CLU President Appointed to CIC Board of Directors

THOUSAND OAKS, CA – January 2005 – Luther S. Luedtke, Ph.D., president of California Lutheran University, has been elected to the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Board of Directors. President Luedtke will serve a three–year term from January 2005 to January 2008.

The election was held during a meeting of the Board of Directors at CIC’s 2005 Presidents Institute in Marco Island, Fla., earlier this month.

Among the responsibilities of the CIC Directors are providing fiduciary oversight for the allocation of CIC’s assets and approving operating budgets; participating in the development and approval of long–range plans; and advising on the direction of the council’s programs and services.

“The Council is pleased to have Luedtke as a Board member,” said CIC President Richard Ekman. “His experience and expertise will help guide CIC through the planning and execution of many exciting new projects that will benefit all of independent higher education.”

Luedtke assumed the presidency of CLU in 1992 after two decades at the University of Southern California. A native of Minnesota, Luedtke earned his bachelor's degree summa cum laude at Gustavus Adolphus College and his doctorate in American Civilization at Brown University. Before joining the English faculty at USC, he held a series of positions as professor and director of Graduate Studies in English, chair of American Studies and director of the School of Journalism.

Luedtke has been a Fulbright Professor in Germany, director of the American Studies Research Center in India, and Resident Scholar with the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D.C., as well as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars and other government bodies.

The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of 540 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen college and university leadership, sustain high–quality education, and enhance private higher education’s contributions to society. To fulfill this mission, CIC provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge that address aspects of leadership, financial management and performance, academic quality, and institutional visibility.