Pepperdine University

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Pepperdine University
Motto: Freely Ye Received - Freely Give.
Established: 1937
Type: Private
Endowment: US $850 million
President: Andrew K. Benton
Faculty: 366
Undergraduates: 3,153
Postgraduates: 2,900
Location: near Malibu, CA, USA
Campus: Suburban, 830 acres (3.4 km²)
Nickname: Waves
Affiliations: Churches of Christ
Website: www.pepperdine.edu

Pepperdine University is a private University of higher learning affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is adjacent to the city limits of Malibu in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

In February 1937, against the backdrop of despair and pessimism of the Great Depression, George Pepperdine founded the University as a Christian liberal arts college in the city of Los Angeles. On September 21, 1937, 167 new students from 22 different states and two other countries entered classes on a newly built campus on 34 acres at West 78th Street and South Vermont Avenue in the Vermont Knolls neighorbood of South Central, Los Angeles ( 33°58′04.72″N, 118°17′39.90″W),[1] referred to later as the Vermont Avenue campus.[2][3] By April 6, 1938, George Pepperdine College was fully accredited by the Northwest Association.

Pepperdine had built a fortune founding and developing the Western Auto Supply Company which he started with a $5 investment, but his prosperity led to his greater ambition to discover "how humanity can be helped most with the means entrusted to my care. I consider it wrong to build up a great fortune and use it selfishly." Mr. Pepperdine voiced his two-fold objective for the college that bore his name, "First, we want to provide first-class, fully accredited academic training in the liberal arts . . . . Secondly, we are especially dedicated to a greater goal—that of building in the student a Christ-like life, a love for the church, and a passion for the souls of mankind."[citation needed]

Pepperdine University's Malibu Campus, located near the Pacific Ocean.
Pepperdine University's Malibu Campus, located near the Pacific Ocean.

[edit] Move to Malibu

By the 1960s, the young college faced serious problems. The area around the Vermont Avenue campus developed issues with crime and urban decay; tensions also arose due to the Civil Rights Movement and attempts to circumvent it such as California Proposition 14, which challenged federal fair housing laws.[3] The situation exploded in the 1965 Watts Riots.[3] In 1969 activists in the Watts area threatened to burn down the campus; however, they were talked out of it after all-night negotiations by then-President M. Norvel Young.[3] In addition, the Vermont Avenue campus was running out of room to expand.[3]

In 1967, the school put forth a multi-campus idea that would move the undergraduate campus to an alternative location; a committee formed and looked at numerous locations, including sites in Valencia, Orange County, Ventura County and Westlake Village.[3] Pepperdine favored the Westlake Village location until the Adamson-Rindge family, who owned hundreds of acres in Malibu, offered 138 acres (0.56 km²) of Malibu land; despite concerns over building costs on the mountainous site, the school decided to move forward based on its prime location and potential for raising donation.[3] On April 13, 1971, the university broke ground to commence construction and in September 1972 the Malibu campus opened for student enrollment.[3]

(The old Pepperdine University campus was sold to Crenshaw Christian Center, whose Pastor, Frederick K.C. Price, then oversaw construction of the "FaithDome," the largest domed-church in the United States, seating over 10,000).

[edit] School of Law

Pepperdine gained university status in 1971 when the School of Law was added and the business and education departments became separate schools. In the 1980s, Pepperdine rose to prominence as one of the United States' leading centers of conservative politics, attracting many conservative-leaning professors from nearby UCLA and USC. Prominent conservatives on the Pepperdine faculty have included Matt "Money" Smith, Ben Stein, Kenneth Starr, Arthur Laffer, Douglas W. Kmiec, and Daniel Pipes.

[edit] Brushfires

In 1993 and 1996, massive brushfires threatened the campus with destruction, but firefighters succeeded in protecting almost all structures. On October 21, 2007, fast-moving wildfires forced campus residents to relocate and shelter in the Firestone Fieldhouse and Cafeteria, plus evacuations of local homes and businesses.[4] Similarly, another November 2007 fire in Corral Canyon, accidentally set off by a group of Los Angeles youths sparked fear of another evacuation, though none was necessary.

