Timeline - History of CLU

1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s

1954	September 13 – Dr. Gaylerd Falde, President of the California District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC), calls for the organization of a "Committee of Twenty–Five" from the five national Lutheran Church bodies to plan for a Lutheran College on the West Coast. October 29 – The Committee of Twenty–Five meets for the first time but is unable to decide whether the college should be nationally or regionally controlled.
1957	Richard Pederson overlooking "The Ranch" June 4 – The California Lutheran Educational Foundation (CLEF) is formed with the purpose of establishing a Lutheran college within the Los Angeles area. September 25 – Richard Pederson hands the deed to his 130–acre ranch to Orville Dahl for a new Lutheran college. November 3 – The first Board of Governors of CLEF is installed with Dr. Dahl as President. CLEF moves into temporary offices in Los Angeles.
1958	February – The offices of CLEF are moved to the ranch in Thousand Oaks. March 7 – The Board of Governors meets on the campus for the first time. The opening of the school is anticipated for September 1961.
1959	Dr. Orville Dahl February 27 – The CLEF Board of Governors holds its last meeting, adjourning at 4:37 p.m. The Board of Regents of California Lutheran College is established at exactly 4:38 p.m. with the singing of the Doxology. Spring – Ventura County newspapers begin to refer to the school as California Lutheran College instead of the original name of Ventura University. August 4 – The College is formally incorporated, and Dr. Dahl is elected President.

1961	"Alpha" under construction August – Alpha and Beta (now Pederson and Thompson) dormitories are completed. September – Three hundred thirty students begin classes at the new college. October 27 – Dr. Dahl announces the contract for construction of the $550,000 Centrum to be located on a 12–acre site between Memorial Parkway and Olsen Road. The completed Centrum is dedicated November 11, 1962. October 29 – Four thousand attend the formal dedication of the college.
1962	February 22 – CLC receives notice that it has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as a senior liberal arts college. April 12 – California Legislature passes a resolution commending CLC. April 13 – CLC's Choir begins its first annual tour with 50 students singing their first concert at Messiah Lutheran Church, Bakersfield. June – Dr. Dahl submits his resignation as President to the Board of Regents and agrees to stay for six months while a successor is found. Fall – Students arrange giant volcanic rocks on the south side of Mt. Clef Ridge to form the letters "CLC" as a beacon not only for the Conejo but also for pilots. November 20 – Students select "Kingsmen" as CLC's nickname.
1963	Dr. Raymond Olson January 1 – Dr. Seth Eastvold from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, is named acting President while a search committee meets to select a president. February 18 – Dr. Eastvold passes away after suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage while at a meeting in Minneapolis. Dr. Carl Segerhammar is named interim President. Summer – The Dallas Cowboys arrive for their first training camp on campus. November 4 – Dr. Raymond Olson is inaugurated as President of CLC. He serves until 1971. Dr. Olson forms the Community Leaders Club to support the college and to sponsor the "Welcome Cowboys" dinner each summer. Later, the club hosts an annual auction to benefit the college, and sponsors many CLC events and scholarships.
1964	The first graduating class of 1964 May 5 – First Honors Day Convocation is held. May 31 – The first Baccalaureate Service and Commencement are held. May 31 – The graduates form the Alumni Association, elect a board and plan for the first homecoming celebration in the fall. August – The College Union and new Post Office are being finished; music rooms and a theater are being readied for use. October 7 – CLC enrolls 736 students from 24 states, with 650 coming from California, and 137 from Ventura County. International students come from the Republic of China and Sweden. November 20–22 – CLC holds its first Homecoming.
1966	August 3 – CLC receives notice from the State Board of Education, Sacramento, that the college has been accredited to offer the standard teaching credential with a specialization in elementary and secondary teaching.
1967	February 20 – Some 200 students stage a sit–down strike in front of the gymnasium during chapel services to protest the attendance policy, the closing of the coffee shop, book store and library during chapel, and to demand more say in the formation of college policies.
1968	April 9 – Three hundred CLC students march from the campus down Moorpark Boulevard to commemorate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

