California Lutheran University is expanding its efforts to promote nonpartisan civic engagement and public service through the Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civil Engagement. The center, located on the university’s main campus, aims to enhance students’ academic skills and perspectives needed for constructive dialogue and civil public discourse.
The Gallegly Center works closely with the university’s Master of Public Policy and Administration program. Its activities include hosting speakers, organizing discussions, supporting student learning, and engaging with the Ventura County community. Faculty and staff at California Lutheran University also contribute their expertise to these programs.
John Nunes, president of California Lutheran University, stated: “As the president of Cal Lutheran, I believe I have a responsibility to champion a diversity of viewpoints on campus. With public confidence in higher education at rock bottom, I feel more compelled than ever to make the case for our mission and demonstrate its relevance, which too many take for granted.
“We also must defend our operations from state and federal overreach and show a skeptical public why a faith-based, liberal arts higher education not only matters, but is crucial to societal flourishing and the common good. The work of this center will contribute to this current urgency.”
The center is named after former Representative Elton Gallegly and his wife Janice. It opened in 2018 following five years after launching its fellowship program. Elton Gallegly served as a member of Congress representing Ventura County from 1987 to 2013. During his tenure, he advocated for NATO expansion legislation across Europe, the Balkans, and the Baltics; represented the United States at the 2002 Prague summit; and chaired hearings related to recommendations from the 9/11 Commission as chair of the Subcommittee on International Terrorism.
Since opening, the Gallegly Center has awarded fellowships to graduate students enrolled in the Master of Public Policy and Administration program. This program prepares students for leadership roles in both public sector agencies and nonprofit organizations.
California Lutheran University was founded in 1959. Since 2016 it has been federally recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The university enrolls over 2,200 undergraduate students and about 1,000 graduate students from 58 countries.
More information about the Gallegly Center can be found at Callutheran.edu/centers/gallegly.