[edit] Filming Location

Pepperdine is a filming location for the Nickelodeon television series “Zoey 101”, as well as the 1989 Roy Scheider film, Listen to Me and the 1970s reality game show, “Battle of the Network Stars.” For a fee, Pepperdine allows filming in the following areas: Alumni Park, the baseball field, tennis courts, plaza, amphitheater and chapel on the Malibu campus.

[edit] Campus

Pepperdine's Malibu Campus
Pepperdine's Malibu Campus

The main campus is nestled among several ridges that overlook the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. The main campus entrance road ascends a steep, well-groomed grassy slope past a huge stylized cross, known as the Phillips Theme Tower, symbolizing the university's dedication to its original Christian mission. Most buildings were constructed in a typical 1980s-style reinterpretation of classic Californian and Mediterranean architecture (red tile roofs, white stuccoed walls, large tinted windows). There are views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Long Beach and the westside of Los Angeles from numerous points. The campus is also where they film tv show Zoey 101 Graduations take place at Alumni Park, a broad expanse of lawn overlooking Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean. The main academic plaza for undergraduate programs of Seaver College lies just above Alumni Park and includes Stauffer Chapel, Tyler Campus Center, Payson Library, and the Ahmanson Fine Arts Center. Undergraduate housing and athletic facilities sit to the north/northwest of the academic complex. The Law School exists even higher above these areas. The central campus is surrounded by a loop road consisting of Seaver Drive, Huntsinger Circle, and John Tyler Drive. Banowsky Boulevard separates Alumni Park from the main academic complex and is named in honor of William S. Banowsky, the 4th president of Pepperdine.

Spur roads to the east of the central part of campus lead to faculty housing. To the northwest, Via Pacifica winds uphill to the Drescher Graduate Campus, completed in 2003 and home to the School of Public Policy, the Villa Graziadio conference center, as well as the fulltime programs of the Graziadio School of Business and Management and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Housing for graduate students, undergraduate honors students, and faculty are also located here.

Seaver College is led by Dean Rick Mars.

[edit] Graduate Campuses

The Graziadio School of Business and Management and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology are headquartered in West Los Angeles at the Howard Hughes Center next to Interstate 405. These two schools also offer programs at graduate campuses in Encino, Irvine, Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Clara, and Westlake Village. International programs of the University's various schools take place in London, Heidelberg, Florence, Buenos Aires, Paris, Madrid, Lausanne, Johannesburg, Tegucigalpa, Brisbane, Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

[edit] Academics

Houses adjacent to the Malibu campus.
Houses adjacent to the Malibu campus.

[edit] Seaver College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Seaver College (named for Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Seaver, the largest single benefactors of Pepperdine) educates undergraduates in a liberal-arts environment. Seaver College comprises 8 divisions and 40 majors:

Business Division: Accounting, Business Administration, & International Business

Communication Division: Advertising, Communication, Integrated Marketing Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, Speech Communication, & Telecommunications

Fine Arts Division: Art, Art History, Music, Theatre Arts, & Theatre and Television

Humanities and Teacher Education Division: Creative Writing, English, Film Studies, History, Humanities, Liberal Arts, & Philosophy

International Studies and Languages Division: French, German, International Studies, & Spanish

Natural Science Division: Biology, Chemistry, 3/2 Engineering, Computer Science/Mathematics, Mathematics, Mathematics Education, Natural Science, Nutritional Science, Physics, & Sports Medicine

Religion Division: Religion

Social Science Division: Economics, Political Science, Psychology, & Sociology

The college also offers master's degrees in History, Communications, American Studies, and Religion, in addition to teaching credentials. David Baird is the current dean.

