LaVerne’s Oxnard Director to Retire
The director of the Oxnard campus of the University of LaVerne is stepping down after 21 years.
Dorothy John has announced that she will retire June 30. She will be replaced by Katie Frankling Cunningham, a job recruiter for the Las Virgenes Unified School District, officials said.
John was hired as an academic counselor at LaVerne’s Point Mugu Center in 1974 and was promoted to director in 1976. She oversaw operations when LaVerne more than doubled its Ventura County enrollment by opening a separate suite of administrative offices and classrooms in Oxnard in 1991.
About 200 students attend classes at the Oxnard site and another 130 at Point Mugu, John said.
She decided to retire this year because she wants to spend more time with her family, travel and do some volunteer work.
“I’m 68 years old and I think I can afford to retire,” she said. “These 21 years have been great, but I’m ready for a more relaxed lifestyle.”
Her first sojourn will be to Switzerland and Germany this year, her first overseas trip, John said.
Cunningham will take over the director’s duties on July 1. LaVerne offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, mainly in business and administrative fields.
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