Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University
Motto	Freely ye received, freely give
Established	1937
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ
Endowment	USD $512 million[1]
President	Andrew K. Benton
Academic staff	636
Undergraduates	3,439
Postgraduates	4,294
Location	near Malibu, CA, USA
Campus	Suburban, 830 acres (3.4 km2)
Colors	Blue and Orange
Athletics	NCAA Division I West Coast Conference
Nickname	Waves
Mascot	Willy the Wave
Website	www.pepperdine.edu

Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's 830-acre campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, California, United States, is the location for Seaver College, the School of Law, the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, the Graziadio School of Business and Management, and the School of Public Policy. Courses are taught in Malibu, at six graduate campuses in southern California, and at international campuses in Germany, England, Italy, China, Switzerland, and Argentina.

History

Early years

In February 1937, against the backdrop 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 (140,000 m²) at West 79th Street and South Vermont Avenue in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles ,^[2] referred to later as the Vermont Avenue campus.^[3][4] 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 [his] care. [He] consider it wrong to build up a great fortune and use it selfishly." Mr. Pepperdine voiced his twofold 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."

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.^[4] The situation exploded in the 1965 Watts Riots.^[4] 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.^[4] In addition, the Vermont Avenue campus was running out of room to expand.^[4]

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.^[4] 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.^[4] On April 13, 1971, the university broke ground to commence construction and in September 1972 the Malibu campus opened for student enrollment.^[4]

(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).

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 Bruce Herschensohn, Ben Stein, Kenneth Starr, Arthur Laffer, Douglas Kmiec, and Daniel Pipes.

Smoke billows on a hill near Pepperdine University's Theme Tower.

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 Field house and Cafeteria, plus evacuations of local homes and businesses.^[5] Similarly, another November 2007 fire in Corral Canyon, accidentally set off by a group of Los Angeles youths, caused an evacuation of the Drescher Campus. However, most students were off-campus for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Campus

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art

The main campus is located 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. 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.

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, 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.

Academics

Houses adjacent to the Malibu campus.

Frank R. Seaver College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences

Seaver College is named for Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Seaver, the principal benefactors of Pepperdine's Malibu Campus. The college offers undergraduates a liberal arts education, and each candidate for a Bachelor's Degree must complete a series of general education courses crossing disciplinary lines. Seaver College students attend classes at the Malibu main campus and study abroad courses are offered at our permanent international campuses in Germany, England, China, Italy, Switzerland, and Buenos Aires. Rick Marrs is the current dean.

Seaver College comprises 8 divisions and offers 38 majors (listed below), as well as 36 minors:

Business Division: Accounting, Business Administration, International Business

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

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

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

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

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

Religion Division: Religion

The Religion Division offers undergraduate and graduate education in ministry, administers a Center for Faith and Learning and an Office of Church Relations, and publishes Leaven: A Journal of Christian Ministry.^[9]

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

In addition, the college offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Arts in American studies, Master of Arts in Communication, Master of Science in Communication, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Divinity, and Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Screen & Television. Seaver students can also earn both single-subject and multiple-subject teaching credentials.

Seaver College students attend classes at the Malibu main campus. Study abroad courses are offered at the University's permanent international campuses in Heidelberg, Germany; London, England; Florence, Italy; Lausanne, Switzerland; Shanghai, China; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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.

In 2010, US News ranked Pepperdine's business school tied with Santa Clara University at 82 in America.^[10] It ranked its part-time program 9th best in California.^[11]

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. The School of Law recently has attained membership in the prestigious Order of the Coif.^[12][13] 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. Thomas G. Bost is the interim dean.

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

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.

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.

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.^[14]

Notable faculty at the School of Public Policy include: Ted McAllister, James Q. Wilson, James Prieger (Senior Economic Advisor, FCC), Gordon Lloyd and Robert Kaufman.

Notable graduates include at least one former member of the Bush Administration: Eryn Witcher, Director of Television^[15].

