By Cal Lutheran News
Cal Lutheran choir performs in Europe
The Cal Lutheran choir took its first trip to Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in May in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic. The 60-student, two-ensemble choir traveled around Europe for 10 days.
Professor Wyant Morton accompanied the group, and this is the first year he had legacy students from alumni he conducted in prior years. The choir has toured annually for decades and normally takes these international trips every three or four years. This was the sixth international tour Morton has done with the choir since teaching at Cal Lutheran.
The schedule allowed the choir to have free time to explore their European destinations.
“Our concerts were very well attended, and we had enthusiastic audiences,” Morton said.
Faculty members retire with emeritus status
The Board of Regents awarded emeritus status to nine retiring Cal Lutheran faculty members with more than 193 years of service combined.
Philosophy professor Xiang Chen is a native of China and received the Hewlett Grant for Faculty Research and Development at Cal Lutheran from 1992-2002. He served as department chair of Philosophy from 2003-2006 and director of the Harold Stoner Clark Lectures from 1993-2003.
Michael Cosenza, MEd ’05, EdD ’10, a Graduate School of Education professor, helped begin the Professional Development Schools program and was the department chair of Learning and Teaching and director of the PDS Residency Program and the TEAMS Program.
Virginia Gean, senior lecturer for the School of Management, published a book titled A Village of Knowledge during her time at Cal Lutheran that included the success stories of retired business leaders at University Village in Thousand Oaks, California. Before joining Cal Lutheran, she founded and managed her own apparel business for 14 years.
Cynthia Jew, professor for the Graduate School of Education, was chair of the Counselor Education department and currently is an Episcopal priest and pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Santa Paula, California.
School of Management professor Edward Julius was director of the undergraduate accounting program in 2018-19. He was one of the first to vote to convert California Lutheran College to a university.
Victoria Kelly, lecturer for the Graduate School of Education, was the program director for the university’s Santa Maria Center in the Graduate School of Education’s Educational Leadership Program and has over 20 years of experience working in school districts.
Professor Julie Kuehnel ’69 served as the Psychology Department chair for over 20 years. She was the second California Lutheran College graduate to return to Cal Lutheran to teach.
Professor Maureen Lorimer was chair of the Graduate School of Education Master’s Committee from 2011-2019.
Michael McCambridge, a Graduate School of Education adjunct faculty member, helped establish Cal Lutheran’s doctorate of education program and has 44 years of teaching and administration experience.
