Marymount University

Marymount Closing

From February 2021 to April 2022, Marymount had been pursuing an acquisition by Saint Leo University, a Catholic university based in Florida. However, on April 22, 2022, Marymount announced publicly that the merger had fallen through, and that the Marymount Board of Trustees had voted to close the university. The property is currently for sale.

COVID-19 Update

On March 21, 2020, the Marymount California University (MCU) President’s Cabinet took a number of actions related to the Coronavirus:

1. MCU is extending online instruction through the rest of this semester.

2. The Oceanview Campus will remain closed for routine operations for the rest of the semester and until further notice but all services are being provided remotely by faculty and staff. Security will be on site at all times.

3. The Villas residential campus will remain open through the end of the semester with daily operations including three meals per day, service, security and supervision.

4. The University will postpone the planned graduation ceremony and associated celebrations but will, as circumstances permit, initiate alternative acknowledgments of this milestone for the graduates.

General Background

Marymount California University’s Rancho Palos Verdes campus is located at the southeastern portion of the City, immediately south of the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive East and Crest Road situated at 30800 Palos Verdes Drive East. The University property is approximately 25 acres and consists of a developed area located at the northern portion of the property and vacant areas located along the property’s south-facing slope and westerly area. The northern portion of the property consists of the existing campus, which contains buildings, parking lots, paved areas, tennis/basketball courts, a soccer field, and ornamental landscaping. The south-facing slope and westerly area contain no improvements and are seasonally cleared of vegetation.

The Religious Order of the Sacred Heart of Mary established Marymount in 1932. Marymount Junior College, as it was named then, began as a liberal arts college for women, located on Sunset Boulevard in Westwood, and was the first Catholic junior college in California. In 1947, the College received accreditation as a four-year college.

The College moved to a site on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1960, which is the site currently occupied by the Salvation Army Training Facility/Crestmont College along Hawthorne Boulevard. The campus included dormitories for on-campus residential living, which continue to be used today for such purposes by the Salvation Army. In 1967, Marymount prepared for a merger with Loyola University of Los Angeles. In 1968, the University separated its two-year program from the four-year program. The two-year program remained on the Palos Verdes campus; whereas, the four-year program was moved to the Loyola campus in Westchester. The two-year program remained a separate institution and received its accreditation in 1971. Marymount’s merger was finalized in 1973, becoming Loyola Marymount University. Marymount College moved to its current location in 1975, which had formerly been used as a private Catholic girl’s boarding school that was affiliated with the Religious Order of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM). A weekend college component was added to the College in 1983 and a Bachelor of Arts degree program was added in 2010. Marymount College formally changed its name to Marymount California University in 2012.

Since 2000, Marymount has submitted various project applications to the City for consideration. A list of the various project-related links are provided to the left of this page.

Initial Study

Similar to the original project, the City determined that the new project requires the preparation of an EIR and a consulting firm was selected to prepare the necessary EIR. The "Initial Study" and "Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft EIR" for the project have been completed and are available by clicking on the links noted below. Public scoping meetings were held on December 13, 2005 and January 10, 2006 (during the public comment period for the NOP/IS) by the Planning Commission and Traffic Safety Commission to receive comments on the issues that should be addressed in the EIR. The 57-day public comment period on the NOP/IS ended on January 13, 2006. On January 31, 2006, a pre-screening workshop on the project was held by the City Council and Planning Commission. The purpose of the workshop was to have a non-binding discussion between the applicant and City decision makers regarding the issues that will likely come up as part of the formal application review process.

Draft EIR

The Draft Environmental Impact Report was made available to the public on Wednesday, October 24, 2007. Hard copies and/or electronic copies of the document can be purchased at the Planning Department at City Hall. View the document on the city’s Draft EIR page. The document can also be viewed at the following locations: City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Palos Verdes Peninsula Library, Miraleste Branch, 29089 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Palos Verdes Palos Verdes Main Library, 650 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

Fred Hesse Park Community Building, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

The Draft Environmental Impact Report was circulated for public review between October 24, 2007 and January 4, 2008. In addition, public comments were received at the November 27, 2007 regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting. The City’s Traffic Safety Commission received public comments on project related traffic issues on December 10, 2007.

Final EIR

The Final EIR, which includes Responses to Comments on the Draft EIR has been completed and is now available to the public. View the Final EIR at our page. Hard copies and/or electronic copies of the document can be purchased at the Planning Department at City Hall. The document can also be viewed at the locations listed above. The City’s Planning Commission will conduct a continued public hearing on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 7 pm to review the Final EIR and receive any public comments on the document. The Commission will not be approving or certifying the Final EIR on October 28 and so there will be additional opportunity for public comments to the Planning Commission on the Final EIR beyond the October 28 hearing.

The City’s project planner overseeing the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project is Principal Planner, Ara Mihranian. He may be contacted at (310) 544-5228 or email Ara Mihranian. The project manager for Marymount College is Michael Laughlin, who may be contacted at (310) 954-3700.

If you would like to be placed on an "interested parties" list to receive any future public hearing notices related to the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project via email, you may subscribe by joining the list server group.