1970	May – For Conejo Valley Days, a festival and carnival celebrating the valley's country roots, Tom Farmer '74 organizes a Kazoo Band of nearly 100 students to march in the annual parade. July – CLC's indebtedness is $3,600,000, and bankruptcy is predicted. At the invitation of sponsoring church bodies, Maurice Knutson arrives and is named Executive Vice President to set CLC on a more secure financial footing. Faculty salaries are frozen and the size of the faculty is cut from 70 to 63. 1970–71 is known as the year of "tight money." By the end of the academic year, the college ends in the black for the first time in ten years, and the debt is reduced by $80,000. Enrollment nears 1,000. Dr. Rudolph Edmund, Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs, expands the curriculum to include graduate degrees and fifth year programs for teachers to earn their California credentials The women athletes adopt the name Regals. Early in the decade, noted UCLA basketball coach John Wooden conducts basketball camps at CLC for men and women.
1971	Coach Bob Shoup May – President Raymond Olson submits his resignation to the Board. Fall – CLC's Kingsmen win their first and only NAIA football championship under the guidance of Coach Bob Shoup.
1972	February – The Board of Regents appoints Dr. Mark A. Mathews, Chair of the Business Administration and Economics Department, as Acting President of the College. February – It's announced that the college's indebtedness is reduced by $1,500,000, reversing its deficit trend. Acting President Mathews initiates the annual Business Management Forum to build bridges to the business community.
1973	Dr. Mark A. Mathews Plans for a commercial radio station begin with the hiring of CLU student Tim Schultz as engineer. April – Nygreen Hall is dedicated. October – Dr. Mathews is inaugurated as President of CLC.
1974	Due to the national energy crisis, the lights on the CLC rocks on Mt. Clef Ridge are extinguished. Spring – The first Scandinavian Days celebration draws more than 1,000 people to the gymnasium for music, dancing and displays. The festival will grow to be the largest in the state.
1975	The "House on the Hill" preschool is opened in the old B. E. Albertson home on the north campus. December 4 – The million dollar note owed to the Bank of America is burned. The mortgage is lit by Maurice Knutson, the Wyoming banker who had assisted the college five years earlier.
1970s	Late in the decade – CLC is placed under probation by WASC for its Continuing Education Program. The program is dissolved and reorganized within a year, and probation is lifted.
1979	Spring – Governor Ronald Reagan speaks at CLC's first Benefit Banquet at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Summer – The Upward Bound Program is inaugurated.

