The College - Fall/Winter 2020 (English Version)

fall/winter 2020 CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY’S PUBLICATION FOR THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

GARDEN-TO-TABLE PROJECT

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EATING LOCAL he Cal Lutheran Sustainable T Edible Education (SEEd) Project supports a nation-wide movement that encourages people to sustainably grow and purchase local produce. Each year, more than 85% of the student-planned banquet’s home-cooked dishes are sourced from local farmers’ markets in Westlake, Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

5 Photos: 1. Ceramics students set plates created by students and community members; 2. Ceramics 1 class members tend to the garden; 3. A banquet serving bowl collaboratively created by two students; 4. Produce sourced from the Thousand Oaks and Ventura farmer’s markets; 5. Students from various clubs prepare the banquet in the Trinity Residence Hall kitchen.

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GARDEN-TO-TABLE PROJECT: POETRY, POTTERY, COMMUNITY The Garden-to-Table Project takes students on a months-long creative, immersive and interactive journey. They plant, harvest and prepare their own and other locally sourced food. They create pottery vessels and plates for serving and eating this food at a banquet they host for 100 people in Cal Lutheran’s Sustainable Edible Education (SEEd) Garden.

Created three years ago by ceramics instructor Janet Neuwalder, MFA, the annual interdisciplinary project builds community among classes and volunteers from different majors, SEEd Garden student staff, poets and local farmers. Neuwalder serves as a conductor, orchestrating the student-led project and encouraging each person to discover their role. “I wanted to create an experience that generates meaning and common ground in our diverse world, that offers a sense of fulfillment from beginning to end.”

Clay is a living material and has such human qualities... Working with clay, students become more empathic.

Neuwalder’s goal is to put into action the fluid interconnection of forming clay and planting, growing, harvesting and preparing food.

The result is an experience for community building centered on pottery, locally sourced, communally prepared food, and the sharing of a bountiful meal in a beautiful setting.

During workshops with local poets, students wrote poetry, which served as inspiration for their pottery surfaces. Seven classes took part in the preparation for the spring 2020 event—ultimately cancelled due to the Coronavirus epidemic—and eight classes will participate in spring 2021: four ceramics, two religion, one journalism and one art history.

CREATING WORTH AND MEANING Everything at the banquet is handmade, with mindful effort and the shared desire to produce something meaningful and real.

Neuwalder wanted each student to realize how gratifying it feels to use a vessel filled with something delicious, all made from the simplest materials, with one’s own hands.

INTERACTIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

hree ceramics classes taught by Neuwalder and one taught by T Carlos Kessler, MFA, will again explore the relationship between pottery, food and meaning.

J ennifer Vanderpool’s, PhD, Ancient Art students will continue hands-on experiences in plate-making and glazing workshops to complement their study of ancient practices of working with clay.

“Clay is a living material and has such human qualities,” she said.

“When we talk about pottery vessels, we talk about the foot, the shoulder, the belly, the lip. Working with clay, students become more empathic. They develop a sense of care because they have to carry their vessel from a clumsy lump of clay into something that’s of use, which has worth and meaning. That’s what pottery is.”

ristin Ritzau, PhD, will again teach her Food and Religion class in K an outdoor classroom.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

isa Dahill’s, PhD, Spirituality and Art class will participate in L spring 2021 plate making and glazing workshops, forming clay in a metaphoric way, to add dimension to learning about human imperfection and potential.

Last year, Asia Moore ’20 went all-in. She was the student liaison among the Green Club, ceramics classes, Student Life, SEEd Garden, farmers, markets and the community. She worked with Neuwalder to plan and run the event, led the plate-making ceramics workshops and created a menu that focused on using farmers’ market in-season produce. She planned the food grown in the SEEd garden and cooked it alongside volunteers from various clubs. She also budgeted and ran the event day with the help of SEEd staff and ceramics students.

“Last year’s highlight was the community we created,” said Moore, a biology major. “We got to know not only Cal Lutheran students but also local farmers, like Apricot Lane and Abundant Table, who donated food, and the people we educated about sustainability practices. I also really loved the creativity that came from all the collaborative pieces.”

tudents in Victoria Clayton’s, MA, journalism class, Writing for S Mass Media, interviewed ceramics students as they worked on their vessel projects and their writing will accompany photos at the spring 2021 banquet.

In the 2020-21 academic year, the banquet will be held in April and will also be re-configured as an art exhibition during the Festival of Scholars, featuring student pottery, photos and a video documenting the entire banquet process.

