CLU commencement set for May 15

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - April 29, 2010) California Lutheran University will honor 542 students* receiving bachelor's degrees at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 15, in Mt. Clef Stadium.

Community leader and philanthropist Pat Paulucci will address the graduates and receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from CLU, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. A former teacher, she and her husband, Joe Paulucci, have owned and operated PTS Furniture in Thousand Oaks for more than 27 years.

Paulucci's commitment to helping others, especially children, led to her serving as a volunteer caregiver at the United Cerebral Palsy Home in Westlake Village for more than two decades. She is a major supporter of KCLU, the National Public Radio station operated as a community service of CLU. She has been named Volunteer of the Year by the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce and Mardi Gras Queen of Community Conscience.

Philanthropist William Rolland, a founding resident of Westlake Village, will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree. Rolland, who rose from humble beginnings to achieve great success, created the William Rolland Firefighters Foundation to benefit the families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty, to help family members of firefighters who face life-threatening medical challenges and to provide reward money for solving arson crimes that threaten the community. He also established the William Rolland Firefighter Educational Institute dedicated to fire and life safety education.

A 17-year firefighter who received the City of Los Angeles Fire Department's Medal of Valor, Rolland also spent four decades as a real estate developer in Ventura County. He recently donated $5 million for a new football stadium at CLU.

Nicole Flanary, a communication major from Dayton, Ohio, will speak on behalf of her fellow traditional undergraduate students. Flanary, captain of the cross country and track and field teams for the past three years, is an intern at Fox Sports working toward her dream of becoming an on-field reporter and sports-entertainment producer.

John R. Larisey of Moorpark will speak on behalf of the Adult Degree Evening Program students. Seventeen years after leaving college, he enrolled at CLU in 1990. Sidetracked many times by career and family obligations since then, Larisey's determination has paid off and he is graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business management.

*Number based on Registrar's Office data on April 28, 2010.