New Humanities Building Awaits Students’ Return

On the first official day back from winter break today, students will find themselves reading poetry, studying Spanish and ruminating about Shakespeare’s works in Cal Lutheran University’s first new building in seven years.

“It’s been a real boost to see something new,” school spokeswoman Lynda Fulford said of the $4.2-million humanities center. “It shows the campus is alive.”

The 200-seat outdoor amphitheater is still a mound of dirt, and construction workers are still adding the final touches elsewhere, but the school plans to have everything in order for an official opening ceremony at 2 p.m. Feb. 21.

The two-story, 27,000-square-foot center, located on mid-campus along Memorial Parkway, will include 16 classrooms and 30 faculty offices. It also includes an art gallery for traveling international art exhibits and a small recital hall for up to a 100 people.

In addition, the building boasts a multimedia center where students will be able to work on graphic designs. Although the school began a multimedia major last year, the programs are currently housed in a number of separate buildings that have computers.

The last building to be constructed at Cal Lutheran was Samuelson Chapel in 1991.

The new building was made possible by a number of donations and grants. The school received a $1-million Ahmanson Foundation grant and $350,000 Weingart Foundation matching grant. There also have been 37 gifts and pledges from $1,000 to $250,0000.