Big dreams on campus

California Lutheran University's new president, John Sladek, faces a number of challenges, including making sure that the university continues to grow while maintaining its identity.

"As with a lot of things, it's a matter of striking the right balance," Sladek said during a recent interview in which he spoke about CLU's future and the direction he

Sladek, the university's sixth president, comes to a campus that is in the midst of a renaissance. The university recently completed its most successful fundraising campaign ever, raising $93 million for a slew of projects, including the long-awaited Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center. The university will dedicate the $18 million center Oct. 21. The center is among several athletic facilities being built on 80 acres at the university. They include a 50-meter pool, tennis courts and soccer and baseball fields.

The $93 million was raised during the tenure of former CLU President Luther Luedtke. Undergraduate enrollment also went from 1,250 when Luedtke was hired in 1992, to 1,800 when he left in January, an increase of 44 percent.

Despite the rush of construction projects at the Thousand Oaks campus, Sladek, 63, said, he thinks there is room for more. Among the projects he would like to see are a new science building, a fine arts theater that would include space for musical performances, and a new business center.

Sladek was named to the post of CLU president in late June. But it would be nearly two more months before he actually started the job.

During that time, he focused on wrapping up much of his work in Colorado, where he served as vice chancellor for research at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. He also worked as a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the university. Before that, he was on the faculty at the Chicago Medical School and the University of Rochester.

Sladek was born and grew up in Chicago.

He got interested in science at an early age. He later enrolled at Carthage College, a small private liberal arts college in the Midwest. Like CLU, Carthage is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Sladek earned a B.A. in biology and chemistry from Carthage in 1965. He later earned a Ph.D. in anatomy from the Chicago Medical School.

"My immediate goal was to become a biology professor at a liberal arts school somewhere," he said.

Sladek instead joined the Chicago Medical School faculty at the age of 24, becoming the school's youngest director for a major medical course, overseeing the school's histology program.

Sladek went to work for the University of Rochester in 1973, where he taught anatomy and brain research. Sladek returned to the Chicago Medical School in 1994, teaching neurology and chairing the school's Department of Neuroscience.

He worked as the vice chancellor for research at the University of Colorado from 2001 to this year. While there, he oversaw numerous projects and also helped raise funds.

Kristine Butcher, who heads CLU's Chemistry Department and served on the presidential search committee, said the committee was impressed by Sladek's experience as a fundraiser and enthusiasm for higher education.

"We wanted someone who would really be excited about being the president of a place like CLU," Butcher said. "And he clearly is."

Sladek sees the job at CLU as "a return to my roots," since it shares some similarities with Carthage College.

Sladek said his assignment will provide him with a special opportunity "to influence lives at an early stage."

"Here we have 17- and 18-year-olds. We have the chance to give these young people a broad-based education," one that is based on values and ethics that are important to CLU.

In guiding the university, Sladek intends to seek the counsel of CLU's previous presidents, including Luedtke.

"I would be unwise if I didn't," he said.

Herb Gooch, a longtime political science professor at CLU, said Sladek comes to CLU at a time when there's "a real sense of new beginnings" at the school. While this brings a lot of opportunity for the school, "there's also the danger that we might overexpect."

Gooch said he thinks Sladek is clearly up to the task of keeping CLU on track.

"He certainly has the qualifications to do so," Gooch said.

"He also seems like a genuinely good person," Gooch said. "All of the faculty that I've spoken with are impressed by him."