Message from the Dean

Greetings Everyone!

I hope this message finds you doing well and enjoying the early months of spring/summer. As we near the end of the year, I find it exciting to reflect on all the positive things that have happened throughout the year.

This year has been one of many blessings with plenty of attention being paid to the field of education, which has given rise to new programs starting this spring in the Graduate School of Education. We started our first cohort of teacher residency candidates in partnership with Santa Maria Bonita School District with an initial enrollment of 17. Additionally, our National Science Foundation Noyce Scholarship Program launched in January, and we hope to have a full cohort of STEM teachers in the program by the fall of 2024. Both programs are helping us expand into critical areas of service to our communities.

Now as we turn our attention to ending the semester, we are also looking forward to the summer break (kind of!) and the opportunity to reset as we head into the 2023-24 academic year. As always, I want to thank you for all your support of the GSOE and I hope that you are able to find some joy and inspiration as we close out the year.

Sincerely,

Mike Hillis
Dean & Professor

Featured Articles

The California Commission on teacher Credentialing recently awarded Dr. Brandy Yee a $500,000 grant for the purpose of expanding the current Integrated Teacher Preparation Program at Cal Lu. The integrated program provides students with the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a California teaching credential in four years. The focus of this grant at Cal Lu will be to expand and update the current four-year integrated program, targeting the identified shortages of credentialed teachers in the fields of special education, bilingual education, and transitional kindergarten/kindergarten. The project also aims to build on existing relationships with Oxnard and Moorpark Colleges, providing a pathway for students transferring from the community college system with a two-year associates degree to complete the remaining requirements for a bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential in two additional years.

Thank you to our Cal Lutheran Cares Day donors who shared their stories with words and beyond with the Graduate School of Education and gave a total of $17,805 and 40 gifts. 

• $3,500 for The Deans Challenge
• The $5,000 Theobald Family Matched gifts to support student teachers with a scholarship in honor of the memory of Karen Theobald.
• STRIVE Scholars raised $1,675 from 13 gifts.
• RISE Scholarship raised $300 from 2 gifts.

In addition, the GSOE affiliated Autism and Communication Center raised $41,688 from 114 gifts! 

Your generous gifts support causes that will strengthen the student experience at Cal Lutheran.

Thank You!

Program Application Dates

• Educational Leadership
  • K-12 School Leadership Credentials
    • March 1st
  • Doctorate in Educational Leadership- K-12 & Higher Education
    • April 1st
• Counselor Education Programs
  • K-12
  • Higher Education
    • June 15th
• Teacher Education
  • Elementary, Secondary, Special Education
    • November 1st (for spring admission)
    • March 15th (for summer admission)
    • and July 1st (for fall admission)
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program 
    • April 1st