Recent Town Hall

Dear Campus Community,

Despite the rain and wind, Tuesday’s Faculty and Staff Town Hall brought over 75 attendees to Lundring for the in-person gathering. Another 200 joined us virtually, weathering the technology bumps that impacted the first few minutes. For anyone who wants to see or hear the information, the recording and slides are online, and a recap of the event is outlined next.

ITS

Chief Information Officer Zareh Marselian walked us through updates in ITS and cybersecurity.

He began by informing us that the Learning Management System (LMS) team will complete the migration from Blackboard to Canvas this summer. Training for the new LMS has already begun, and he encouraged staff and faculty to complete the training sessions.

Second, he brought to our attention a new feature in MyCLU: Action Items. This prompts us to specific tasks each one of us must complete. One assignment now linked in that section is a Cybersecurity Awareness training that all faculty and staff are required to complete. After Zareh posted examples of the phishing emails and texts that ITS sent to employees over the last month — and the number of employees who submitted their username and passwords — it is clear that many of us will benefit from this particular program. Our insurance provider requires employees complete this training. Please do so on or before April 3.

Lastly, higher ed institutions such as Cal Lutheran that offer federal student aid are now considered financial institutions and must comply with the Safeguards Rule. To conduct business with and via institutions in this category (such as banks, TIAA-CREF, etc.), end-users are required to use a two-factor authentication system. This two-factor authentication will be instituted at Cal Lutheran following May Commencement.

If you’re wary of an email or text message that has popped up on one of your devices, or if you have questions about the new policies, please reach out to the Cal Lutheran Help Desk.

Campus Plan

I was pleased to announce that the Board of Regents approved six capital projects. All of them will commence in the coming months: 

1. Ahmanson Science remodel
2. Completion of Phase One of the Softball Stadium
3. Re-turfing of the William Rolland Stadium
4. Design of a practice and competition track
5. Construction of an outdoor classroom/pavilion
6. Addition of ~ 60 new EV charging stations

General Updates

The LA Rams have exercised their optional one-year extension which means they will remain on our campus for at least another year until August 30, 2024. The Angel City Football Club’s contract has them here at least through December 31, 2023.

Members of the Campus Climate Survey task force have unanimously recommended a vendor to help us generate and analyze baseline campus climate data. The assessment by Rankin Climate — likely to include a survey and focus groups — will be scheduled for this fall.

Starting Fall 2023, incoming students will take courses that are part of a new General Education curriculum. After more than a decade, the new curriculum has been approved. It has been named “IDEAS” (INQUIRE, DEVELOP, EXPERIENCE, ADAPT, SERVE). Extensive work has gone into the design and approval of IDEAS, and I thank all of the faculty who have played a role in getting the program to the finish line. Our students will be nourished, for years to come, by the fruits of your labor.

The informational portion of the Town Hall ended with a WASC announcement. We expect to receive a letter from the WASC Commission by next Monday.  Accordingly, Provost Neilson and I will hold a President and Provost Forum on Tuesday, March 21, from 2:15 - 3:00 pm in Lundring, to share an update.

Student Showcases

The Town Hall ended with two student spotlights: the SCIAC Champion Kingsmen Basketball team and the Mariachi Ensemble. Coach Russel White introduced 13 players, reminding us of their incredible dedication to Cal Lutheran, both on and off the court.

We concluded with the student Mariachi Ensemble who performed two energizing songs that had all of us clapping, smiling, and feeling the warmth of community. They lit up the room and brightened our day. No rain could dampen our spirits while they were performing.

I look forward to seeing you at the President and Provost Forum on Tuesday.