1980	The first Creative Options for Women is held. The College establishes the Landry Medal, to honor those who have been an inspiration to youth. May – President Mark Mathews resigns effective May 31. He is given a year's sabbatical before returning to the classroom at CLC. The Board appoints the Rev. Dr. Carl Segerhammar, Bishop Emeritus of the Pacific Southwest Synod of the Lutheran Church in America, as Acting President effective August 31.
1981	Dr. Jerry H. Miller May 9 – Dr. Jerry H. Miller is inaugurated as the fourth President of California Lutheran College. May 14 – A post–inaugural Benefit Banquet is held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel with President Gerald Ford as guest speaker. October 23 – The 6,050–square–foot Peters Hall classroom and faculty office building is dedicated.
1982	The student newspaper, The Echo, receives the prestigious All American Award, the highest possible award.
1983	Spring – Roger Staubach, quarterback of the championship Dallas Cowboys, is awarded the Landry Medal. The Women's softball team wins first place in the NAIA, District 3. The student literary magazine, Morning Glory, receives the Pacemaker Award, one of six publications to be so honored in the nation. August 18 – The Hansen Administration Center is dedicated in the building formerly occupied by the Bank of A. Levy. CLC has its best year in Development, with $3,250,000 in gifts and grants. Fall – The college purchases its first computer, a VAX 11/750, to assist academic computing and faculty research. A major in computer science is established.
1984	Building the new library April 8 – Ground is broken for the library/learning resources center, designed by Don DeMars '64, President of the first graduating class. May 10 – Bob Hope is guest speaker for the CLC Benefit Banquet and receives the Tom Landry Medal. The Kingsmen football team celebrates a record of winning the NAIA District III Championship 13 of the past 14 years. They join the NCAA Division II Western Football Conference. December – Representatives from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visit the campus to determine the accreditation of the school. The results are positive and, in February 1985, the school receives its first 10–year accreditation in recognition of its strong academic programs.
1985	April 14 – Pearson Library and Preus–Brandt Forum are dedicated. Alumni Hall is remodeled, installing classrooms and offices.
1986	Say hello to Enormous Luther! January 1 – The school's name is changed to California Lutheran University. Fall – CLU joins the newly formed Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) and begins competition in five team sports and six individual sports. The Kingsmen football team remains a member of the NCAA Division II Western Football Conference, and softball and golf remain independent. October 17 – Founders Day, the Enormous Luther bronze statue, designed by art professor emeritus Sir Bernardus Weber and located outside Pearson Library, is dedicated.
1987	This way to the new science center February 2 – CLU opens a graduate center in Ventura. The Pederson Ranch House and Water Tower are moved to the corner of Regents Avenue and Faculty Street to make room for a new academic facility. April 4 – Ground is broken for the Ahmanson Science Building. The Regals volleyball team posts first GSAC Championship.
1988	October 28 – Ahmanson Science Center is dedicated.
1989	Construction is underway for Samuelson Chapel May 13 – Groundbreaking is held for Samuelson Chapel. CLU opens a second off–site graduate center in Woodland Hills. The Dallas Cowboys conduct their last year of summer camp at CLU. October 29 – The Board of Regents votes to have CLU join the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).

1990	May 3 – With her husband, President Ronald Reagan, in attendance, former First Lady Nancy Reagan receives the Landry Medal at a benefit dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, Los Angeles. The student literary magazine, Morning Glory, is inducted into the All American Hall of Fame after winning All American awards for 10 consecutive years. July – Permission is granted from the FCC and the Mexican government to start a radio station. The call letters are changed to KCLU. An application is filed with the city of Thousand Oaks.
1991	April 13 – Samuelson Chapel is dedicated. May 9, the President of Nicaragua Violeta Barrios de Chamorro is presented with the Landry Medal at a black–tie dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire, Los Angeles. October 18 – The Borg Petersen Memorial Organ, a 39–rank, 2,109–pipe tracker–action organ designed by University Organist Dr. Carl Bertram Swanson, is dedicated.
1992	Dr. Luther S. Luedtke July 1 – President Jerry H. Miller resigns to assume the position of the University's first chancellor. August 1 – Dr. Luther S. Luedtke assumes post of President of CLU. September – "Core 21," a new set of academic requirements to prepare students for the 21st century is initiated.
1993	June – Final permission is granted to KCLU for the construction of an antenna on Calleguas Ridge, and a new application is made to the FCC. On October 13, the FCC grants a new construction permit. October 22 – The new Potenberg Residence Hall at the west end of campus is dedicated in memory of Florence Potenberg.
1994	Dr. Luther Luedtke and Norman Corwin flip the switch for KCLU January 17 – At 4:31 a.m., CLU comes through the 6.7 Reseda earthquake with only minor damage. September 11 – Founding president Dr. Orville Dahl dies. October 20 – CLU's public radio station KCLU (88.3 FM) signs on the air at 4:30 p.m., with radio legend Norman Corwin giving a presentation.
1995	CLU's first endowed chair, the Gerhard and Olga J. Belgum Chair in Confessional Theology, is established. November – The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) renews CLU's accreditation without condition for the maximum 10–year period. Fall – Fifty–eight miles of fiberoptic cable to link classrooms, dormitories and offices are laid connecting the campus to the World Wide Web.
1996	The University receives a $1.5 million grant to establish the Fletcher Jones Foundation Endowed Chair in Developmental Biology. CLU's Mark Ellis is NCAA Division III tennis singles champion.
1997	Mark Ellis and Jania Karimov win the NCAA Division III doubles championship in tennis.
1998	Soiland Humanities Center February 21 – Dedication of the Soiland Humanities Center, at the corner of Memorial Parkway and Regents Avenue, is held. February – KCLU adds 102.3 FM to expand its signal to Santa Barbara. Fall – The School of Education offers a Master of Education option through its Teacher Preparation Program.

