Shaping the Future

James J. Loughlin ’64 still remembers the early days of his career with one of the world’s leading professional accounting and business consulting firms, “When everything was done with paper and pencil.” That was how auditing functioned when Loughlin joined Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. (which became KPMG) in 1964, after graduating from Saint Peter’s University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Over a 40-year career, he reached the highest levels of corporate management and governance, serving as a vice chairman and director of KPMG.

Loughlin was an early proponent of the data revolution, having recognized its power to reshape industries. When he and his wife, Dottie Loughlin, learned about the tremendous growth of the University’s Data Science Institute, they made a $1 million gift to establish The James J. Loughlin ’64 Data Science Lab which opened in the fall semester of 2023. This capital project is part of the Signature Facilities priority for Peacocks Rise. The high-performance lab’s chief feature: 16 Hadoop clusters designed for the storing and analyzing of huge amounts of data. The high-tech clusters will allow students in the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral data science program – and eventually other programs as well – to practice concepts like machine learning and predictive analysis, and also foster research and industry partnerships.

“We are pleased to be on the ground floor of something that is flourishing and to give back to Saint Peter’s University,” said Loughlin, a Regent Emeritus. He also sees the far-reaching impact of the data science lab on teaching, learning and preparing Saint Peter’s students for a wide range of careers. “[Understanding data] is important to every pursuit. It will apply to everything,” said Loughlin. “Businesses and organizations need to understand what makes their businesses go if they want to compete.”