Int'l admissions director honored for work

Dane Rowley, who holds two Cal Lutheran degrees, was honored this month at the IACAC conference in Canada. 

Photo: Brian Stethem

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – July 26, 2019) California Lutheran University’s director of international admission received the Distinguished Service Award from the International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC).

Dane Rowley, who holds two Cal Lutheran degrees, was honored this month at the IACAC conference in Canada.The nonprofit association brings high school, college and independent counselors together with financial aid officers, enrollment managers and members of organizations that help students transition from secondary to higher education. It has more than 3,000 members from about 100 countries.

“Dane is described by his colleagues as nothing less than a force of nature in the field of international admissions, someone whose personal and engaging approach to recruitment and admissions is a role model for us all,” said Aaron Andersen, the past president of the IACAC who presented the award.

“When I think of dedication, leadership and compassion in the field of international admissions, I think of Dane Rowley,” wrote one of the IACAC members who nominated him. “He stands up for his beliefs even if it means completely uprooting his own life. His goal is not to recruit but to engage. I will often find Dane at a college fair not talking about his institution but rather some philosopher or the latest book a student read.”

Rowley’s wanderlust and deep need to connect with people around the world date back to his own college days at Cal Lutheran, when he studied and lived abroad multiple times. After completing his bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 2004, he started working in admissions at his alma mater and quickly added international recruitment to his duties. He also earned a master’s degree in counseling and guidance. After serving as dean of admissions at Augustana College in Illinois for two years, Rowley returned to Cal Lutheran in 2013 in a role that allows him to focus exclusively on international admissions. The Moorpark resident not only connects with students and partners throughout the world, but also helps provide guidance on how Cal Lutheran can better serve enrolled international students.

For several years, Rowley has spent an average of four months a year traveling for Cal Lutheran. During the last academic year, he met with prospective students in 14 foreign countries, traveling to six of those countries twice. He admits that it’s tough being away from his two young sons and wife, but he does what he does in large part because of his sons. 

“I want to leave this blue speck in the cosmos better for my sons than I found it.I feel like international education is a doorway for greater peace, understanding and sense of kinship in the world,”Rowley said.“I love that through my vocation I can help improve the lives of young people around the globe while also fulfilling my personal need to mean something, to contribute something to this world.”