SUPPORT GROW THE SEEd PROGRAM Foster sustainability education across campus with a donation to the SEEd garden and related curricular programs.

Contact: Edgar Aguirre

EdgarAguirre@CalLutheran.edu

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TWO AWARD-WINNING, STUDENT-RUN PUBLICATIONS PREPARE GRADS FOR LIFE THE ECHO

Published weekly by the Communication Department, THE ECHO, and its Spanish Language companion, EL ECO, operate like a real-world newspaper. Student journalists decide what topics to cover, report on and write all articles, take photos and produce multimedia. The editorial staff edits content and prepares it for publication in print and online. Students also drive advertising, social media, promotion and distribution.

AWARDS 2 1 California College Media Association Awards (CCMA) since 2013 (schools with enrollment under 10,000) 7 first-place prizes among those CCMA awards 6 CCMA Awards for Excellence in reporting and photography in 2019 (competing with schools with enrollment under 15,000 students)

6 additional CCMA Awards won in 2020.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF* ELLIE LONG ’20 Major: Political Science and Global Studies Minor: Creative Writing Hometown: Seattle, WA

“I started out as a staff reporter with The Echo and went on to serve as features editor, then editor-in-chief in Fall 2019. As my writing and editing skills grew, my Echo involvement became a central part of my college experience. We became a critical information source during emergencies, including wildfires and a mass shooting.”

In 2019, Long won a first-place CCMA award for Best Non-Breaking news story, Prof’s ‘Problems in Philosophy’. In 2020, The Echo won second-place for Best Newspaper. She was also one of five reporters recognized with a third-place Best News Series award for a series on the aftermath of the Borderline Bar and Grill mass shooting.

During spring semester, she served as a communications intern with the U.S. Senate HELP Committee, where she wrote and edited press releases, drafted video scripts and compiled news clips. Long started work on the first day of the presidential impeachment trial and watched part of the trial from the gallery. “As a political news junkie, there’s really nothing more that I could have asked for,” she said.

After graduation, Long started working as a communications associate in a D.C. nonprofit that advocates for energy productivity.

“My experience with The Echo primed me for this position by teaching me how to write and edit under tight deadlines, respond to news events rapidly and serve as a team member and leader.” * from May through December 2019

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MORNING GLORY Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, the English Department’s studentproduced literary magazine, MORNING GLORY, showcases the original art, literature and music of Cal Lutheran’s students, faculty and alumni. The student staff of MORNING GLORY learns all aspects of publication: screening and editing submissions, computer-based layout and design, print production and distribution.

AWARDS on the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) W All American Award 48 times over the past 49 years I nducted into the ACP National Hall of Fame in 1990

TAKING THE LEAD IN JOURNALISM TRAINING Kirstie Hettinga, PhD Associate Professor of Communication The Echo Faculty Advisor In fall 2019, student journalists from 10 colleges where invited to the first “SoCal, So Close Student Journalism Training” during which they heard speakers and attended multiple training sessions. The event was the brainchild of, and organized by, Dr. Hettinga.

019 keynote speaker: Pulitzer Prize 2 winner Soumya Karlamangla, a member of the LA Times team that covered the San Bernardino terrorist attack 0% of attendees came from 3 community colleges 1 0 of 11 speakers were women, 4 were women of color raining sessions included: T using Facebook, community engagement, photojournalism, networking, audience engagement, interviewing, leadership, investigations and revenue building.

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF* BRIANNA ZARAGOZA ’20 Major: English—Creative Writing emphasis Hometown: San Fernando Valley

“Morning Glory is so much more than just a college magazine. It has been a place of refuge and comfort for students, faculty, alumni and family, where people can process their emotions and make meaning and beauty out of both beautiful and painful experiences. It has been personally rewarding to cultivate a community of openness and dialogue on campus through the magazine.”

The 2019 Morning Glory edition dedicated a section to those affected by the Borderline mass shooting in November 2018.

“This year, we wanted to embrace diversity and open-mindedness so that more students could feel they had a space where they could express their authentic selves,” Zaragoza said. She and her staff came up with the theme “Expression Across Borders,” which encouraged submissions that reflected on racial, ethnic, physical, gender, economic, sexuality and language barriers.

Through her involvement with Morning Glory, she came to realize that her passion is teaching and research. Even though Zaragoza loves to write creative pieces, she feels compelled to lead, inspire and teach. She’ll be pursuing a Master of Arts in English at Northeastern University in the fall.

