CLU opens year with formal procession

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Aug. 22, 2012) California Lutheran University will hold its Opening Academic Convocation for the 2013-2014 year at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, in Gilbert Arena.

Faculty and administrators will assemble in full academic attire to welcome more than 800 freshmen and new transfer students. Fourteen new faculty members will be presented and six faculty members who have received tenure or advanced in rank will be recognized.

Keynote speaker Gail Uellendahl, recipient of the 2013 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence, will welcome the entering students, including her son. The chair of the Graduate School of Education’s counseling and guidance department has organized conferences on school shootings, high-risk students and other challenges that school counselors face today. The first in her family to graduate from college, she has a longstanding interest in serving first-generation students and other underrepresented populations in higher education and has received grants and awards for advocacy on behalf of students with disabilities.

Students praise Uellendahl not only for her extensive knowledge but also her humor, warmth and engaging teaching style.

The fall semester begins on Wednesday, Sept. 4, for undergraduate students.

Gilbert Arena is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on the north side of Olsen Road near Campus Drive.