Cal Lutheran event marks start of journey

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Aug. 18, 2015) California Lutheran University will welcome new students and faculty members during Opening Academic Convocation at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31, in Gilbert Arena.

Faculty and administrators will assemble in full academic attire to commemorate the beginning of the academic journey for about 850 freshmen and new transfer students. Speakers will discuss the many experiential learning opportunities available through study abroad, research, internship and service programs, and a video on the topic will be screened.

Eighteen new faculty members will be welcomed to Cal Lutheran. Three of them will be teaching math. The departments of chemistry, history, philosophy, physics, psychology and religion will each have one new faculty member. One faculty member will teach in the School of Management, five in the Graduate School of Education and three at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley.

Susan Murphy, recipient of the 2015 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence, will be the keynote speaker at the convocation. The Simi Valley resident chairs the Department of Management and Marketing in the School of Management. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in human resources management and organizational behavior and development.

Murphy came to Cal Lutheran in 2002 with a strong background in applied behavioral science. Her research focuses primarily on social loafing, culture and performance in work groups. She spearheads the university’s annual Paths to Professionalism event that helps students transition to the full-time work environment and is an officer in the Cal Lutheran chapter of Sigma Beta Delta, the international honor society for business, management and administration. She has been elected to many faculty leadership positions. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from Texas Tech University and a doctorate in human resources management from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The fall semester begins on Wednesday, Sept. 2, for traditional undergraduate students. 

Gilbert Arena is located in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at 130 Overton Court in Thousand Oaks. For more information, contact Judy Beaulieu at jbeaulie@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3145.