Chris Kimball
As we prepare for the start of the 2009-2010 academic year and our 50th anniversary celebrations, I am pleased to report that CLU is making great strides in fulfilling the ambitious promise of our Strategic Plan.
Recruit and retain faculty and staff
This fall, we welcome 17 new undergraduate and graduate faculty members who come from some of the top institutions in the country. They will enhance the academic successes in theatre arts, exercise science and sports medicine, religion, sociology, criminal justice, math, business, education, art, our graduate psychology and international MBA programs, and our new master’s degree program in economics.
Recruit and graduate students
Enrollments for undergraduate and graduate programs are strong, with nearly 3,600 students enrolled this fall. We have the largest first-year class and the largest number of transfers and returning students ever. One-third of our first-year students are from traditionally underrepresented populations, and nearly a third are first in their family to attend college. Three Junior Varsity teams --women’s soccer, volleyball and men’s basketball -- have been added to the roster of athletic teams, allowing more students to participate in NCAA sports.
Enhance learning
The CLU Center for Economic Research and Forecasting team is on board in the School of Business, and the three economists are expanding their well-respected forecast project and developing the newest of our graduate degree programs. Under their leadership, CLU will integrate graduate and undergraduate economics instruction, research and outreach to the business community.
Sixteen science students with Swenson Summer Research Fellowships and five Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows from other disciplines worked throughout the summer on impressive research projects. Under the umbrella of the Office for Undergraduate Research, these programs provide stipends for faculty-mentored research that advances their professional and personal development.
Generate resources
Jennifer Arceo, a double major in chemistry and environmental science, recently received a prestigious fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Fellowship will support her research and educational activities for the next two years. Mentored by Grady Hanrahan, our John Stauffer Endowed Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Arceo will study the transport and transformation of environmental contaminants in the sediment-water of waterways throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
KCLU Radio (www.kclu.org), which celebrates its 15th anniversary this fall, recently reached a milestone in its $7.5 million capital campaign by successfully matching a $300,000 challenge grant from the international publisher SAGE.
This summer, Southern California Edison pledged $100,000 to benefit the Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science programs at CLU. The funds will benefit first generation college-bound students throughout the region.
Invest in facilities
In August, we opened Trinity Hall, a 220-bed residence hall, that is already filled with students. Construction on Swenson Center for the Social and Behavioral Sciences, CLU’s first LEED-certified building, began in August with a completion date set for fall 2010. The Swenson Center will provide 11 new university classrooms, 44 offices, two computer labs and space for a psychology lab.
Develop leadership capacity
The 2009-2010 Corporate Leaders Breakfast Series begins this month with a panel discussion on banking issues at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The expanded series of five breakfasts will also feature leaders from Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, the automotive industry, Naval Base Ventura County and National Public Radio.
Glen Becerra, a member of Simi Valley City Council and the management team at Southern California Edison, will officially join our Board of Regents this fall.
For the 15th consecutive year, CLU has been ranked in the top 20 among comprehensive universities in the West. In Forbes.com’s America’s Best Colleges 2009 report, CLU ranked 210th among all private and public institutions in the nation, an increase over its 2008 ranking of 251.
Articulate the identity
On August 31, 600 new students participated in the “You Got Served” project, cleaning out the Ventura River riverbed. This event marked the first in a series of 50 service projects that will be completed to commemorate CLU’s golden anniversary. We have an array of events planned – from Homecoming to Founders Day, parties and concerts -- to celebrate our history and our future over the next 18 months. I invite you to join us.
We have an exciting academic year ahead of us. I invite you to become a part of our community and help us celebrate 50 years of fulfilling promises.
Chris Kimball
