2000 and over 50% since 1990, '91. And so we have to create a formal way to access and speak to the alumni network, so I'm real committed to that. [laughter] So I feel I have a personal commitment. I sometimes say we are working towards fulfilling a promise. So you can't just talk about it sort of as You have to make it real. You have to make it real Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 11

13 for the alumni, you have to make it real for the students graduating every year. So we're trying to get that work done. So I find myself forever forever, can you feel my I feel very challenged by this work, so I'm sorry, I just wanted to sort of add to the last question. MS. BEGG: No that's great. So how would you say that LMU has significantly changed in the past two decades? Like, what are some of the biggest transformations, transitions, etc. that you've witnessed? MS. FARLAND: Diversity. MS. BEGG: Diversity? MS. FARLAND: Absolutely diversity. I mean, we could talk about the university landscape. It was beautiful then, it's absolutely extraordinary now. I mean, that's one of the physical differences. But for me the ethnic/cultural/racial diversity, religious diversity, I'm just so proud. We need to be forever committed to that. It hasn't been an easy road, road inspired by a commitment but absolutely fueled, nourished, nurtured by students, alumni, faculty, staff certainly, really a community effort but for me that is what stands out as different, different and great, right? MS. BEGG: Um-hm. Obviously we know that you were a big part of the oral history committee to help us find people. Why did you want to get involved in the project and what was the process like? MS. FARLAND: Well, I think oral history first of all the centennial right? MS. BEGG: Um-hm. MS. FARLAND: Was the reason we started to explore what we might do to celebrate our hundred years. And oral history I think is an imperative. We really can't lose that oral history. So you have to make it a project and be intentional about it. With all of the online ways to communicate, I think we have to be very intentional and deliberate about sharing stories where we came from, where we Unless everyone's going to document these phenomenal family trees, organizational trees, who does that? Maybe you get some history written from a perspective but I loved this idea because the perspective were going to be just so different, like individual pieces to a thousand-piece puzzle. The process was difficult. It was Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 12

14 a very difficult process because it was one where we had to make it a feasible project, and I know you've had your challenges with this. It's not been easy. It's not been easy, and we had that in mind, but really difficult to [END AUDIO MZ000341] [START AUDIO MZ000342] MS. FARLAND: --identify. We have legacy families; you want to interview every single person. There're families that I know and I know how different they all are. Like I said, I'm the oldest of five girls; four of us went here. And if you were to interview each one of us, first of all, we went here at different times and we're each very different. We got involved in some similar things but we all had a very sort of different experience with our education here. So it was hard to pick in that instance one person who then would represent the family or would determine who from the so it was a grueling process to try and identify the alumni for the project. We wanted every aspect of the university's 100 years to the best of our ability to be represented and those that would have the most story so that you could kind of bridge a whole group's experience I guess. I'll say one more thing. We had to literally compile lists and lists and lists of people to consider because we'd never done anything like this, so I'm happy to have been a part of it. MS. BEGG: So like we said you've been with LMU for quite some time. Why did you apply to work at LMU when you graduated? What was it that made you want to stay? Did you consider going elsewhere and doing other things? What was that what's that story? MS. FARLAND: Yeah, I did consider going elsewhere. I actually interviewed on campus for a couple different positions, sales positions. And so I had a couple of opportunities, and I just couldn't see myself selling anything like Pepsi at the time. What happened, I came back to campus. They needed more people to help with commencement. Law school commencement at the time was like a month later or something. So I came back. I had graduated but they needed I was in Gryphon Circle so they needed Back then we didn't hire like extra public safety; it was all student facilitated. So I came back and was helping out. And there was Dale Marini was amazing. He's still here. MS. BEGG: I interviewed Dale Marini. Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 13

