Justin Barkhuff
Letter

Next Chapter

A sun made of red, orange, ochre, and yellow bands sits half above a purple horizon in a navy sky. It could be rising or setting.

A message to colleagues in Septebmer 2023, a time of significant institutional uncertainty.

Next Chapter

Dear Colleagues,

First, thank you for the opportunity to serve as Staff Assembly Chair. Staff Governance has an important role in helping shape Cal Lutheran’s future, and it is a privilege to be part of that.

Tomorrow’s Staff Senate meeting is a big one. There will be a staff-focused budget update and discussion with Melinda Roper and Leanne Neilson. Tom Hoener and Leigh Fine will also give a presentation on student recruitment and enrollment. Both of these items are directly related to what we will hear at Friday’s Town Hall.

I don’t know the full scope of what we will hear in the next few days, but I know we have some challenges ahead. However, whatever those challenges may be, I know they are not insurmountable. Margaret Mead has some helpful insight:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

That idea has precedent in Cal Lutheran’s own history. In July of 1970, there were predictions that CLU (CLC at the time) would go bankrupt. On December 4, 1975, after five years of financial improvements, the million dollar note owed to Bank of America was burned (literally burned). What an event that must have been. A belated thanks to the incredible group of people who saw Cal Lutheran through that difficult time.

I have never worked with a more thoughtful, committed group of citizens than Cal Lutheran’s staff. That was true when I had my very first “real” job here from 2003–2006, and it’s been true ever since I returned in 2020. I am excited for the opportunity to work with you to write CLU’s next chapter.

Justin Barkhuff
Staff Assembly Chair
Director of Enterprise Applications, Information Technology Services