Cal Lutheran President Resigns; Interim President Announced

The California Lutheran University Board of Regents announced today that President Lori Varlotta will step down from her role effective May 31, 2024. Dr. John Nunes, most recently pastor at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Santa Monica, and former president of Concordia College New York, will serve as interim president for a two-year term beginning on June 1, 2024.

Varlotta was appointed president in September 2020 and successfully steered the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, leading efforts to bring Cal Lutheran students back to campus and to face-to-face learning ahead of many other California institutions. She made difficult but necessary changes to mitigate a potential financial crisis; implemented changes to align shared governance structures with university bylaws; and designed a Talent, Culture and Diversity division.

Nunes has served since 2020 on the Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression at the Bipartisan Policy Center. The Task Force’s recommendations about how to foster a campus culture of robust intellectual exchange during the current period of national polarization have been adopted by many universities, both public and private.

Nunes is a senior fellow at the Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy and was ordained as a Lutheran minister in 1991. He was also president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief and held an endowed professorship at Valparaiso University. He is the author of five books and numerous articles, and holds degrees from Concordia College, Ann Arbor (BA), Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario (MDiv), and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (ThM and PhD). He and his wife, Monique, are the parents of six children and 13 grandchildren.

Dr. Nunes’ appointment comes with the support of the Region 1 bishops and Region 2 bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

California Lutheran University

Founded in 1959 and formally recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2016, California Lutheran University is home to 2,377 undergraduate and 1,033 graduate students. Our students come from 59 countries and represent a wide spectrum of faiths and spirituality. Our dedicated, accomplished faculty teach in small classes, guiding our students as they grow into open-minded leaders who are strong in character and judgment, confident in identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice. Everyone at Cal Lutheran is committed to helping each student pursue their passions, discover their purpose and transform their community. Learn more at CalLutheran.edu.

CSU Channel Islands Hosts a New Online Chumash Language Dictionary

Kaia Tollefson, Jenn Perry, Asha Ramachandra, Matthew Vestuto, Richard Yao, Salvador Tumamait-Ambriz

A Chumash dialect spoken by the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians thousands of years ago is alive and thriving with a new online Chumash language dictionary hosted by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI).

Ventureño Chumash, also called mitsqanaqan, is one of six (some say seven) documented Chumashan languages, each named after a mission. There have been other Chumashan dictionaries, but this is the first online dictionary specific to the Barbareño/Ventureño Chumash. These are the indigenous people who lived in Ventura County and the northern Channel Islands for thousands of years.

Matthew Vestuto, Chairman of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (BVBMI) Tribal Council who is a self-trained linguist, has been working for years to get an online presence for the mitsqanaqan dictionary, which was developed by Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) Linguistics Lecturer Timothy Henry-Rodriguez and released in 2019.

Henry-Rodriguez began developing the dictionary when he was in graduate school in 2005 and was later aided by a National Science Foundation Documenting Endangered Languages award for $25,000. He studied the notes of linguist and ethnologist John Peabody Harrington (1884-1961), who specialized in California indigenous people.

 After graduate school, Henry-Rodriguez met Vestuto, who helped do more research with the aid of other members of the BVBMI.

“Our last native speakers died in the 1960s and so we’re reliant upon the archival record,” Vestuto said.

When the dictionary was released in 2019, Henry-Rodriguez described it as a labor of love for him, his student researchers, and the researchers from the Barbareño/Ventureño tribe.

“First and foremost are the various Chumash speakers who, despite oppressive social conditions and economic constraints, still understood the importance of recording their language and the urgency to do so,” Henry-Rodriguez wrote. “While they may not have known that all their hard work would come to fruition in the form of a dictionary, it is my hope that this work will honor all the hard work they did. Their bravery and strength truly inspire me continually.”

Although Henry-Rodriguez did the initial research and created the dictionary, he credits the BVBMI with working to get it online, which took place recently thanks to the expertise of CSUCI’s Information Technology Services team and the John Spoor Broome Library staff.