[edit] Graziadio School of Business and Management

Pepperdine University's George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management enrolls approximately 2,000 students in its full-time and part-time degree programs. The school was founded in 1969, and has since graduated over 30,000 alumni. Dr. Linda Livingstone has served as Dean since 2002.

Graduate and undergraduate degree programs currently offered by the Graziadio School of Business and Management include:

[edit] School of Law

The Pepperdine University School of Law is located adjacent to the Seaver College Campus, and enrolls about 670 students who come from all parts of the country. It is fully approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Pepperdine's Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution is consistently ranked as the number one dispute resolution program in the country, offering LL.M., master's and certificate programs. Some of its other newer degree offerings include the juris doctor/master of divinity in conjunction with Pepperdine's Seaver College. Other joint degree programs include the JD/MBA, JD/MPP, and JD/MDR. The school offers both a summer session and a fall semester in London, England. Kenneth Starr is the current dean.

A good example of Pepperdine's Mediterranean architecture, The Keck Science Center
A good example of Pepperdine's Mediterranean architecture, The Keck Science Center

[edit] Graduate School of Education and Psychology

With a focus on collaborative learning, leadership and academic excellence, the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) offers both masters and doctorate programs in education, educational technology, education administration, leadership, organizational change, organizational leadership, school counseling, psychology, and clinical psychology. Margaret Weber is the current dean.

[edit] School of Public Policy

Approximately 120 graduate students are enrolled in the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, which offers a two-year masters of public policy degree. Not simply the study of government, public policy is the study of how governments, non-profits, and even individuals and businesses address problems of public concern. Students specialize in economics, international relations, American politics, or local/regional policy in addition to their core studies and are required to complete a policy-related internship. James Wilburn is the current dean.

The School of Public Policy was recently given a generous grant by former Congressman Jack F. Kemp, to establish an institute of political economy. Notable figures scheduled to lecture and join an advisory committee are: James A. Baker III (former Secretary of State), William J. Bennett, Edwin Fuelner (President, Heritage Foundation), Steve Forbes (CEO and Chairman, Forbes, Inc.), Larry Kudlow, Edwin Meese III (75th Attorney General of the United States), and Michael Novak.[5]

Notable faculty at the School of Public Policy are: Ted McAllister, James Q. Wilson, James Prieger (Chief Economist, FCC), Gordon Lloyd and Robert Kaufman.

Notable graduates include at least two current members of the Bush Administration: Eryn Witcher, Director of Television[6], and Troy Senik, Speechwriter for the President[7].

The current dean of the Public Policy School is James R. Wilburn.

[edit] Presidents

  • Batsell Baxter (1937–1939)
  • Hugh M. Tiner (1939–1957)
  • M. Norvel Young (1957–1971)
  • William S. Banowsky (1971–1978)
  • Howard A. White (1978–1985)
  • David Davenport (1985–2000)
  • Andrew K. Benton (2000-Present)

[edit] Athletics

Pepperdine Waves Logo
Pepperdine Waves Logo

Pepperdine University participates in the West Coast Conference, a conference made up exclusively of religiously affiliated schools in which it is the only member that is not Catholic. Appropriate for its location adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, Pepperdine's teams are known as the Waves.

Pepperdine University was recently ranked by the Sears Cup as having the most successful athletic program for non-football Division I schools. (UCLA was ranked the most successful Division I athletic program with football.) Pepperdine University sponsors fourteen NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams: baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, volleyball and water polo teams for men; and basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball for women. There are also a number of intercollegiate sports clubs such as men's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee and ice hockey.

