California Lutheran University - Kairos Yearbook (Thousand Oaks, CA)

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fvr , m .-- IttiraM I ■ .-- l.-; ' .I -u III ..A ' il - »-. !► 3 1. President Mark Mathews 2. Delia Greenlee, secretary to the President 48

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Supporting Inspiring 47

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When Mark Mathews assumed the helm of CLC nine years ago. he took charge of a young, struggling institution near the brink of collapse. He faced a one million dollar operating debt. The future, to put it mildly, looked bleak. The Issue was survivability. Nine years later as we close the 1979 80 academic year. California Lutheran College, under the guidance of Mark Mathews, has done more than merely survive. CLC has established itself as a financially stable institution and secured a reputation of aca- demic excellence in Lutheran higher education. The key question confronting CLC has changed from What must we do to survive? to How can we continue to improve? A truly remarkable transition! During Dr. Mathews tenure as President. CLC operated in the black eight of nine years and accrued a surplus sufficient to erase the enormous operating deficit. The quality of professors, regarded by many as the outstanding feature of the college, improved markedly over the decade. Undergraduate enrollment rose nearly 33%. The creation of new graduate programs sparked an even more dramatic increase in the number of graduate students. The construction of new dorms, the Nelson Room. Nygreen Hall, and the cafeteria expansion project continue to contribute in a significant fashion to the improvement of the college ' s residential and academic environment. Furthermore. Dr. Mathews noticeably broadened the base of support for the college. This was President Mark A. Mathews evidenced by the formation of new groups such as the Committee on New Dimensions and the Council of Advisors. More importantly. President Mathews served as an exemplary figure in the ongoing nourishment process of CLC ' s Christian element, an element which ultimately remains the center of the college ' s vitality and purpose. But Mark Mathews personal qualities leave just as great an impression as his more obvious and tangible contributions as president. He is known as a person who exudes a positlveness. in all his endeavors and relationships, rarely seen among individuals. His level of sincerity and integrity is of such magnitude that people not fortunate enough to come to know him well, wonder if it is indeed possible lo be that sincere. He is also marked as a man of boundless energy, a characteristic reflective of his zest for life and his work. His expertise as a manager enabled him to create and coordinate a highly competent and responsible management team. As a speaker, he continues to be widely sought. And his uncommonly high degree of accessibility to students and personal involvement in students ' lives has been and is greatly appreciated and admired. Everyone touched by CLC in the I970 ' s and who will be touched by CLC in the decades to follow IS indeed indebted to Mark Mathews. We eagerly await your return to CLC as professor in 1981. President Mathews! 49