15 MS. FARLAND: Did you? MS. BEGG: I did. MS. FARLAND: Oh fantastic who came looking for me and said, Did you know that there was an opportunity I had given tours on campus. I had just done that and it was all through Undergraduate Admissions, and I loved it, and I had been an O leader. I had done all these other sort of peripheral things but I never thought you could have a job like visiting high schools and talking to students and learning about the admissions and the enrollment process and understanding all the factors that go into an admissions decision. So I interviewed, I applied, I interviewed. I think honestly Kayla I've never asked Dale but I think I got lucky because there were other candidates. In fact, two of us started at the same time. And I don't remember the particulars but I think it became a fluke where they ended up with two positions instead of the one that had sort of been posted for hire. So I was just so lucky. And worked with Dale, and at the time the director's name was Mitch L Heureux who had been the only director of Admissions who was an alum. I'm sure Dale told you about him. MS. BEGG: He did. MS. FARLAND: And I had this phenomenal opportunity to learn from Dale and others and travel and connect students to this place students and counselors. That's what sort of set me on my path, that's why I wanted to get my master's in education. Like I said, I was going to parlay all of that to high school level. I'm still here. I've filled you in on the rest of it so, did that answer your question? MS. BEGG: It did. On what level was LMU involved with the, let's call it the outside world? Because I know that as a student in my own experience I hear a lot about how we have to connect with the city around us and we have to participate, and there's kind of this temptation to stay in the LMU bubble. I was just wondering, Is that something that you experienced while you were there, or did you feel the students were very integrated into the city or the LMU community in general? MS. FARLAND: Oh, I think it was more the bubble, definitely at the time. [END AUDIO MZ000342] Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 14

16 [START AUDIO MZ000343] MS. FARLAND: We were definitely a regional Catholic Jesuit school serving the community from the perspective of the students were being drawn from the community but not this completely integrated institutionally driven supported student I would say student directed now as more I would describe it more as the bubble. We were a regional school. Engagement with the community started to be around service. Like I said, it was really the students who directed that, that interest. It was students with faculty/staff support but it was students who really led that charge. And I was part of that because I was working here. And we started to even realize the value of being in Los Angeles just by virtue of internships. So we were really turning a corner at the time, really turning a corner. And now we know it was a corner. Back then I'm not even sure we knew what we were getting into. If that helps you. Thinking even of the relationship with the neighbors. I mean, there were those who lived off campus who had some problems but I don't At the time We were smaller so our impact on the community wasn't as large, but our economic impact wasn't as significant either. And while I think there were problems here and there we just weren't even integrated with the neighborhood at the time. MS. BEGG: With that in mind, what are some of the either political or social changes, events, of the time while you were attending LMU as a student that you remember specifically or maybe came up in class or really maybe affected the campus? MS. FARLAND: At the time there was even debate about what we were going to call the L.A. Uprising or the L.A. Riots or what the city experienced and how the students here were affected. There were varying degrees from extremely affected to perhaps not as impacted. Now I'm cheating because that's not during my time, see that was in the early 90s but that stands out MS. BEGG: But you were here. You were part of the community so MS. FARLAND: I was here. I lived on campus for several days then because of what was going on in the city and how if we were working with students we stayed to be with students, to talk with students, to support students, to listen, so that stands out vividly to this day. Then again I feel it was those were very difficult times, painful. I look back. I still believe I was so privileged to be on the path. There are students Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 15

17 from that time with those very, very difficult it was very, very difficult times and very tough experiences, who I'm still in touch with today. And they have simply just simply I've been blessed. MS. BEGG: I interviewed Frances Young [phonetic] and that was really amazing especially regarding the riots and just the students during that time. That was definitely a really interesting perspective to get from a student point of view. MS. FARLAND: And interesting that you'd ask me the question before about the relationship between the students or the university and the city. I can't even describe to you the level of awareness no matter to what degree you were being affected. The level of awareness was [END AUDIO MZ000343] [START AUDIO MZ000344] MS. FARLAND: --profound and university wide. So that certainly just still stands out in my mind. And like I said, I've been just committed as a community, so working with faculty, staff, students, alumni to change, improve, enhance this wonderful experience for all students, helping with regards to whether it's committed to scholarships so that students can attend here, to just support opportunities, student programs, that just big believer of where we needed what we needed to do. There was another part to your question, I'm sorry. What was the question? You had two parts to it I think, the one you just asked me. MS. BEGG: Oh no. I think I just asked you about the relationship between the LMU community and the city and then was it more like a bubble or were students reaching out into the community, was there an interconnectedness. And I talked about how just within my own experience there's still a lot of discussion that I've encountered just about how tempting it is to stay in the LMU bubble and how that discussion on whether or not how far do you reach out, how much do you extend out into the community, how integrated do you become, just that general idea. MS. FARLAND: Yeah, so changes. So I described earlier how many service organizations there are. So we've grown which we should have; that shouldn't be a surprise if we want the same amount of opportunities. The student's grown so absolutely should have more service organizations. But the Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 16