2000	"The Apartments", later named Mogen Hall CLU student literary publication Morning Glory receives the All American Award with five marks of distinction for its 1999 issue, the 19th consecutive year that the journal has received this award. Fall – CLU begins the "Now is the Time" capital campaign with the goal of raising $80 million. September – Scott '76 and Melissa '77 Maxwell–Doherty are called to serve as campus pastors. October 27 – A new residence hall (the first to be constructed since 1989) is dedicated. Nicknamed "The Apartments" and later named Mogen Hall, the three–story building houses 120 students in 30 two–bedroom apartment–like suites.
2001	April 27 – Ground is broken for the $6 million Spies–Bornemann Center for Education and Technology.
2002	September – The School of Education offers CLU's first doctoral program, the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. October 26 – The Spies–Bornemann Center for Education and Technology is dedicated.
2003	Swimming, diving and water polo come to CLU February – The Drama Department Mainstage Theatre production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever is selected to be performed at the prestigious Region VII Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival held at Utah State University. CLU's production is one of only eight chosen from universities of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii. May 5 – The Dr. Rudy Edmund Living Laboratory to enhance student research in geology and biology is dedicated on Mt. Clef Ridge above the north campus. September – CLU adds an intercollegiate aquatics program with men's and women's swimming, diving and water polo. December 8 – The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission gives its unanimous approval for the University to build the athletics complex north of Olsen Road.
2004	New science programs are established Spring – The Athletic Training Program receives accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). October 22 – Ground is broken for the north campus athletics complex with George "Sparky" Anderson and Tommy Lasorda participating. Fall – New academic programs in bioengineering and environmental science are established.
2005	Spring – CLU introduces an online MBA and certificate program in financial planning through CLU's new California Institute of Finance, the first in the United States to be offered. December – Luther Luedtke resigns as President of CLU.
2006	CLU's first Doctors of Education in Educational Leadership The Rev. Dr. Howard E. Wennes is appointed by the Board of Regents to serve as Interim President. May – CLU confers its first Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degrees on 13 candidates. October 21 – The Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center is dedicated.
2007	Samuelson Aquatics Center is dedicated February 23 – John R. Sladek is inaugurated as the sixth president of CLU. March 10 – Ullman Stadium, surrounding the George "Sparky" Anderson baseball field, is dedicated. March 24 – The $3.35 million Samuelson Aquatics Center is dedicated. July 24 – President John Sladek resigns his post, and the Rev. Howie Wennis is once more appointed interim President.
2008	KCLU acquires KIST-AM 1340 March 6 – The Board of Regents names Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Chris Kimball as the seventh president of CLU. He assumes his new duties on April 1. Hutton Field, home to Regals softball, is dedicated as part of the growing athletics complex. April – KCLU acquires KIST–AM 1340 (Santa Barbara) making it the only NPR station on AM radio in Southern California.
2009	Dr. Chris Kimball is inaugurated February 20 – The Community Pool, located adjacent to the Samuelson Aquatics Center, is dedicated. Its construction is the result of a groundbreaking public–private partnership between CLU, the City of Thousand Oaks, and the Conejo Recreation and Park District. February 21 – The Ron and Sue Poulson Tennis Center is dedicated. April 26 – Dr. Chris Kimball is inaugurated as the seventh president of CLU. May – The Facilities Department relocates to its new site on Campus Drive, north of Olsen Road. June 4 – Groundbreaking is held for Swenson Center for Academic Excellence. Fall – Trinity Hall, a 220–bed, 80,000–square–foot residence hall, is completed for occupancy.

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