Professor to become Honorary Alumnus

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – April 25, 2013) The California Lutheran University Alumni Association will present an Honorary Alumnus Award to religion professor Jarvis Streeter during the 2013 Honors Convocation at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 30, in Samuelson Chapel.

The award honors people who have rendered outstanding service and brought honor and distinction to the university. The association selected Streeter for his dedication, scholarship and leadership.

The Santa Rosa Valley resident has been teaching at CLU for 25 years. Although he is battling pancreatic cancer that spread to his lungs, he continues to teach the Faith and Reason class.

Fascinated by the connections between science and theology, Streeter is deeply involved in CLU’s mission to encourage critical inquiry into matters of both faith and reason. The book he is currently finishing, “God and the History of the Universe,” deals with the interplay of theology and the natural sciences. His 2008 book, “Human Nature, Human Evil and Religion,” explored the relationship between Christian thought and social science theories on human nature.

A specialist in Christian theology, he has also taught courses in biblical studies, church history, ethics and global religions. His research has focused on historical Jesus studies and doctrines of God, creation, human nature and sin. He received the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004.

Streeter has led a life of service beyond academia. The 63-year-old has served as a Lutheran pastor, taught in a remote Kenyan village and participated in an archeological dig at Caesara Maritima in Israel. He has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations and is currently the president of the board of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, the professional theater company of CLU, and a member of the steering committee of the Association of Teaching Theologians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Southern California, a master’s in divinity from Luther Seminary, a master’s in sacred theology from Yale University Divinity School and a doctorate in theology from Southern Methodist University. He spent an additional year at Yale as a Research Fellow.

The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive on the Thousand Oaks campus.