NCAA Division I Team Championships:

  • Baseball (1992)
  • Men's Golf (1997)
  • Men's Tennis (2006)
  • Men's Volleyball (1978, 1985, 1986, 1992, 2005)
  • Water Polo (1997)

NCAA Division I Individual Titles:

  • Robbie Weiss (1988 Tennis - Singles)
  • Carlos DiLaura & Kelly Jones (1985 Tennis - Doubles)
  • Jerome Jones & Kelly Jones (1984 Tennis - Doubles)

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Academia

[edit] Business

  • Linda Ruffin (1987) - President, Opportunities Plus[citation needed]
  • Rick J. Caruso (J.D., 1983) - CEO of Caruso Affiliated, former President of the Los Angeles Police Commission[citation needed]
  • Robert Tchenguiz (LL.B., 1982) - London-based Property Tycoon[12]

[edit] Entertainment

[edit] Politics and government

[edit] Sports

[edit] Rankings and reputation

The Princeton Review ranked Pepperdine on the list of colleges with "Dorms Like Palaces" in 2004 and 2007 and #1 under "Most Beautiful Campus" in 2006 and 2007. Pepperdine also appeared on other lists including "Students Pray on a Regular Basis," and "High Quality of Life." Because of its Christian affiliation, many contend that the student body breeds a religious and politically conservative atmosphere.[18] Princeton Review also ranked Pepperdine University #13 in its list "Alternative Lifestyles not an Alternative".[19] In 2007 Pepperdine was named as "One of the Top Producing Colleges and Universities" by the Peace Corps of America. The 2005 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges has also noted Pepperdine as being one of the nation's largest conservative colleges. U.S. News & World Report (see “Pepperdine at Glance” in the external links section) has ranked Pepperdine as the 54th best national university for undergraduate education, its law school is rated as 59th among the top 100 law schools in the country by U.S. News and World Reports, and the Straus Institute has appeared as #1 in the field of dispute resolution.[20] The Graziadio School of Business & Management has been consistently ranked by BusinessWeek as having one of the world's Top 25 Executive MBA programs, and US News & World Report has ranked the Graziadio School's Fully-Employed MBA program in the world's Top 30 and its Full-Time MBA program in the world's Top 100.[citation needed] Financial Times magazine has ranked the Graziadio School's EMBA in the world's Top 50.[citation needed]

[edit] Trivia

  • This is where the Nickelodeon TV series Zoey 101 is filmed. However, the name of the school is Pacific Coast Academy in the show.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Aldore Collier, FaithDome: "A grand-slam homer for Jesus.", Ebony, December 1989.
  2. ^ Vanessa Jahn, GSEP 35th Anniversary: A Celebratory Evening to Remember, Colleague Alumni Magazine, Spring 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Tracy Domingo, Miracle at Malibu Materialized, Graphic, November 14, 2002
  4. ^ Associated Press according to CNN
  5. ^ Jack Kemp Institute at Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy
  6. ^ http://www.pepperdine.edu/pr/releases/2006/april/sppgraduation.htm
  7. ^ http://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/admission/testimonials/
  8. ^ College of Wooster Chemistry
  9. ^ Pepperdine University - Seaver College - Academics- Faculty
  10. ^ Pepperdine University - School of Law
  11. ^ http://www.hatsoffforcancer.org/ Hats Off For Cancer Web site
  12. ^ http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/channel/Finance/news/561465/the-imt-i-interview-robert-tchenguiz/ The MT Interview: Robert Tchenguiz
  13. ^ official website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
  14. ^ Ventura County District Attorney
  15. ^ California Courts: Courts: Courts of Appeal: 4th District Division 3: Justices: Eileen C. Moore
  16. ^ Biography of Colleen P. Graffy
  17. ^ Baseballreference.com
  18. ^ Townhall.com::Colleges to Attend, Part I::By Mike S. Adams
  19. ^ Register for The Princeton Review
  20. ^ USNews.com: America's Best Graduate Schools 2008: Top Law Schools

[edit] External links

v • d • e
West Coast Conference

Gonzaga (Bulldogs) • Loyola Marymount (Lions) • Pepperdine • Portland • St. Mary's • San Diego • San Francisco (Dons) • Santa Clara
v • d • e
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of Christ

Coordinates: 34°02′19.26″N, 118°42′27.29″W