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

Presidents

• Batsell Baxter (1937–39)
• Hugh M. Tiner (1939–57)
• M. Norvel Young (1957–71)
• William S. Banowsky (1971–78)
• Howard A. White (1978–85)
• David Davenport (1985–2000)
• Andrew K. Benton (2000–Present)

Athletics

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 Roman 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. (Stanford 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, surf team, Ultimate Frisbee and men's rugby.

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 Di Laura & Kelly Jones (1985 Tennis - Doubles)
• Jerome Jones & Kelly Jones (1984 Tennis - Doubles)

Notable alumni

Academia

• Michael Shermer (B.S., 1976) - Founder of The Skeptics Society
• Christopher Chetsanga (1965), Professor at University of Zimbabwe that discovered two DNA repair enzymes
• Robert Landeros (1978) - Professor of Management at Western Michigan University^[16]-
• Robert Warrior - Professor and Director of American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois^[17]
• Laura Skandera Trombley (M.A., 1983) - President of Pitzer College
• Paul L. Edmiston (B.S., 1993) - Associate Professor of Chemistry at The College of Wooster^[18]
• E. Andrew Stenhouse (Ed.D., 1999) - Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at Vanguard University of Southern California
• Lynn Clemons (M.A., 1981) - Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership at Mercer University
• Mark LeBar (M.B.A., 1988) - Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ohio University
• Harmon M. Hosch (M.A., 1968) - Professor and Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso
• Scott A. Quatro (B.A., 1990) - Associate Professor of Management at Covenant College
• R. Brandon Pratt (B.S., 1998) - Assistant Professor of Biology at California State University, Bakersfield
• Keith Sheldon (B.A., 1974) - Professor of business/marketing, California State University, Chico
• Dwayne D. Simmons (B.S., 1980) - Professor of Physiological Science at UCLA^[19]
• Philip Molebash (B.S., 1993) - Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Utah
• Victoria Pynchon (Master of Law, 2006) - Writer, lecturer, mediator, adjunct law professor at Pepperdine University School of Law
• Bryan Vila (B.S., 1972; M.P.A., 1974) - Professor of Criminal Justice at Washington State University, Spokane
• Alexander C. Diener (B.A., 1991) - Assistant Professor of Geography at Pepperdine University^[20]
• Janet Kerr (J.D., 1975; S.L., 1978) - Professor of Law at Pepperdine University
• Steven Dimse (B.S., 1980) - Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Miami
• James M. McGoldrick, Jr. (B.A., 1966) - Professor of Law at Pepperdine University^[21]
• Paul Egertson (B.A., 1955) - Senior Lecturer and Adjunct Professor of Religion at California Lutheran University
• Sharon K. Deberry( MBA. 1970)Senior Instructor and Nursing Professor at WVOC, American Career College
• Jeff Nessler (B.S., 1997) - Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at California State University San Marcos
• Daniel Roe Darnell (M.A. 1977) - Chancellor at Yosemite Community College District
• Toby Smith (B.S., 1996) - Clinical Assistant Professor of Geriatrics at University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine
• Megan Caywood (B.A., 2011) - Assistant Researcher in Cognition and Development at Yale University

Business

• Neil Clark Warren (1956) - Chairman and Co-Founder of eHarmony.com [3]
• Robert E. Dudley (Ph. D., 1975) - President and CEO, Anagen, Inc
• James Edinski (1983) President of Salt on Demand, Inc.
• Adam Firestone (J.D., 1993) - CEO, Firestone Vineyard
• Kim Fields Freeman (1990) - President, Victory Entertainment
• Carl Lambert (1978) - President, Lambert Investments [4]
• John Lewis (business) (1983) - President, Eugene Lewis & Assoc.
• Rod Menzies (MBA, 1988) - entrepreneur^[22]
• Robert S. Moore (1984) - Vice Chairman, Paramount Pictures
• Joe Rokus (1976) - Chairman, Reid Plastics
• Aaron Phillips (2002) - Founding Partner, Phillips & Sullivan
• John R. Hall (B.A. 1997; MBA, 2002) - CEO, Greenwood & Hall [5]
• Teri Rokus (J.D., 1976) - Vice President, Reid Plastics
• Tara Lawrence (B.A., 2004) - Founder/President, Hats Off For Cancer, Inc. ^[23]
• Linda Ruffin (1987) - President, Opportunities Plus
• Rick J. Caruso (J.D., 1983) - CEO of Caruso Affiliated, former President of the Los Angeles Police Commission
• Robert Tchenguiz (LL.B., 1982) - London-based Property Tycoon^[24]
• Brett Clouser (B.A. 2008) - Founder, The Monument of our Hearts activist fashion design company, also a contestant on Survivor: Samoa
• Skye Hoppus - Fashion designer, Founder of Childish Clothing. [6]