Vestuto and fellow researcher Salvador Tumamait-Ambriz were guests at a recent campus event in which the first phase of the dictionary was rolled out, with phases two, three and four to follow in the future.

CSUCI President Richard Yao took the podium to talk about the campus tradition of honoring the place where the University now sits, and the people who dwelled here. Yao also spoke about the President’s Chumash Advisory Council (PCAC), which was formed in 2023 between CSUCI and the BVBMI.

“In creating this Council, we acknowledge that the Chumash are the first people of the lands on which the University operates, and that CSUCI’s campus is on the unceded territory of the BVBMI,” Yao announced when the council was formed. “CSUCI has the responsibility and desire to maintain strong relationships with the BVBMI, and together we share a commitment to working in collaboration to be stewards of the land and of its natural and cultural heritage.”

The language began to disappear when the Spanish missionaries arrived in 1769 to build 21 missions up the California coast, forcing Chumash to work for them and introducing European diseases to which the Chumash had no natural immunity. The Chumash way of life - and their language - changed.

“The age-old American story is that when indigenous people went to boarding schools, they were taught their language was savage and not worthy and to not speak it,” Vestuto said. “That affects people. For a university to say, we hold your language in high esteem - to say it’s something we want to support - also affects us in a good way.”

CSUCI Professor of Anthropology and Executive Director of Regional Educational Partnerships Jennifer Perry, explained why this project is named the “House of Language.”

“By calling it the House of Language, we are referring to a living repository,” Perry said. “It’s not intended to preserve a static language, but to keep it alive and in practice and constantly evolving.”

Plans are underway to incorporate the Chumash language into the signage around campus, offering the name of a tree or plant, for example, in both English and Chumash. There are also plans to incorporate the Chumash language into the University curriculum.

“To us, the language is not imposed upon the land it comes from the land,” Vestuto said. “Language all around the world is like a living entity that pulses through the ages carrying crucial knowledge through the centuries, but it requires new breath. Our language was disrupted. We’ve developed a partnership with this campus and in doing so, we’ve also developed a friendship. The hosting of an online dictionary in our language is a major step toward assisting us in our healing.”

To access the mitsqanaqan (Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians) dictionary, visit ciapps.csuci.edu/ChumashDictionary.

CSU Channels Islands President Erika D. Beck Appointed President of CSU Northridge

The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees has appointed Erika D. Beck, Ph.D., to serve as president of California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Beck currently serves as president of California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI).

“From the robust academic programs to inspirational athletic competition to the expansive opportunities for arts and culture, I am inspired by the impact that CSUN has in shaping the face of the San Fernando Valley and beyond,” said Beck. “While it is bittersweet to leave CSU Channel Islands where working together with faculty, staff, students and community we have made significant progress, I am thankful for this opportunity to join the talented CSUN faculty, staff and students to ensure that all Matadors rise.”

While president of CSUCI, Beck championed the campus’ vision to become a national leader in providing equitable, affordable and transformative education. CSUCI placed at the top of many recent national rankings including those issued by U.S. News & World Report, Money and Washington Monthly. The campus’ four-year graduation rate for first-year students has also reached an all-time high and last year was recognized as one of nine institutions in the nation with the prestigious Seal of Excelencia for its accomplishments in facilitating LatinX student success. Beck was appointed to the CSUCI presidency in 2016.

“In a short period of time, Dr. Beck has quickly steered CSUCI to unprecedented heights,” said CSU Trustee Debra Farar, chair of the CSUN search committee. “Her extensive knowledge of the CSU and California ensures that she will build on the successful work of outgoing CSUN President Dianne Harrison.”

Prior to her time at CSUCI, Beck served as the provost and executive vice president of Nevada State College (NSC) in Henderson, Nevada. Before her tenure as provost and executive vice president, she served as the dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a faculty member in the psychology department, and chair of the Faculty Senate. Prior to her service at NSC, she served as a faculty fellow at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and a research associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Beck earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of California, San Diego. She is also “made in the CSU,” having earned her master’s in psychology from San Diego State University.

