California Lutheran University

California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California. CLU was founded in 1959 as California Lutheran College on farmland donated by the Pederson family, who were among many Scandinavian immigrants populating the hills of Thousand Oaks. The Scandinavian influence has stayed with the school since its founding. Every spring, a cultural festival is held on campus to celebrate the Scandinavian heritage of the school and the Conejo Valley. Many buildings on campus and streets in the area are named for prominent... Scandinavians who helped establish CLU. Orville Dahl, Ed. D. was the first president of the College from 1959–1962. Dahl had many ambitious dreams for what the college was to become. He originally thought that the Pederson and Thompson dormitories would be hotels for on campus guests and families of students. These residence halls are still in use for present day freshmen. Dahl had dreamed of developing a North campus near Mount Clef. He also brought the university's first football coach, Robert Shoup, to the campus in 1962.
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