Entertainment

• Meagan Winings- Miss Nebraska USA, 2009
• Karl Brauer - Editor-in-Chief, edmunds.com
• Todd Matthew Burns - American film producer
• Chace Crawford - Actor, Gossip Girl (TV series)
• Kim Fields (1995) - actress, U.S. TV sitcoms The Facts of Life and Living Single
• Kimberly Forsyth - Miss Arkansas USA 2006
• Madison Hildebrand - Star of Bravo Channel's "Million Dollar Listing"
• Darby Hinton - Actor, Daniel Boone
• Adam Housley - Fox News Channel Los Angeles correspondent, former Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers baseball player
• Ashley Jones - American actress
• Montell Jordan - R&B recording artist famous for his hit 1990s single, "This is How We Do It"
• Tahj Mowry - Television actor best known for his role on the WB's Smart Guy
• Tia Mowry - Television actress best known for her role on ABC and The WB's Sister, Sister and the CW's The Game
• Tamera Mowry - Television actress best known for her role on ABC's Sister, Sister and Lifetime Television's Strong Medicine
• Porntip Nakhirunkanok - Miss Universe 1988
• Brandy Norwood - R&B artist and actress
• Eric Christian Olsen - American actor
• Nayo Abidoye - Nigerian R&B artist
• George Rowe (B.A., 1992; J.D., 1995) - Rocketown Records Christian recording artist
• George Schlatter - Emmy-winning American television producer and director, best known for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
• Matt "Money" Smith - Southern California sports radio personality
• Clayton Snyder - Actor, on sitcom Lizzie McGuire
• Bill Weir - Host of the ABC News Good Morning America Weekend Edition
• Les Baxter - Soundtrack and exotica composer
• Kelly Hu - Miss Teen USA 1985 and Actress
• CJ Bakke - Music Producer and founder of Supernova Bluefire
• Cami Edwards - Cast member, Laguna Beach'
• Brittany Dawn Brannon - Miss Teen America 2007

Media

• Stanley Cloud (1968) - Washington Bureau Chief of Time Magazine, author of "A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II"
• Patty McConahay (B.A., 1976) - Television newscaster and talk show host
• Jack Mulkey (B.A., 1974) - Copy Desk Chief, South Bay Daily Breeze (Los Angeles)
• Scott Ostler (1970) - Sports columnist, San Francisco Chronicle
• David Ottalini (M.A., 1975) - CNN news producer, 1980–2003; Media relations officer, University of Maryland, 2003–present
• Chris Preimesberger (B.A., 1975) - Editor/Columnist, eWEEK, and sports correspondent, The Associated Press; IT blogger
• Bob Rose (B.A., 1975) - Media Relations Chief, Oakland A's
• Bridget Waldman (2003) - News Producer KLAS-TV CBS, Emmy winner 2005
• Adam Housley (B.A. 1994) -National Correspondent Fox News Channel, Emmy Winner
• Alyce Alston (M.B.A.) - President, Health & Wellness, Home & Garden, The Reader's Digest Association, Ltd.
• Natasha Stenbock (B.A., 1999) - KFMB-TV weather anchor (2005–present) and one time The Dating Game contestant 1999.
• Anna Song (B.A., 1999) - KATU investigative reporter, weekend anchor (1999–present), 2007 Emmy for Human Interest News Series, 2007 Regional Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting.
• Jane Lee (B.A., 2009) - Oakland A's beat writer, MLB.com

