New options for Cal Lutheran commuters

Oxnard, SFV classes offered for traditional undergrads

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Photo: Brittany App

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Jan. 31, 2019) At the request of commuter students, California Lutheran University is offering traditional undergraduate classes at off-campus centers for the first time this semester.

Seven classes are being held at the Oxnard Center and three at the Woodland Hills Center. About 60 students are taking the courses in math, psychology, religion, sociology and Spanish. Numbers are expected to grow in future semesters as word spreads. Previously, the centers offered classes only for the graduate and Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals programs.

Members of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Sciences proposed the idea. A subsequent survey of undergraduate commuter students living in Oxnard, Ventura and the San Fernando Valley showed that 80 percent would be interested in taking classes in Oxnard or Woodland Hills. 

When asked what the biggest motivator was, the largest group of students said saving time with a shorter commute. Smaller groups of students were looking for convenience or to save gas money. A few indicated it would be closer to internships or work or that they lacked consistent transportation. 

“We continually listen to students so that we can determine if there are ways we can better serve their needs,” said Jessica L. Lavariega Monforti, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We hope this expands access and makes it easier for students to commute, engage in fieldwork and take on internships.”

Cal Lutheran is a selective university based in Thousand Oaks, California, with additional locations in Woodland Hills, Westlake Village, Oxnard, Santa Maria and Berkeley. With an enrollment of about 4,400 students, Cal Lutheran offers undergraduate and graduate programs through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Psychology and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Members of the Cal Lutheran student body come from across the nation and around the world and represent a diversity of faiths and cultures. For more information, visit CalLutheran.edu.

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