Funded by Community Leaders Association grants, the program was co-hosted by Pepperdine University and a second event is planned for fall 2020.

SUPPORT THE RIGHT TIME TO SUPPORT WRITING The future of credible news and creative content requires ethical and well-trained professionals. Support their education by contributing to student media.

Contact: Edgar Aguirre EdgarAguirre@CalLutheran.edu

* with Meagan Toumayan ’20

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ONLINE TEACHING CARRIES THE CURRICULUM FORWARD DURING PANDEMIC This spring, California Lutheran University jumped into the uncharted waters of 100 percent virtual teaching and learning along with the rest of the higher education community. While students and faculty report missing the energetic exchanges of the classroom, they also found some benefits along the virtual journey.

Online classes offered students continuity, which helped them transition from a vibrant intellectual community to at-home isolation. Many students found they express their critical-thinking skills more clearly at a distance. Faculty were able to meet course learning goals, and to maintain their mentoring role in students’ lives. Lab courses faced particular challenges and faculty and students alike discovered resourceful solutions.

PROFESSOR RICHARD RASMUSSEN: LEADING THE TECHNOLOGY CHARGE WITH VIRTUAL LABS Before the COVID-19 virus forced a lockdown of science labs, adjunct professor of physics Rasmussen acquired the equipment necessary to perform his remaining Physics 202 and 212 labs at home. He took digital photos of his whiteboard notes, each experiment set-up and required lab equipment. He created short videos of himself performing lab steps needed to acquire data, and took photos of data measurements. He then put all annotated photos and video segments in a presentation file in the Blackboard content folder for student review the day before lab.

“I make up this lab-at-a-distance thing as I go, and it continues to evolve,” he explained. After answering general questions, he assigned groups of four or five students to breakout rooms, where they shared the presentation file and simulation tools to “perform” experiments, collect data and analyze results.

“I visited with each room to make sure they had access to all data, knew how to share it among themselves and how to request

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assistance,” he concluded. “I give students their own space to do the experiments, rarely joining their room unless requested.

“I made errors while completing and documenting the lab experiments, which my students helped me correct. This taught me a good measure of humility, and considerable empathy for my students’ efforts to understand, follow and execute the lab instructions.”

Rasmussen became more adept at using Zoom whiteboards and his own video link to demonstrate test equipment real-time, and using simulation models to supplement worksheet experiments he performs ahead of time. “Feedback has been surprisingly positive and encouraging,” he said. “One metric I’ve used to gauge progress has been how often the students call me into their breakout rooms for assistance. This has increased in all labs, and questions being posed are becoming more conceptual.”

A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE “Professor Rasmussen started every class with a simple exchange of ‘Good Mornings,’ which almost made it seem as if we were in the lab together.

The challenge was that we couldn’t actually perform the experiments online. Yet, by embedding videos of himself doing the experiments, taking measurements and posting them, he gave us the hands-on information we couldn’t gather.

This let us work together to analyze and interpret the results.”

DEVIN ROMINES ’21 Class: Physics Lab 212 Majors: Biological Science and Music

MEET THE PROFESSORS RICHARD RASMUSSEN Joined Cal Lutheran: 2012 Before Cal Lutheran

LACEY J. DAVIDSON, PhD: REIMAGINING THE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE After she took her philosophy courses online, assistant professor of philosophy Davidson sought to make the transition to virtual instruction as smooth as possible. Her classes had spent a lot of time in discussion. Zoom breakout groups allowed small group conversations similar to those in the classroom and the discussion board feature encouraged continued digestion of ideas.

Her favorite thing about teaching is connecting with students, witnessing ‘ah-ha!’ moments, and seeing them grow.

“There’s something special about being physically together, wrestling with ideas, thinking critically about our world,” she said.

“Still, students responded well to online learning. I was impressed with their ability to continue to grapple with challenging concepts like collective freedom and apply them to the crisis, such as considering our obligations during this complex time.

This is exactly why I teach philosophy!”

In her course Philosophy of Race, the final project involved student group-led discussions. With Dr. Davidson’s guidance, students successfully coordinated themselves using a variety of online platforms— Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facebook and Skype—to select engaging and complicated topics and materials for discussion.

In another course, Problems in Philosophy, several students experienced challenges in meeting synchronously, including new obligations such as starting jobs due to financial strain from the pandemic, limited internet access and mental health challenges. Dr. Davidson noted, “To address these issues, I recorded short video lectures that could be accessed through the university’s online learning platform using VidGrid, a lecture-capture software.”