Beck will assume her new role at CSUN on January 11, 2021.

Following consultation with stakeholders at CSUCI and with board chair Lillian Kimbell, CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White will soon announce an interim appointment who will serve as campus president beginning early next year. The Board of Trustees anticipates launching a national search in the new year for Beck's successor at CSUCI.​

Beck has served as president of CSUCI since March 2016.

About the California State University

The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, 53,000 faculty and staff and 486,000 students. Half of the CSU's students transfer from California community colleges. Created in 1960, the mission of the CSU is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is renowned for superb teaching, innovative research and for producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards nearly than 129,000 degrees. One in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU and our alumni are 3.8 million strong. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU NewsCenter.

Schools Will Consider Reopening Dates as Ventura County Coronavirus Status Improves

Today, Ventura County moved off the most restrictive tier of the state’s COVID-19 watch list, which means schools could soon have the option of reopening for in-person instruction at all grade levels. If Ventura County maintains its status for two additional weeks, schools may choose to reopen as early as Wednesday, October 21. However, it will be up to each individual school district to determine exactly when they can safely begin welcoming students back to class. Some schools may choose to reopen their campuses later than October 21 for a variety of reasons.

When they do reopen, schools will need to maintain strict social distancing, keeping students and staff at least six feet away from each other. This means classrooms can only be filled to a fraction of their normal capacity. Schools are also required to keep the same groups of students together to the greatest extent possible to limit the number of people each student is exposed to throughout the day.

In elementary grades, many schools will comply with these rules by bringing only a portion of students to class each day. On the days they are not in class, students will continue receiving instruction through distance learning. This hybrid approach will allow all students to have some in-class instruction a few days per week.

The situation becomes much more complicated in middle school and high school where students switch classrooms and mix with different groups multiple times a day according to each student’s unique schedule. Because of this and the fact that classrooms cannot be filled to capacity, it will be extremely difficult to create a workable in-person schedule at the middle and high school levels. As a result, some schools may determine that the best option is to continue with full-time distance learning.

In addition to scheduling and safety considerations, school districts need to ensure there are enough teachers available to resume in-person instruction. Many teachers are in high risk groups, which could prevent them from returning to class. Others may have reservations about being in a crowded school environment while the pandemic is ongoing.

Another issue that complicates reopening is transportation. Because of social distancing requirements, school buses will not be able to carry the usual number of students. It’s very likely there will not be a sufficient supply of buses and drivers to provide transportation to all students who may need it.

“We recognize that people have passionate feelings on both sides of the school reopening issue, and we want nothing more than to get students safely back to class,” said Stan Mantooth, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “I urge everyone to understand that school district leaders are working to reopen in the most responsible way, which may mean spending additional time on distance learning at some schools.”

All Ventura County schools have prepared detailed reopening procedures that will help ensure the safety of students and staff when they return to campus. They include:

• Face coverings will be required for all staff and for students in third grade and above.

• Classrooms will be arranged to keep everyone at least six feet apart.

• Students will be kept in consistent groups (cohorts) as much as possible.

• Parents will be instructed to keep students home whenever they have a temperature or show symptoms.

• Anyone experiencing symptoms at school will be sent home.

• Facilities and equipment will be disinfected on a regular basis.

• School officials will work with Ventura County Public Health on contact tracing if positive cases arise.

• Athletic training and conditioning are allowed with social distancing, but actual competitions are on hold pending further guidance from public health officials.

• Staff will receive COVID-19 testing as required by state and local regulations.

• Staff and students will receive health screenings on a regular basis.

Each school district is communicating independently with parents and students about their reopening timelines. For additional information about reopening protocols, see the Framework for Reopening Ventura County Schools at www.vcoe.org/framework.

About the Ventura County Office of Education

The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

New Ventura County Office of Education Building to Serve Needs of Students with Autism

The Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) today marked the completion of the new Mary E. Samples Education Services Center building in Camarillo.

