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Cal Lutheran Traditions |
| Anchors from the Past |
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The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love and respect for the past implies faith in the future.”
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| Stephen Ambrose (1936 – 2002), in Fast Company |
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Traditions in a higher education community like Cal Lutheran are important in building an institutional culture. Traditions that a university holds dear are important to the thousands of alumni that have participated in creating them, as they reflect the history of the university and provide insight into the values of the institution. Traditions tie one generation of students to the next generation, and if respected and passed down, are never forgotten. Traditions become life-long experiences that bind individuals to their alma mater.
It is through a university’s athletic traditions that much of a university’s culture is found and expressed; one should not forget that college students are still young, still looking for excitement and fun, and still looking for “meaningful anchors” in which to attach their lives to. Traditions provide this by expressing the values which the university is built around, creating a better sense of community among all of its constituents. Marketing to a greater awareness and knowledge of these traditions by the university inspires more students to participate in them and have a better student experience.
California Lutheran University “Traditions” grow out of the rich early history of its beginning as California Lutheran College. The traditions, the activities, the memories and impressions that were created and experienced by alumni during our time at Cal Lutheran became “the anchors” that have defined our relationship with the institution throughout all of our lives.
There are many universities throughout America that exhibit rich traditions and consider these traditions the principal selling point for their campus offerings. Most all of these schools have been in existence for much more time than CLU. Perhaps CLC / CLU was too busy surviving during its formative period to concern itself with the continuity of its various alumni memories and its traditions. Even the early alumni are just now beginning to ask ourselves why so many of our favorite early memories, experiences and traditions are no longer in place? Perhaps we as alumni have not been involved enough over the years to document, share and protect these treasures so that present and future students of Cal Lutheran can and will experience such wonderful treasures from their college life.
We are just now beginning the process of documenting and archiving all of the great student traditions through CLU’s past and we invite your participation.
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