Politics and Government

• Dr. Khalid Abdul Muhammad Ph.D.,Black Activist, (born Harold Moore Jr.; January 12, 1948–February 17, 2001)
• Steven Baldwin (B.A., 1979) - Council for National Policy Executive Director
• Stephen P. Beeler (M.A., 1974) - Best Selling Author, The Firestone Syndrome
• Andre Birotte Jr. (J.D., 1991) - Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Commission^[25]
• Rod Blagojevich (J.D., 1983) - Former Governor of Illinois, 2003–2009
• Henry Burns, (M.A.) - Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives since January 14, 2008
• Mark J. Caruso (B.S., 1979) (J.D., 1982)--State Representative, New Mexico Legislature 1991-1995
• Talis Colberg (J.D., 1983) - Attorney General, State of Alaska
• Colleen P. Graffy - Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy^[26]
• James Hahn (J.D., 1975) - Los Angeles Mayor, 2001–2005
• Janice Hahn - Los Angeles City Councilwoman, 15th District
• Theodore Kanavas - Wisconsin State Senator, 33rd District
• Joel Kleefisch, 1993, Wisconsin State Assembly
• Jami Miscik (1980) - Director of the Office of International Affairs, CIA
• Hon. Eileen C. Moore (J.D., 1978) - Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, Fourth District^[27]
• Bernard C. Parks - Los Angeles City Councilman, 8th District, former Los Angeles Police Chief
• Todd Russell Platts (J.D., 1991) - U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania, 2001–Present
• Amb. Pierre-Richard Prosper (J.D., 1989) - United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues
• Robin Sax {J.D., 1997}- Author, legal analyst, victim advocate, former prosecutor for Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
• Michelle Park Steel - Board Member, California Board of Equalization, 2006–Present
• Gregory D. Totten (J.D., 1982) - District Attorney of Ventura County^[28]

Sports

View of Pepperdine swimming pool.

