To expand Cal Lutheran's impact we will create a more distinctive and compelling brand
story that bolsters student recruitment, philanthropy, and community engagement. As
donors and alumni become a more prominent part of the Cal Lutheran network, they will
be able to aid the university in becoming a partner of choice for So Cal businesses,
non-profit agencies, environmental organizations, religious institutions, and more.
Strategic Partnerships
1. Academic and cocurricular programs and partnerships
Identify and develop internal and external partnerships that offer students real-world
learning opportunities that raise the profile of Cal Lutheran. These include the following:
internships, graduate assistants, clinical service, student employment, guided or
community-based research, service-learning, etc.
Increased Internship Opportunities: Established relationships with 10 new businesses in priority areas, resulting in
paid internship and professional experience opportunities for Cal Lutheran students.
Expanded Student Networks: Connected over 200 students with approximately 200 employers, business and community
leaders through targeted networking events, fostering valuable professional relationships.
Showcased Student Work: Enabled more than 80 students to present their research, projects, and talents to
the workforce and community through 20 distinct opportunities, highlighting their
academic and creative achievements.
Enhanced Experiential Learning: Expanded experiential learning through the Distinguished Guest Artists & Speakers
series, resulting in diverse, engaging activities attracting more than 1,000 participants,
including students, staff, faculty, and community members, enriching their educational
experience.
Attracted Recruiters: Hosted 115 employers at the Annual Career and Intern Expo, creating a focused platform
for recruiting Cal Lutheran students and facilitating career opportunities.
Engaged Local Professionals: Leveraged local expertise by inviting professionals to speak in classes and participate
in discussion panels, providing students with valuable industry insights and connections.
Increased Clinical Service Experiential Learning Opportunities: Secured $28,975 in grant funding to enhance students’ Clinical Service experiential
learning, leading to the provision of mental health services to over two dozen additional
regional community members.
Last Updated: August 16, 2024
2. Corporate, community, and government partnerships
Identify partnerships that need to be created and strengthened in an effort to actualize
the mission of the university.
Enhanced University Visibility: Delivered presentations and conducted tours showcasing Cal Lutheran and its students
to approximately 300 employers, community leaders, and prospective students through
collaborations with 10 strategic community organizations.
Forged Local Business Partnerships: Collaborated with over 50 local businesses to promote Cal Lutheran through "Welcome
Students" signage and secured discounts for students from 15 local establishments.
Elevated Cal Lutheran's Strategic Exposure: Boosted the University’s profile by coordinating the participation of around 50 representatives
in over 20 significant business and community events across Ventura and Los Angeles
Counties.
Showcased Campus as a Premier Venue: Positioned Cal Lutheran’s stunning campus as a premier location by hosting more than
12 strategic community partner events, enhancing its reputation as a top choice for
local gatherings.
Increased Student Community Engagement: Deployed 82 Student Ambassadors across 13 strategic business and community events,
increasing Cal Lutheran’s engagement throughout the Ventura County region.
Strengthened Neighbor Relations: Fostered community relationships by hosting 200 neighbors at appreciation events,
meetings, and additional activities and grew the neighbor electronic update subscriber
list to 265.
Engaged Local Schools and Families: Welcomed over 300 local students and families from more than 10 schools and youth
organizations to Cal Lutheran’s hosted athlete meet and greet and athletics events.
Last Updated: August 16, 2024
This initiative is actively developing and expanding strategic business, organization
and community relationships that directly benefit students. The distinctive impact
resulting from advancements within this initiative include: increased access to education for all students, including those traditionally underserved,
elevated exposure within the community, a heightened position as the go-to higher
education option, enhanced quality of learning, increased experiential learning activities,
additional pathways to career opportunities, robust student career industry networks,
and expanded opportunities for students to live their purpose through mission-aligned
activities.
Reach out to Initiative Owner Sommer Barwick to engage in this initiative by communicating needs and linkage opportunities with
organizations, host potential partners, represent the University at community events
or serve on the committee.
Progress Update:
Launched Strategic Plan Initiative Distinctive Impact 3.1.2 Corporate, Community,
and Government Partnerships
Created inventory of existing governmental, non-profit, and community partnerships
Developed gaps analysis to identify areas of need
Constructed strategic approach to maximize community sponsorships
Secured paid internships for Cal Lutheran students through two new Community Service
Partners
Established new business partnership with one local and global business partner
Increased Cal Lutheran's exposure at six external business, community and non-profit
events
Outreached to local neighbors and initiated system to track engagement and enhance
communication
Streamlined facility rental process to maximize community relationships and showcase
campus and students
Last updated: August 31, 2023
A Focus on Fundraising
3. A data-driven fundraising campaign that aligns donor interests with University
priorities
Conduct a data-driven fundraising campaign that garners the financial support necessary
to actualize the 2022-27 Strategic Plan and make good progress on the corollary Master
Plan.
University Advancement has spent Summer 2023 gathering insight and opinions from Cal
Lutheran’s most supportive donors and friends. Starting on June 1, the Advancement
Division has planned and organized meetings with more than 50 of the university’s
most loyal friends, donors, and regents for meaningful conversations about major fundraising
initiatives derived from the university’s Strategic, Campus, and DEIJB plans. During
these sessions led by President Varlotta, participants shared their thoughts on an
array of student-experience-enhancing projects, including academic and athletics facilities,
academic programs, PLTS, as well as internships and scholarships. Cal Lutheran’s higher
education fundraising consultant is scheduled to provide recommendations that indicate
the top priorities based on donors’ interests by the middle of the fall semester.
