Message from the Provost:
A Busy, Productive Spring Ahead
What makes CLU unique? I liked the answer given by Pastor Scott Maxwell-Doherty at an Academic Affairs retreat recently. He said, “It breathes a gracious hospitality.” What a lovely thought to keep in mind as we begin the spring term and welcome our students back from the holidays.
The year 2010 marks the continuing 18-month celebration of CLU’s founding, with a busy calendar of campus events. Hear the music of early CLC at a February 13 concert, or drop by the Kwan Fong Gallery to admire the consistently outstanding work of local and regional artists.
There are many other opportunities for celebration, as the University builds on 50 years of success. The Swenson Academic Building is taking shape with steel beams and wood framing in place. Construction should be completed by August 15—just in time for fall semester.
This Spring, I would like to take the opportunity to recognize faculty who have achieved above and beyond their excellence in the classroom.
Haco Hoang and Akiko Yasuike have completed their first year as co-directors of the Pearson Scholars program. This exciting new program has revised the International Studies major, placing students in internships and domestic immersion projects in Los Angeles immigrant communities. And in these tough economic times, two of the three students selected as Pearson Scholars have found paid jobs as a result of their community projects.
Deb Erickson and the School of Education were successful in obtaining $300,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Education. This grant will help us take the first of CLU’s graduate education courses online this fall. We anticipate that the courses will be very popular, particularly with new teachers who want to earn their clear credential. CLU was one of only two institutions of higher education serving Hispanic Americans to receive the maximum grant amount.
Mindy Puopolo and the graduate psychology department will not only open their new clinic in Oxnard this semester, but, with the help of a $200,000 Verizon grant, they’ll be offering an intervention program for individuals who have experienced intimate partner violence. We anticipate that the clinic, located right across from CLU’s graduate center in the same complex, will be completed in March, with an opening reception slated for April 15. In the fall, the new PsyD program will be offered in Oxnard, where the clinic will provide practicum opportunities for our 17 new doctoral students.
Greg Freeland and several students will continue to work with CAUSE to measure the effects of public input in shaping redistricting decisions in the region. Greg was the recipient of a $5,000 contract with CAUSE, funded under an Irvine Foundation grant.
Our new CERF economists have been creating quite a furor with their forecast for the year, with Bill Watkins, Dan Hamilton and Kirk Lesh bravely assessing California’s substantial risk for default on its obligations. Bill and his team “call it like it is” even if state bureaucrats are wont to disagree with the assessment.
Jamshid Damooei and his committee of Pam Brubaker, Guy Erwin, Herb Gooch, Melissa Maxwell-Doherty and Nathan Tierney are hard at work planning the Globalization for the Common Good conference to be held June 6-10 at CLU. The conference theme is In Search of the Virtuous Economy: A Plea for Dialogue, Wisdom, and the Common Good, and it is expected to bring together internationally known scholars, students and public figures who share an interest in creating a more responsive, just global financial system.
Sam Thomas’ book, The ‘Mysteries’ of Qumran, came out this fall, as did Jarvis Streeter’s Human Nature, Human Evil, and Religion. Dru Pagliassotti’s second novel, tentatively titled An Agreement with Hell, has been accepted for publication by Apex Book Company. Her first novel, Clockwork Heart, is being translated into German, and she’s working on a sequel.
Looking toward May graduation, we’ve made some changes in the final exam calendar and Commencement that we think you will like. Exam week will be Monday through Thursday. On Friday, May 14, graduate students will receive their degrees at 6 p.m. in Mount Clef Stadium. Undergraduates, including ADEP graduates, will line up on Saturday, May 15, for baccalaureate ceremonies at 8 a.m. in Samuelson Chapel followed by Commencement at 10 a.m. in Mount Clef Stadium. These changes will enable us to better accommodate the growth in numbers of students in all programs with ceremonies that are appropriate and meaningful for them.
Here’s to a busy and productive Spring 2010!
— Leanne Neilson, Psy.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Meet the Staff in the Academic Affairs Office and see who can answer your question.
