CLU Welcomes New Dean

(THOUSAND OAKS, CA – July 2007) California Lutheran University has named Joan L. Griffin of Minneapolis as the new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Dr. Griffin’s appointment is an important step forward for the college, and she will be a crucial addition to CLU’s academic leadership team,” said Provost Chris Kimball. Griffin will begin her duties at CLU on Aug. 1.

Griffin has served as the Associate Dean for General Education at Augsburg College since 2005 and has taught English at the college since 1986. She took on several leadership roles at Augsburg, including serving 15 years on the Faculty Senate, helping to guide the Honors Program and co-writing the college’s vision statement.

Griffin earned a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in Celtic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University after receiving her bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.). She has taught courses in medieval literature, British works and composition.

During a visit to CLU in April, Griffin said she became captivated with the campus, people and program. “There’s something about this university that has really caught my imagination,” Griffin said. “It’s dynamic, progressive and exciting.”

CLU is a selective liberal arts and sciences university located in Thousand Oaks, with graduate centers in Oxnard and Woodland Hills. With an enrollment of more than 3,200 students, CLU offers 36 undergraduate majors and graduate programs within the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and School of Education. Doctoral degrees in educational leadership and higher education leadership are also offered. Members of the CLU student body come from across the nation and around the world and represent a diversity of faiths and cultures. For more information, please visit www.callutheran.edu