Dr. Davidson found that teaching online highlighted course areas that were not as accessible as others, challenging her to think through her course design.

“After making hard choices about what I wanted my students to take away, given the increasing challenges of the pandemic, I found that they flourished under reduced pressure,” she explained.

“One student told me that my redesigned course allowed her to engage more deeply with the material, because she felt she had the space to do so.”

pace vehicle product developS ment for over 30 years: President and Chairman of Guidance Dynamics Corp.; Senior Project Engineer, Space Vector Corp. ost-graduate work in Spacecraft P Control Systems, UCLA; B.A. Engineering, U.C. Davis

LACEY J. DAVIDSON, PhD Joined Cal Lutheran: 2019 Before Cal Lutheran h.D, Philosophy, P Purdue University, 2019 reas of Specialization: philosophy A of race, social epistemology and philosophy of mind

A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE “The discussion board allowed students to think about what they wanted to say and how they wanted to say it, encouraging participation without singling out anyone. Its questions urged us to grapple with the content and further analyze ideas. But nothing compares to the classroom, which is more personal and creates the feeling of being in a safe space, so necessary when discussing sensitive topics like race and racism.”

SUPPORT HIGH TECH NEEDED FOR HIGH TOUCH To create more engaging virtual environments for student learning, donate to fund the acquisition of necessary technical tools.

Contact: Edgar Aguirre EdgarAguirre@CalLutheran.edu

ALYSSA TRACY ’21 Class: Philosophy of Race Major: Philosophy

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STUDENT RESEARCHERS & THE SCIENCE THAT DRIVES THEM POLITICAL SCIENCE Study abroad & D.C. Internship: Rizo studied abroad at the Universidad de Granada in Spain, where a politics class deeply expanded her knowledge of the European Union. She also did a full-time internship with Senator Dianne Feinstein on Capitol Hill, where she attended congressional hearings and briefings and conducted research for legislative staffers, giving her new perspective on how legislation passes through Congress.

Research with Haco Hoang, PhD, Political Science: Rizo is excited to be conducting research on an environmental justice project in the predominately agricultural and Latino community in Oxnard, where she grew up. Using data of pesticide exposure in local farmworkers gathered by Dr. Hoang and Grady Hanrahan, PhD, Chemistry, Alexis is helping bring awareness, education and justice to this environmental issue. The project has special meaning to Rizo because her grandfather, as part of the United Farm Workers, advocated for farmworkers’ rights in the 1970s and 80s.

ALEXIS RIZO ’21 Major: Political Science—Law and Public Policy Emphasis Hometown: Oxnard, CA

A Favorite Class: Women and Politics explored the complexity of women’s race, ethnicity and intersexuality and how current public policies impact women globally.

Post-Graduation Plans: Graduate school in public policy after working in environmental justice advocacy and volunteering overseas

“I’ve always been drawn to community engagement, empowerment and service, so I study political science because it has fundamental roots in community development. Cal Lutheran’s program takes students into the field and also makes studying abroad very doable.”

SUPPORT BE PART OF DISCOVERY Support emerging talent and sponsor a student scholar. Be part of creating new knowledge for today and into the future.

Contact: Edgar Aguirre EdgarAguirre@CalLutheran.edu

PREPARING YOUNG SCHOLARS Student scientists across academic disciplines are funded through the Undergraduate Research Institute to participate in national or international research competitions and in faculty-mentored research. They are also sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship to participate in full-time summer research and scholarship and showcase their research results at the Student Research Symposium and the Festival of Scholars.

7% student enrollment increase in Cal Lutheran science 7 programs since 2008 1 in 4 students are natural science majors McNair Scholars Summer Research Fellowship Stats 5 high-performing underrepresented, first-generation 2 and low-income students awarded fellowships annually $1.16 million provided in federal funding

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PHYSICAL SCIENCE

SOCIAL SCIENCE JADE MOORE ’20 Major: Psychology Hometown: Littleton, CO Post-Graduation Plans: PhD in Social Psychology at UC Santa Cruz

“I’ve always been interested in what drives people to make certain decisions and act in particular ways. By understanding the driving forces, I believe that it is much easier to be sympathetic and tolerant toward everyone, even when you don’t agree with them. I love Cal Lutheran’s supportive and encouraging psychology professors who were instrumental in helping me get into a doctoral program.”