• Alex Acker (2005) - Professional basketball player (2005–06; 2008-09 Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers)
• Brandon Armstrong (2001) - Former professional basketball player (2001–04; New Jersey Nets)
• Tyler Bethke (2009) - East Coast Rock Band Drummer Champion
• Dain Blanton (1994) - 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Beach Volleyball
• Paul Carroll (2009) - Australian Men's National Volleyball Team
• Doug Christie (1992) - Retired professional basketball player (1992–2007; Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks & Los Angeles Clippers)
• Ricardo Brown,(1980) - Former professional basketball player drafted in 1979 by Houston Rockets; returned in 1980 for his Senior year; Southern California Player of the Year in 1979; Played professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association (1983–1990); Rookie of the Year in the PBA in 1983; Most Valuable Player in PBA in 1985; member of PBA Hall of Fame (2009); member of Pepperdine University Hall of Fame (1995); currently Principal of Ross Middle School (Ross Academy) in ABC Unified School District in Artesia, California.
• Bob Ctvrtlik (1985) - 1988 Olympic Gold Medal Volleyball Team Member, Member of International Olympic Committee
• Richard Cho - General Manager of Portland Trail Blazers.
• Yakhouba Diawara (2005) - Power Forward for the Miami Heat
• Barry Enright (2007) - Pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Jim Everett, Former NFL QB. Received his MBA from Pepperdine.
• Mike Fetters - Former professional baseball player (1989–2004; California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks & Minnesota Twins)
• Greg Genske - sports agent
• Brad Gilbert (1982) - Former professional tour tennis player; prominent coach, of Andre Agassi's, Andy Murray
• Jason Gore (2000) - Professional golfer
• Dan Haller (2001) - National Player of the Year; shot opening round 77 at Franklin Invitational & took 4th. Also a world renowned architect.
• Dan Haren - Professional baseball player; 2007 A.L. All Star Starting Pitcher (Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen - Former professional tennis player who holds the all-time match winning percentage at Pepperdine^[29]
• Adam Housley (1994) - Former professional minor league baseball player. Drafted by the Montreal Expos
• Katherine Hull (2003) - Professional golfer
• Dennis Johnson (1976) - Former professional basketball player (1977–90; Seattle Supersonics, Phoenix Suns & Boston Celtics)
• Chad Kreuter - Former professional baseball player (1988–2003; Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels, Kansas City Royals & Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Martin Laurendeau - Former professional tour tennis player
• Mike Leach - Texas Tech head football coach 2000-2009
• Marcos "Marquinhos" Antônio Abdalla Leite - Basketball player; FIBA World Championship: 1970 runner-up & 1978 bronze; Olympian 1972, 1980 & 1984; Former teams: Fluminense Football Club, Synudyne, Bradesco, Emerson Color, and EC Sírio
• Noah Lowry - Professional baseball player (San Francisco Giants)
• Carlos Luevano (B.A., 1977) -- Former professional baseball player, played in the U.S. minor leagues and the Mexican League, 1978-80.
• Glenn Michibata - Former professional tour tennis player
• Merrill Moses (2000) - Water polo goalie for USA National Team (2008 Olympic Silver Medalist)
• David Newhan - Professional baseball player (Houston Astros)
• Will Ohman - Professional baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Rob Picciolo - Former professional baseball player (1977–1985; Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers & California Angels) ^[30]
• Steve Rodriguez, major league infielder for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, and a player and head coach for the Waves baseball team.
• Sean Rooney (2004) - USA Men's National Volleyball Team (2008 Gold Medalist)
• Dane Sardinha - Professional Baseball Player (Detroit Tigers).
• Duke Sardinha - Professional Baseball Player (Colorado Rockies).
• Terry Schroeder (1981) - Water Polo Olympian 1988, 1992 & 1996, Olympic Water Polo Head Coach 2008 (Silver Medal)
• Mike Scott - Former professional baseball player (1979–1991; New York Mets & Houston Astros) & winner of the 1986 NL Cy Young Award
• Jesse Smith USA Mens Water Polo Olympic Team 2000, 2004, 2008. (2008 Olympic Silver Medalist)
• Andy Stankiewicz - Former professional baseball player (1992–98; New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos & Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Andrew Sznajder - Former professional tour tennis player
• Derek Wallace - Former professional baseball player (1996–99; New York Mets & Kansas City Royals)
• Robbie Weiss - Former professional tennis player
• Randy Wolf - Professional baseball player
• Danny Worth - Professional baseball player (Detroit Tigers)
• Jennifer Lacy - Female Professional Basketball Player Phoenix Mercury & Atlanta Dream

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, some contend that the student body breeds a religious and politically conservative atmosphere.^[31] Princeton Review also ranked Pepperdine University #13 in its list "Alternative Lifestyles not an Alternative".^[32] 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 58th best national university for undergraduate education, its law school is rated as 52nd among the top 100 law schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report, and the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution is currently ranked number 1 in the nation.^[33] In 2010, US News ranked Pepperdine's business school tied with Santa Clara University at 82 in America.^[34] It ranked its part-time program 9th best in California.^[35] Forbes magazine has ranked the Graziadio School's Fully-Employed MBA programs in the world's Top 20 based on ROI.^[36]

 In 2008, the magazine In Tune for music educators named Pepperdine one of the 38 best music schools in the United States.  In 2009, the Sustainable Endowments Institute awarded Pepperdine a "C" for its sustainability efforts in the annual College Sustainability Report Card.[37]

The Nickelodeon series, Zoey 101 was shot on Pepperdine's Malibu campus. Pepperdine signs were covered with trendy, purple signs reading "Pacific Coast Academy", the name of the boarding school attended by the students on the show.

Notes

External links

• Official Website
• Official Pepperdine Athletics Website
• Pepperdine Review – U.S. News & World Report, “Pepperdine at Glance”
• Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business and Management – Business Week Review