Their findings will outline the shape, size and timeline for this first phase of fundraising.
Last updated: August 31, 2023
4. A spirit of philanthropy
Promote and reward a philanthropic spirit that inspires those at various levels of
the enterprise and the many communities that touch it (alumni, local neighbors, ELCA
churches, etc.) to contribute time, talent, and/or treasure to the university. and
5. Develop and implement an internal communication framework
Create guidelines that clarify and improve the processes for distributing messages
to internal audiences. Identify communication channels, supported tools, branding
and templates, distribution calendars, and training materials. Apply these guidelines
and standards to external communications when relevant.
The primary tool for communicating internally at Cal Lutheran is the email newsletter.
The marketing and communications department has decided to focus its energies in the
24-25 academic year on developing some standards and best practices for internal newsletters,
so that all can effectively and efficiently share information across our campus. With
limited resources, we feel delving deeply into improving one key internal communications
matter now will be more effective than trying to superficially address many.
Last Updated: June 18, 2024
This initiative to create a set of internal communications protocols involves an appraisal
and revision of the electronic tools we use to communicate with each other, how we
communicate with the various communities on campus (email, MyCLU app), who does the
communicating, and what kind of language we use and information we share. It is a
large project. As of August 2023, we have completed a crisis communications plan,
which is in the approval stage, and have begun evalulating the effectiveness of the
tools we use.
Last updated: August 31, 2023
6. Create a brand ambassador program to extend the reach and influence of Cal Lutheran’s
brand
Identify students, alumni, staff and faculty who are willing to serve as brand ambassadors
to share news, events, and participation opportunities with their own networks. Equip
them with Cal Lutheran apparel and other branded merchandise to help generate brand
awareness and conversation.
Our brand ambassador work will focus on using Athletics to build awareness and enthusiasm
for Cal Lutheran on campus and in the community. Athletics has already created an
informative internal newsletter, and we will continue to work with them and our community
relations team on this initiative.
Last updated: June 18, 2024
Brand and Mission Alignment
7. Refresh the university’s institutional positioning and brand platform
Understand where Cal Lutheran’s market position is relative to the competitive set,
and how the university’s mission, Lutheran tradition, and HSI identity form a distinctive
value proposition that can be communicated through a refreshed brand promise.
The marketing and communications department decided in the fall of 2023 to instead
use the tools at our disposal to make sure our public-facing communications devices
are clearly communicating Cal Lutheran’s value to our most important audiences. The
team has made great progress, updating our online and print materials for prospective
students and re-conceptualizing our alumni magazine and online news content.
Last updated: June 18, 2024
A brand refresh involves senior members of the Marketing and Communication department
in determining our needs in finding an updated way to communicate Cal Lutheran's values
to the public. As of August 2023, we have audited our current brand identity (how
it works in theory and practice) and have begun a search for a brand firm to lead
our brand refresh based on the needs we identified in our audit. We expect to have
a firm chosen and working by October 2023.
Last updated: August 31, 2023
8. Academic and co-curricular differentiators
Identify new academic programs that will help to grow enrollment. Strengthen existing
programs that are identified for growth. Amongst those programs, determine which serve
as Cal Lutheran differentiators. Identify the top co-curricular programs such as clubs,
activities, arts, and athletics that help to grow enrollment and/or meet the needs
of today’s students.
Academic Differentiators: Full curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Data Science
and Masters of Sport Management programs have been completed. The programs have been
approved by appropriate school/college and curriculum committee. The two program are
expected to be tabled and approved at the winter faculty retreat in January 2024,
after which we will seek WSCUC final approval before the program can be offered. Meanwhile
the Financial Analysis Pro-form and Institutional Impact Analyses have been completed.
Program Director has been hired for both programs. It is expected that marketing and
advertisement of these program will commence in spring 2024 pending WSCUC approval.
There has been a slight delay in curriculum development for the Biotechnology program;
however conversations are ongoing on the implementation and launch of the program.
Co-Curricular differentiators: The three workgroups created to engage in further discussions
on the co-curricular programs have met and are currently discussion ideas of co-curricular
programs that fit into the three “buckets” focus (Athletics, Clubs and organizations,
and Wellbeing.) These workgroups are exploring how to characterize the three areas
of distinctions and they are expected to provide recommendations by the end of spring
2024. It is anticipated that the co-curriculum program recommendations will launch
in fall 2024.
Last updated: January 25, 2024
Academic Differentiators: Market analysis for six new programs were completed. Three
of the programs - Data Analytics, Sports Management and Biotechnology were moved forward
and approved for launch in Fall 2024, Fall 2024 and Fall 2025 respectively. The program
framework for both Data Analytics and Sport Management programs have been completed.
Full curriculum development is ongoing with a goal of seeking the University Curriculum
Committee’s approval in Fall 2023. Faculty searches for the two new programs are ongoing.
We are on target to seek WASC approval of the two programs in spring 2024. Co-Curricular differentiators: A workgroup was created to have further discussions
on the co-curricular programs. Three co-curricular program “buckets” focus (Athletics,
Clubs and organizations, and Wellbeing) have been identified with individuals assigned
to take a lead on each area. Each leader will identify relevant campus stakeholders
to invite into future conversation, lead a conversation on how to characterize the
area of distinction, examine relevant data and create relevant milestones. The work
of each group will not begin until late September.
Strategic Partnerships
A Focus on Fundraising
Purposeful Communications
Brand and Mission Alignment