The 29,944 square- foot, two-story building at 5250 Adolfo Road. was finished just over two years after construction began. The building is the new, permanent home of VCOE’s Triton Academy, which serves students with autism in 3rd through 12th grades. It also houses the administrative offices of VCOE’s Special Education Department and has space reserved for what could become a high-tech makerspace lab for middle school students throughout the county.

The building is named after Mary E. Samples, a longtime champion of children with special needs in Ventura County. Before she retired in 2018, Samples served for 14 years as the leader of the Ventura County SELPA (Special Education Local Plan Area), the agency that administers special education programs for public school students countywide. That capped a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades in Ventura County public education.

Plans to bring students back to class in the new building are temporarily on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. Once it’s safe for them to return, students will find state-of-the art classrooms equipped with smart video screens, the latest specialized learning tools for children with autism, and an interactive outdoor play area. A formal dedication and grand opening ceremony for the new building will be held at a future date when conditions allow.

The $15 million in funding for the new building came from Proposition 51, a statewide school facilities bond measure that voters approved in 2016. The Mary Samples Center was built by Oxnard-based Viola Constructors and designed by DC Architects. Additional information, including a time lapse video of the building’s construction, is available at www.vcoe.org/msc.

About the Ventura County Office of Education

The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.

Lori Varlotta Named 8th President of Cal Lutheran University

The first female president in Cal Lutheran’s 61-year history, Varlotta is an established leader with broad experience in academic affairs, enrollment management, budget and planning, student affairs and fundraising. She is a routine contributor to national conversations on academic issues and has published extensively on topics ranging from diversity and inclusion to service and leadership to assessment and accountability. More recently, her research has focused on leading inclusive processes aimed at bringing systemic change to higher education.

As a first-generation college student, she recognizes, firsthand, the transformative power of education. Her commitment to the liberal arts and sciences was seeded during her own undergraduate years while majoring in philosophy and has only grown stronger over the years.

“For three-and-a-half decades, working at mission-driven colleges and universities has been a calling, not a career. And the mission at Cal Lutheran to educate leaders for a global society speaks volumes to me,” Varlotta said. “I am excited and humbled to join forces with faculty, staff, students, alumni and regents as we collectively move this fine institution to its next level of excellence.”

Varlotta comes to Cal Lutheran having served as president at Hiram since 2014. During her six years there, Varlotta worked with colleagues across campus to design and implement changes that benefit the institution as a whole and the students it serves. Most notably, Varlotta led processes that sparked nationally recognized initiatives in high-impact and integrative learning and mindful technology. And, as a champion of shared governance, she built structures that facilitate faculty, staff and student input into decision-making processes.

Before coming to Hiram, Varlotta spent 11 years at Sacramento State, ultimately serving as senior vice president of planning, enrollment management and student affairs. She led 31 departments that included the areas of retention, educational equity and NCAA Division I athletics. She also held leadership roles at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and University of San Francisco. She has had significant successes in increasing diversity among students, faculty and staff.

A native of Pittsburgh, Varlotta earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Science in cultural foundations of education from Syracuse University, and an interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership and feminist philosophy from Miami University in Ohio.

“With a distinguished career and a passion for excellence in all aspects of higher education, Dr. Varlotta is uniquely qualified to lead Cal Lutheran,” said Susie Lundeen-Smuck, chair of the Board of Regents and a 1988 alumna. “She stood out from the beginning of the search process as an energetic, creative and inspirational president, and we are thrilled that she will be steering this university into its next era.”

A 20-member committee that included regents, faculty, staff, students and alumni conducted the presidential search over the last seven months and more than 50 additional members of the Cal Lutheran community participated in the final round of interviews. The committee submitted its recommendation to the Board of Regents, which is the hiring authority for the president.

Chris Kimball, who has served as president since 2008, announced in October that he would be stepping down.

Cal Lutheran is a Hispanic-Serving Institution based in Thousand Oaks, California, with additional locations in Woodland Hills, Westlake Village, Oxnard, Santa Maria and Berkeley. With an enrollment of about 4,300 students, Cal Lutheran offers undergraduate and graduate programs through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Psychology and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Members of the Cal Lutheran student body come from across the nation and around the world and represent a diversity of faiths and cultures. For more information, visit CalLutheran.edu.

