California Lutheran University hands out degrees as commencement season kicks off

More than 1,000 students earned degrees from California Lutheran University on Friday in a pair of commencement ceremonies at the Thousand Oaks campus' William Rolland Stadium.

The university started the day with an 8:30 a.m. ceremony awarding bachelor's degrees to 604 traditional students and 44 graduates of the university's program for working professionals. Another 383 master's and doctoral degree students were honored at a 2:30 p.m. commencement.

The theme of the day was curiosity. CLU President Lori Varlotta said in a statement the university hopes the theme will remind graduates that "probing questions are more important than sound-bite answers, complex issues are worthy of examination and that courage and truth may live somewhere in the messy middle rather than on the far ends of any particular spectrum."

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: California Lutheran University hands out degrees as commencement season kicks off