Jack O’Connell

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - California Lutheran University will honor 690 students* receiving bachelor’s degrees at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14, in Mt. Clef Stadium.

The 534 students* receiving master’s and doctoral degrees will be honored during the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 13, in Mt. Clef Stadium.

Jack O’Connell, California’s former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, will address the graduates and receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from CLU at both ceremonies.

As chief of the state’s public school system and leader of the California Department of Education from January 2003 to January 2011, O’Connell focused on closing the achievement gap, smoothing transitions between segments of education, and strengthening school accountability and assessment systems. He was a leader in the national effort to increase flexibility and fairness in the federal No Child Left Behind system.

The former high school teacher also worked to improve public education as a member of both the state Assembly and Senate, authoring numerous landmark education bills. The longtime legislator once received both the Republican and Democratic nominations for the Assembly. O’Connell grew up in Oxnard, graduated from Oxnard High School and returned to his alma mater to teach government. He currently serves as chief education officer for School Innovations and Advocacy in Sacramento and on the board of directors of Education Credit Management Corp.

Skyler Butenshon, an Astoria, Ore., resident who is majoring in music and minoring in philosophy, will speak on behalf of his fellow traditional undergraduate students at the undergraduate ceremony. Butenshon sang with the CLU Choir and Kingsmen Quartet, performed with the CLU Improv Troupe and in university productions, and studied in Oxford and other European cities while earning his degree.

Josefina Garong, a 46-year-old native of the Philippines who now lives in Oxnard, will speak on behalf of the Adult Degree Evening Program students at the undergraduate ceremony. Putting her education on the back burner as her children finished degrees and her husband earned promotions, the mother of three took nine years to complete her degree. She is now graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

*Number based on Registrar’s Office data on April 28, 2011.