All Ventura County School Districts to Close Campuses Through Remainder of School Year

All Ventura County School Districts to Close Campuses Through Remainder of School Year

Distance Learning and School Meals Will Continue

All Ventura County School Districts today agreed to keep their campuses closed through the end of the school year in support of the coronavirus mitigation effort. The decision was made in consultation with Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin. It comes after recommendations from California Governor Gavin Newsom and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond for schools to continue providing distance learning in lieu of in-class instruction for the remainder of the current semester.

“While we would like nothing more than to welcome students back to campus before the end of the year, the health and safety of our communities has to be the first priority,” said Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth. “We realize the situation is fluid and schools are prepared to alter their plans as conditions warrant.”

Superintendent Mantooth emphasized that the closure of school facilities does not mean the current school year is over. Ventura County school districts are already providing distance learning opportunities for students and will continue making them more robust. Many have transitioned to online learning platforms and provided laptops and wi-fi hot spots to students who need them. Others are using paper-based materials when technological solutions are not practical.

“We understand that these closures place a tremendous burden on families and we will do everything we can to expand distance learning and continue providing meal service to students in need,” Mantooth said. Grab-n-go school meals continue to be widely available throughout Ventura County. A list of pick-up locations is available at www.vcoe.org/meals.

One of the most difficult aspects of the closure is the disruption to traditional end-of-year activities including graduation ceremonies. Schools are already exploring alternative ways to celebrate the end of the year and recognize our students for their accomplishments.

The Ventura County school districts that jointly agreed to extend their campus closures are listed below. Most Ventura County charter schools are expected to follow suit.

• Briggs School District

• Conejo Valley Unified School District

• Fillmore Unified School District

• Hueneme Elementary School District

• Las Virgenes Unified School District*

• Mesa Union School District

• Moorpark Unified School District

• Mupu Elementary School District

• Oak Park Unified School District

• Ocean View School District

• Ojai Unified School District

• Oxnard School District (K-8)

• Oxnard Union High School District

• Pleasant Valley School District

• Rio School District

• Santa Clara Elementary School District

• Santa Paula Unified School District

• Simi Valley Unified School District

• Somis Union School District

• Ventura Unified School District

For the latest updates on the impact of the coronavirus on Ventura County public schools including closures, meal service and distance learning, please visit the Ventura County Office of Education website at www.vcoe.org.

* Las Virgenes Unified School District is based in Los Angeles County, but serves a portion of Ventura County.

Ventura County School Districts Announce Closures Due to Coronavirus

Ventura County School Districts Announce Closures Due to Coronavirus

Closures to Begin Monday, March 16

After careful consideration and consultation with Ventura County Public Health, all school districts in Ventura County have decided to close their schools for a limited period in response to the coronavirus. For most school districts, the closures will begin Monday, March 16 and continue through Friday, March 20. Some districts have announced longer closures. The Moorpark Unified School District and the Simi Valley Unified School District will be closed from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. The Ventura Unified School District will be closed from Monday, March 16 through Friday, April 10. Districts will decide whether to extend their closures based on the developing circumstances with the spread of the virus. For details on each districts’ plans, please visit their websites. A list of school district websites is available at this link.

The move to close schools countywide comes after Ventura County Public Health declared a local health emergency, which will provide additional resources for coronavirus response. “The decision to close schools is never any easy one,” said Stan Mantooth, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools. “We are all devoted to the education of our children, but in this case, the health and safety of the community has to take top priority.” The closures are in support of the recommendations from public health officials to encourage “social distancing” to slow the spread of the virus. It is strongly recommended that students stay home during the closures as much as possible and do not gather in public places.

We understand that school closures have significant impacts on our students, families and employees, and we hope to resume normal operations as soon as possible. For the latest updates on how schools are responding to the coronavirus, please visit the coronavirus information page on the VCOE website at www.vcoe.org/coronavirus.

About the Ventura County Office of Education

The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.