Soiland Family Endowed Scholarship

Few people today read or understand Latin, but almost everyone is familiar with the word patriarch, which comes from that language. The dictionary defines patriarch as a “father and head of a family or tribe.” The person who embodies that term for CLU is Marvin (Marv) Soiland, a true patriarch and head of his family or “tribe.”

Marv lived in Santa Rosa, California. His relationship with CLU began in 1960 when he offered two quarter horses to CLC president Dr. Orville Dahl for the college’s equestrian center on the north campus. During Dr. Mark Mathews’ CLC presidency, Marv was invited onto the Board of Regents, a position he filled admirably for 21 years, from 1974-1995. After that term, and because his leadership had proved invaluable to CLU’s progress, he was invited to join the board of CLEF (California Lutheran Educational Foundation) where he was soon elected to a three-year term as chair. Marv’s years of service to CLU were publicly acknowledged when he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2004 and the prestigious Christus Award in 2010.

Patriarch Marv indeed was head of a “tribe.” Between 1981 and 1994, five of Marv’s children graduated from CLU, starting with Dean in 1981, Troy in 1983, Monica in 1986, Mark in 1991 and finally Valerie in 1994. And it didn’t stop with that generation. Marv’s grandson Jeremy graduated from CLU in 2004, carrying on the family tradition.

As generous as Marv was with his time and his children, he also became one of CLU’s most faithful donors. While a Regent, he financially supported every capital project on campus during those years. With the support of his wife Fran, he finally agreed to allow the University to put the Soiland name on the Humanities Center dedicated in 1998.

Even then, Marv’s philanthropic bent as patriarch wasn’t satisfied. In 2006 he and Fran took one more important step by creating the Soiland Family Endowed Scholarship as part of their legacy. It is a scholarship for undergraduate students, and the only criteria are that the recipient must have financial need and must have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average. The Soiland Family Endowed Scholarship was awarded for the first time in 2008. Students will benefit from the generosity of this patriarch for many years to come.