Baseball & Martin Luther – Shaping Higher Education – Chris Kimball, President, CLU

Tying Research to Community "We're not old enough to have a history - we're all about the future." Chris Kimball is the President of California Lutheran University (CLU). He chatted with Mark and Patrick about his passion for History, Baseball and the role of the University in the community. CLU is the charter sponsor of the 805conversations podcast, and it was excellent having this time with Chris to talk about the role of the University, his background and questions you don't always get to ask a University President - as most of us don't get the chance at this type of conversation. Chris is a real sport and took all of our questions easily. This wide-ranging conversation covered a lot of ground including: • How do you attract talent to the University? • A brief history of the University • How CLU were early adopters in online education • A great discussion about his love of Baseball history and his current class where he teaches to undergrads, and how it aligns nicely issues facing the country • His favorite baseball movies and why - The Natural - Field of Dreams - Eight Men Out - League of their own • The corollary between Baseball stadiums and College campuses and community centered involvement • History - when and how he got interested in it • Mark almost got Chris to agree with his premise of stalling teaching history until people are 40 years old, instead of at 16 • 2017 is the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Movement and CLU's plans to celebrate that • How do you run a faith-based institution in a secular society - challenges and opportunities. The Lutheran Experience