McNair Scholars Program: As a McNair Scholar—a prestigious twoyear program providing underrepresented, first-generation students with resources, guidance and support—Moore received funding for her first research project and her travel to conferences. She credits the program with helping expose her to the world of research as well as to graduate school possibilities. As someone who wants to make real change in the criminal justice system, Moore sees earning her PhD as a portal to that goal.

JAVIER BERJON DE LA PARRA ’20 Major: Physics Hometown: Aguascalientes, Mexico Post-Graduation Plans: PhD in Optics at University of Rochester

“Physics is the primordial science that tries to understand and model the ‘why?,’ ‘how?’ and ‘when?’ of our universe. As a curious person, this everlasting quest for answers drew me to physics. At Cal Lutheran, the physics department gave me the instruction and opportunities to become a great experimentalist through numerous hands-on experiences”

Research with Amanda ElBassiouny, PhD, Psychology: Moore joined Dr. ElBassiouny’s research lab as a Culver Behavioral Science Research Fellow, and also completed an independent project with her on the impact of a defendant’s race and gender on a juror’s willingness to discard a confession. They are currently in the process of getting it published, and Moore also expanded the project for her honors’ thesis.

A Favorite Class: Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination helped explain to Moore a lot of the behaviors seen in everyday life that don’t make sense at first, but actually have an underlining motivation.

PhD in Optics: Berjon de la Parra will begin his graduate studies in optics at the University of Rochester. With a reputation as one of the best optics schools in the nation, the University will provide Berjon de la Parra the opportunity to work and research in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

Research with Sebastian Carron Montero, PhD, Physics: Berjon de la Parra said the high energy physics research he engaged in at Cal Lutheran with his mentor Dr. Carron Montero encouraged his development as a student, researcher and person. One of the most exciting projects was designing the optics and adapting tests for new prototype detectors intended to be used in the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. He also had the opportunity to attend and provide data analysis for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago. Last year, Berjon de la Parra was named a Rossing Physics Scholar.

A Favorite Class: Optics provided Berjon de la Parra experience with instrumentation builds, a strong understanding of the abstract nature of light and an advanced mathematical toolbox.

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FROM THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES STUDENTS ELEANOR “ELLIE” BARKER ’20 History and Political Science Awarded a U.S. Student Fulbright to teach English in Kazakhstan. Criteria for selection includes academic accomplishments, record of service and potential for leadership in their fields. Barker is the sixth Cal Lutheran applicant to receive an English Teaching Assistantship grant in the last decade.

CLAIRE THOMPSON ’20 Marketing Communication Presented her research in Denver, CO, at the Western States Communication Association’s annual conference for undergraduate research scholars. Thompson’s presentation was titled Slaying a Friend or Slaying an Enemy: Differences in the Application of Morality to Single Player Video Games Versus Multi-Player Video Games.

ACTING SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION Nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition at the annual Region VIII Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF).

Maya De La Torre ’21 Theatre Arts Pernille Klemetsen ’21 Theatre Arts Katarina Lopez ’21 Criminology & Criminal Justice Victoria Karr ’21 Communication Out of over 300 nominees from five states, De La Torre and her partner Will Péna, and Lopez and her partner Megan Rackley, advanced to the semi-final round of 62.

DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL ANNOUNCED Dr. Jessica Lavariega Monforti announced the formation of the first Dean’s Advisory Council of the College of Arts & Sciences.

Welcome to our inaugural members!

DON HOSSLER ’71, PhD Senior Scholar, Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California

CRISTINA ABAROA

OSCAR MADRIGAL ’06, MPPA ’10

Founder and CEO, Moon Moosic, a production service platform

High school educator, Oxnard City Council member

LOIS CAPPS, MA, LL.D. ’08 honoris causa

KATHERINE MILLER, SPHR, SCP

Former U.S. Representative, California’s 24th District

Former Director of Campus Development, Facilities and Workplace Services, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

MARY ELLEN COSENZA, PhD

ARTIS TWYMAN, MS

Former Executive Director, U.S. Regulatory Affairs, Amgen, Inc.

Senior Director, Communications, Los Angeles Rams

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PROFESSORS AWARDED & APPOINTED GREGORY FREELAND, PhD, Political Science Named a “California Top 100 Black Leader” by the Schools and Communities First initiative. The 100+ Black Leaders for Schools & Communities First is comprised of some of the state’s most prominent and important Black educators, clergy, activists, entrepreneurs, non-profit directors, workplace leaders, philanthropists and elected officials.