18 institutional commitment to service in this region and beyond is in the establishment of the Center for Service and Action run by a phenomenal alumna, Pam Rector, and I mean it's just a testimony. It's a testimony to the commitment. You can be committed in terms of concept, you can be committed in terms of concept, but manifesting mission and putting a concept into real play, what does that take? How do you administer it? How do you fund it? How do you organize it? You can't just be sending students here, there, and everywhere and not have a professional formal way of preparing students and the reflection that goes with that. So we were doing service but how proud I am of the Center for Service and Action. That's another one of those changes that is again reflective of mission manifested, of taking the mission and bringing it to life for others, not just in concept, not just in philosophical sort of though these tenets [phonetic] sound great right, so. MS. BEGG: How would you describe a student now compared to the students in the 1980s? And it can be anything from obviously dress to attitude to social attitudes to economic status to anything, to religious presence within the student body. I mean, how has it changed since when you were there? MS. FARLAND: I guess there's a theme in my responses which is in terms of the diversity. And I'm so proud to add religious diversity to the cultural and socioeconomic, racial, the linguistic diversity that comes with that. I don't feel I work closely enough with students. Now I work with some students. We certainly have students in the office. But compared to the pulse I believe I had even eight years ago, ten years ago for sure, I'm not [END AUDIO MZ000344] [START AUDIO MZ000345] MS. FARLAND: Sure my contrast and comparison is going to be I'm reluctant to provide you with that. Funny things between the 80s and now, although things come back, everyone was walking around in leg warmers and leotards and aerobics was just starting to come in, now you've got every possible variation on something that was starting in the latter 80s. Anyway, so many different things, Pilates, and all kinds of versions of that sort of physical activity. Between the students, between I guess for me the common denominator is students come here to do. They don't come here just to learn, they Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 17

19 don't come here to just, Give me this knowledge so I can move on. They come to do, to learn, to apply. I think they are more I certainly think they're more globally aware which is another very encouraging thing. MS. BEGG: Right. MS. FARLAND: Right. But if I'm comparing then I'd have to say more globally aware. So I'm encouraged to see so many students considering studying abroad. I'm absolutely inspired and motivated by how many students are doing service and not just in other I mean here, right here in this community. So I suppose there's a lot of other sort of physical just in terms of attire and things that would stand out but nothing's vividly coming to mind for me. Many of us worked to help pay for our education and expenses. I know the hairstyles are really different and the attire. And again, I'm trying to focus on the latter 80s when I was actually here running around like a when I was running around as a student and trying to compare that, but I don't have a lot of good examples, I'm sorry on that one. MS. BEGG: No, that's totally fine. We just throw questions out there and see what happens. What are some of the changes you feel need to happen at LMU? What are some of the things you would like to see happen in the future for LMU? MS. FARLAND: Well, we absolutely not a change but we have to stay very committed to our values, to composing to continue to composing as a diverse class in all of the ways that we've talked about, to really empower students so that they can achieve their goals, so that they can impact others in positive and productive ways. So that takes it's a campus commitment and everyone's got to do their part really well. I'd love for you to come back in a few years and some of our alumni programs are where I'd like them to be. We've got alums I believe that are really committed, but I'd love to have some just a couple more programs maybe in place. I'd like for that networking to be really fine tuned programs on regular annual basis where everybody knows this is how you get in touch with alums. And so we're working with Career Development Services and other areas, so trying to really strengthen those ties and make those ties real links, not just a tie but links so that there's this ongoing exchange, so and the systems to support that. You need that. It's not like you just get it right from one year. You have to figure out a system that supports it right, a life whatever that's Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 18

