University donors exceed goal for modernizing T.O. campus

Students at California Lutheran University are having to contend with the sounds of jackhammers and tractors these days on their normally quiet campus.

Dozens of workers are finishing a 180–bed student residence hall, replacing parking lots, and beginning construction of a massive athletics complex on the north side of campus.

Other projects also are in the works, including a new performing arts center.

All of this construction comes as the Conejo Valley university completes a $93 million fundraising campaign.

When it embarked on the campaign six years ago, the university set what it thought was an ambitious goal of raising $40 million.

Founded in 1959, the university was nearing middle age. Many of its aging buildings were were no longer adequate for the rapidly growing student population, which has increased by 50 percent over the past seven years.

"It was clear that we needed to modernize the campus," said Steve Wheatly, vice president for university advancement at CLU.

University officials later raised the campaign funding goal to $80 million as donations began to pour in. Neither the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nor the dot–com downturn seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of donors.

In the end, even the $80 million goal proved too modest.

"We were somewhat surprised but even more delighted," CLU President Luther Luedtke said from his campus office Friday morning as he prepared for a dinner that night honoring donors.

Endowment doubles

The more than 16,000 donations from alumni and friends of the university have allowed CLU to bring its endowment to $42 million, more than double what it was. The university will use some of the earnings from the endowment for scholarships.

Much of the money raised is going toward construction projects, including a new center for education and technology. Opened in October 2002, the 23,000–square–foot center is wired for high–speed Internet connections. It also has a distance learning classroom, allowing instructors to broadcast their classes via a two–way TV hookup to students at CLU's satellite San Fernando campus.

CLU also has built a network across the entire campus so students and members of the faculty and staff can access the Internet wirelessly.

The donations also have allowed the university to create dozens of scholarships and to build more classrooms and faculty offices.

Among the projects is the $31 million athletics complex that will have an aquatics center with a 50–meter swimming pool, tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields and a 96,000–square–foot sports and fitness center.

The projects will enable CLU to better deal with its rapidly growing student population. More than 1,800 undergraduates are expected this fall, 50 percent more than in 1998.

To accommodate the crush of students, CLU has had to rent rooms at off–campus inns. It's also had to house five students in each of its on–campus residential units, even though they were designed for four.

The new residence hall, scheduled to open in August, already has a waiting list, Luedtke said.

CLU officials plan to launch another fundraising campaign within two years, Wheatly said, to accommodate even more growth.

Plenty of room for growth

Officials have yet to determine exactly what the campus should look like in 10 years, Wheatly said. They are now working on that plan.

Whatever plan they come up with, Wheatly said, the 280–acre campus has plenty of room to expand.

Whitney Gibb, an 18–year–old CLU freshman, welcomed the construction, even with all the noise.

"Our campus really needs new stuff," Gibb said.

Ann Hawley, who lives three blocks from campus on Windsong Street, also welcomed the construction. Hawley said she's not bothered by the hubbub.

"The campus has always been an important part of our community," she said as she went on her morning walk Friday.

"I'm sure that everything they're working on will make it an even better place."
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