SPARKING CREATIVITY—Guests visit the William Rolland Art Center after an Oct. 13 dedication ceremony on the campus of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Photos by BOBBY CURTIS/Acorn Newspapers
Sitting next to a creek with views of Mount Clef Ridge, the new art center on the Cal Lutheran University campus features floor-to-ceiling windows, airy modern architecture and plenty of natural light.
CLU dedicated the William Rolland Art Center on Oct. 13. The $8-million state-of-the-art facility is the third major building donated by the Westlake Village-based philanthropist, who helped fund the school’s $10-million football stadium and its adjoining art gallery, which opened in 2011.
GENEROSITY—William Rolland, benefactor of the new art building at CLU, speaks at an Oct. 13 dedication ceremony.
Despite his age, the 85-year-old said, he has no intention of slowing down.
“I have a few years left to accomplish the things I want,” Rolland said. “And I want to make CLU one of the leading institutions in the state.”
It’s a lofty goal for the Thousand Oaks liberal arts university, home to more than 2,700 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students from 35 countries.
CLU started as California Lutheran College in 1959, two years after local rancher Richard Pederson donated 130 acres of land to the college. The campus opened with new student union and administration buildings, but some of the classrooms had been converted from ranch buildings, and for more than five decades the college’s students took classes in structures affectionately referred to as “the chicken coops.”
CLU has gradually replaced those classrooms as new buildings have been built on campus.
And despite three weeks of rain delays due to torrential storms earlier this year, the 20,388-square-foot art center was ready for students the first day of fall semester, with just a few minor projects to finish.
The building houses studios for ceramics, sculpting, painting, drawing and digital photography as well as a multimedia lab, a video-production facility and a film screening room.
Art professor Larkin Higgins told the Acorn the new art center is a huge upgrade over her former classrooms, which had lacked natural lighting and functioning windows since she began teaching at CLU in 1985.
“I’ve waited the longest for this building,” she said. “Architecturally, I think it’s just beautiful.”
Susan Lundeen-Smith, chair of CLU’s board of regents, thanked the Rolland family during the dedication ceremony.
“We know that the arts at a liberal arts institution are key,” she said. “Thank you for manifesting those dreams that we have. Thank you for being part of the family.”
Rolland’s professional success has allowed him to contribute to the school’s expansion. Born during the Great Depression, he served in the Army during the Korean War and worked as a firefighter with the L.A. City Fire Department before making his fortune in construction and real estate.
In addition to funding major projects at CLU, the developer established the William Rolland Firefighters Foundation to help burn victims and the families of firefighters injured in the line of duty.
At the dedication, CLU President Chris Kimball said the art center—which he called a purpose-built home for art and multimedia—was something the university has needed for a very long time.
“And it’s finally happened thanks to the vision and generosity of William Rolland,” Kimball said. “There are great thanks to be given for this new day for art, this new day for multimedia, this new day for the university.”
Ryan Van Ommeren, assistant vice president of facilities for the university, said Rolland offered his expert ideas and participated in the design process. The result, Van Ommeren said, is a structure customized for creative academic disciplines, so the university decided to merge the multimedia department into the same location.
“Every room in this building has its own unique characteristics,” he said. “It creates a kind of synergy.”
To show its gratitude, CLU commissioned a portrait of Rolland by senior art lecturer Terry Spehar-Fahey.
The watercolor portrait, painted in CLU’s school colors, yellow and purple, was unveiled at the dedication ceremony.
Rolland, who has lived in the Conejo Valley for more than 50 years, told the Acorn he was honored to be in a position to give back to his community.
“It’s the most exciting building on campus,” he said.