DID YOU 114

DONORS RAISED $206,830 FOR THE COLLEGE ON CAL LU CARES DAY COLLEGE CLASSES SHIFTED

890 ONLINE IN THE SPAN OF

1 WEEK DUE TO COVID19

950 10

STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A VIRTUAL GRADUATION CEREMONY

ENRICHMENT SUMMER OFFERINGS

DAVID MARCEY, PhD, Biology Appointed by the national Promoting Active Learning and Mentoring (PALM) Network to be a PALM mentor. PALM was established to increase the use of active learning in undergraduate biology and allied STEM lecture courses, and PALM mentors are chosen based on their reputation as leaders in the use of effective methods for improving student learning.

PALM is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

PUBLISHED JULIA FOGG, PhD, Religion Her book, Finding Jesus at the Border: Opening Our Hearts to the Stories of Our Immigrant Neighbors, was published by Brazos Press in April 2020.

PROFESSOR TIM HENGST, MA, Visual Arts Completed medical illustrations in the VOL. 102-B, No. 2, February 2020 edition of The Bone & Joint Journal, Functional outcomes of tendon transfer for brachial plexus birth palsy using the Hoffer technique.

PROFESSOR EMERITUS LARKIN HIGGINS, MFA, Visual Arts Published several graphite pencil logographic drawings and her artist statement in Notre Dame Review, Number 48, Summer/Fall 2019.

The edition is titled &Now & Whenever It’s Needed, pp. 34-37, edited by Kathleen J. Canavan & Steve Tomasula. A companion online publication includes the same works by Higgins, plus a Prismacolor & graphite logographic drawing/visual poem titled “left turn, right turn, impact.”

JESSICA LAVARIEGA MONFORTI, PhD, Political Science Contributor to the published book Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia, that uncovers the obstacles and systemic biases that women faculty encounter in higher education careers.

FROM THE DEAN DR. JESSICA L. LAVARIEGA MONFORTI Over the past few months, I’ve been reflecting on what makes a community able to persevere in such difficult times. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, I was struck by the interconnectivity of the work required to help us through this challenge—first responders and health care workers on the front lines, musicians who live-stream concerts, filmmakers and authors who engage us with compelling stories, researchers who work to find a cure, spiritual leaders and counselors who help us cope, educators who teach from virtual classrooms, mathematicians and statisticians who provide models to guide our preparations, and communicators who keep us informed.

The experience has affirmed my belief in the power of connecting the arts, humanities, and natural, social and behavioral sciences as a way to navigate the world’s most complex issues. It’s the type of learning that best prepares individuals and societies to adapt and respond to the unknown challenges of the future, and it’s at the heart of The College’s liberal arts education.

The pandemic has shaped a unique experience for our current students, and our faculty have demonstrated great compassion, flexibility and care to help them transition to new ways of learning in these uncertain times. We are grateful for supporters who also recognized our new challenges and donated more than $206,830 during the one-day event, “Cal Lu Cares.” Dr. Arnold l Gutierrez and his family Esther and David ’14 contributed $150,000. This type of generosity not only serves very practical purposes, but fosters hope and demonstrates confidence in the future—when our students will be the generation entrusted with responding to the yet unknown challenges.

Photo by Inga Parke, published with permission from The Echo.

CONTACT INFORMATION College of Arts & Sciences 805.493.3015 TheCollege@CalLutheran.edu Soiland Humanities Building

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NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA PERMIT NO. 68

Soiland Humanities Building 60 West Olsen Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 CalLutheran.edu/college-arts-science

STUDENT AND PROFESSOR WIN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS SCHOLARSHIP VANESSA BUENROSTRO ’23 Major: Computer Science Vanessa Buenrostro was one of 10 recipients of an engineering scholarship awarded by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) during the Ventura and Santa Barbara National Engineers Week awards banquet in February. She is a first-generation student and transferred to Cal Lutheran from Oxnard College.

Scholarship winners must be pursuing an engineering or technical degree while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater. NSPE is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce.

GRAVES AWARD IN THE HUMANITIES BRIAN COLLINS, PhD Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dr. Brian Collins received the Graves Award to help support the SoCal Philosophy Academy, which he started three years ago. Administered by Pomona College under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, the Award is offered biennially to faculty in the first decade of their careers to “encourage and reward outstanding accomplishment in actual teaching in the humanities.”

The SoCal Philosophy Academy is a free, 4-day camp for local high school students interested in the discipline and philosophical discussions. Hosted on the Cal Lutheran campus, the Academy curriculum promotes the practice of philosophy through precollege philosophy instruction and public philosophy, developing critical thinking and communication skills.