California Lutheran University

ABOUT UNIVERSITY

California Lutheran University (CLU), also known as Cal Lutheran or Cal Lu, is a private, nonsectarian university located in Thousand Oaks, California. Founded in 1959 and originally affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it officially opened as California Lutheran College in 1960. It was the first four-year liberal arts college in California and Ventura County. The institution was renamed California Lutheran University on January 1, 1986. Situated on a 290-acre campus about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the university offers a wide range of academic programs, including bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as post-bachelor's and post-master’s certificates. CLU provides 36 majors and 34 minors and operates additional centers in Woodland Hills, Westlake Village, Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Berkeley.CLU has a notable legacy in athletics, especially in football, where it's known as the "Cradle of Coaches" on the West Coast. Many of coach Bob Shoup’s players went on to coach professionally, with 144 players becoming football coaches and several entering the NFL. The school gained national recognition after its NAIA Championship win in 1971. In baseball, 24 players had been drafted into Major League Baseball as of 2014.The university's foundation lies in land donated and purchased in the early 1960s, with 130 acres given by Richard Pederson, a descendant of Norwegian immigrants. CLU started with just 330 students in 1961 and grew to 1,400 within a decade. It earned full accreditation in its first year. Community engagement has been strong through the Community Leaders Club, established in 1963. In 1985, the largest donation in school history—\$1 million from Clifford and Alma Pearson—helped build the Pearson Library. By the late 20th century, CLU remained the only four-year university in Ventura County.