Commencement

Candidates for bachelor’s degrees will be awarded diplomas during a 10:30 a.m. Commencement service; master’s and doctoral candidates will receive their diplomas at 2 p.m. Baccalaureate services will be held at 8:30 a.m. in Samuelson Chapel.

The Undergraduate Commencement speaker will be Rafer Johnson, Olympic gold medalist and co-founder of California Special Olympics and Rafer Johnson Children's Center in California. Graduate Commencement speaker will be former Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Charles Weis. Johnson will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree and Weis will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Undergraduate student speaker will be political science major Joelle Cortez and ADEP speaker will be liberal studies major Robyn Lynn Ballard. Student speakers for Graduate Commencement are Lorraine Mulick, who will receive her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, and William Cioffi, who will receive a Master of Public Policy and Administration.

Dennis Gillette, Mayor Pro Tem of Thousand Oaks and former Vice President for Administrative Services at CLU, will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree during the morning ceremony and Tex Ward, former General Manager of the Conejo Recreation and Parks District, will receive the Exemplar Medallion during the afternoon ceremony.