20 called. So that's for my area I'd love to see us grow the endowment so we're not so tuition driven, that we keep the tuition increase as low as possible because I think we've increased tuition a lot over the last ten years. [END AUDIO MZ000345] [START AUDIO MZ000346] MS. FARLAND: So that by saying that I realize that in University Relations that puts in terms of the fundraising an extraordinary responsibility, right. And we'll define those as goals I'm sure but I hope that that too is something that we can talk about as having change, that our endowment is such that we can really provide student financial aid and scholarships and really bolster all those programs to continue to recruit wonderful students who then will become wonderful alums because they'll know about alumni when they start as freshmen year. I haven't figured all that out yet right, but those are the things that I think about. MS. BEGG: Okay. What are some specific special memories that you have of LMU? I would normally say while you attended LMU but in your case I guess from any time that you've been at LMU? MS. BEGG: Wow. So many individual experiences with students oneon-one, interviewing them for admission, hearing what their goals and dreams were and now knowing they've accomplished all of that and more and they've gone on and have families of their own. So I mean I could it just so many that I would have to say that in terms of memories And we don't have time but you're welcome to come back any time because I'm happy to tell you about all of them. Some of them I feel as though I have a village. And we stay in touch and my children know them. I feel that I'm also really blessed that my children know these wonderful people. Some of them have even been cared for [laugh] and my children have learned from them. So it's tremendous. My children now know their children. So they all hang out at the alumni barbeque or a couple times a year. Isn't that something? I have to say while I was here and shortly thereafter basketball was pretty huge. MS. BEGG: Yeah. MS. FARLAND: I'm sure you've heard the stories so I don't have to add to it, but I'll tell you, you know, even though so many, many years later you just sort of still expect three-point Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 19

21 shots [laugh] in just at a rapid fire pace, and it's a little disappointing when you don't see it even though it's been so long you think I would have just sort of taken that out of my mind. So those are memorable and fun. Activities and things that we planned, formals. Lots of dancing we just, there was lots of dancing. We had a lot of fun. We enjoyed doing the service together. We knew that that was a special time for us. We knew that that would influence us for the rest of our life. We just knew. That was something that I would tell you There are things you look back on in retrospect and go, Ah, but that was pretty clear to us then. And like I said, I'm so proud that that's changed in the way that it's been augmented so much in the student experience. MS. BEGG: Is there anything else you want to make sure you say about LMU or something else you'd like to share that I didn't ask about? MS. FARLAND: No, I think we touched on it. For me, it's interesting you ask me about what would I want changed. I mean, there's things that I want to be sure that are preserved. Not Preserved makes it sound like it's stay somewhere and you look at it every once in a while but that our history in terms of our mission, those who came before us, those who stood up for what they believed, that we continue to forge ahead with those values. The Jesuits and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph who came way, way, way, way, way before us with such courage really, courage and an educational philosophy, a [END AUDIO MZ000346] [START AUDIO MZ000347] MS. FARLAND: --commitment to do, to educate, to help, but courage. If you look back at the times of when they formed the university, Marymount College and Loyola University real courage. And I think with Dave Burcham we are poised to draw from our past, be inspired by those who came before us, and motivated in our mission to keep making it real, for ourselves personally and for people. There's just I don't know, it's so gratifying. I'm not sure that that's adding anything to your last question but just thoughts I guess that are sort of percolating in my head. You've helped me today because I don't like to be recorded but you made this very easy for me. And I guess in closing I would say I've Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 20

22 probably forgotten something specific in some of the questions that you've asked me, so I would say people, alums, faculty, staff, who have been a part of this place and continue to be a part of this place even when they've been disappointed have stayed dedicated to this place, and there's a faith in that. I think students who I remember they were disappointed but somehow that's when I think I just think there's a real faith and it's based in love. And I think that's pretty tremendous to say that about a place, but it's the people that bring that love love to their work, love to their cause, love to their organization, whatever it is that they're doing or planning or so. So I want to thank you and I just want to end with saying how grateful I am for the experiences that I've had and the people who have trusted me and the people who've helped me and supported me. MS. BEGG: Thank you for taking the time to do this. I know this is a really long interview that asks people to go over a lot of information, but we really appreciate it. MS. FARLAND: You're welcome. MS. BEGG: It's great. It'll add a lot to our history, and we're slowly working on that, so thank you very much. MS. FARLAND: You're welcome. [END AUDIO MZ000347] Centennial History Project Interview: Lisa Farland 21