Pepperdine University Totally Explained

Everything about Pepperdine University totally explained

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.

History

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, referred to later as the Vermont Avenue campus. 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're 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. The situation exploded in the 1965 Watts Riots. 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. In addition, the Vermont Avenue campus was running out of room to expand.
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. Pepperdine favored the Westlake Village location until the Adamson-Rindge family, who owned hundreds of acres in Malibu, offered 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. On April 13, 1971, the university broke ground to commence construction and in September 1972 the Malibu campus opened for student enrollment.
(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 Matt "Money" Smith, Ben Stein, Kenneth Starr, Arthur Laffer, Douglas W. Kmiec, and Daniel Pipes.

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. 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.

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.

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.
   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.

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.

Academics

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.

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:

Full-time MBA program (15-20 months full-time) offered at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu, California
Accelerated 12-month MBA program (full-time) offered at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu, California
International MBA program (20 months full-time) offered at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu, California
Master of Science in Applied Finance program (1 year full-time) offered at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu, California
Master of Science in Global Business program (16 months full-time with up to 8 months spent abroad) offered at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu, California
Fully-Employed Part-Time MBA program (Flexible schedule: 2-7 years part-time) offered at the Encino, Irvine, West Los Angeles, and Westlake Village Graduate Campuses
Executive MBA program (20 months part-time) offered at our graduate campuses in Malibu, West Los Angeles and Orange County (Irvine)
Presidential MBA program (20 months part-time) offered at our graduate campuses in Malibu, West Los Angeles and Orange County (Irvine)
Master of Science in Organization Development program (20 months part-time)
Master of Science in Management and Leadership program (16 months * part-time) offered at the Irvine and West LA Graduate Campuses
Bachelor of Science in Management undergraduate completion program (2 years part-time) offered at the Encino, Irvine and West LA Graduate Campuses
Joint BSM/MBA "MBAJ" program (3 years part-time)

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.

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. 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.
   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, and Troy Senik, Speechwriter for the President.
   The current dean of the Public Policy School is James R. Wilburn.

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)

Athletics

Pepperdine University participates in the West Coast Conference, a conference made up exclusively of religiously affiliated schools in which it's the only member that isn't 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)

Notable alumni

Academia

Christopher Chetsanga (1965), Professor at University of Zimbabwe that discovered two DNA repair enzymes

Robert Landeros (1978) - Professor of Management at Western Michigan University

Robert Warrior (Ph. D., 1985) - Professor of English at Stanford University

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

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

Dwayne D. Simmons (B.S., 1980) - Research Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Washington University

Philip Molebash (B.S., 1993) - Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Utah

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

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

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

Business

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 (External Link

)

John Lewis (business) (1983) - President, Eugene Lewis & Assoc.

Robert S. Moore (1984) - Executive Vice President and CFO, Walt Disney Studios

Joe Rokus (1976) - Chairman, Reid Plastics

John R. Hall (B.A. 1997; MBA, 2002) - CEO, Greenwood & Hall

Teri Rokus (J.D., 1976) - Vice President, Reid Plastics

Tara Lawrence (B.A., 2004) - Founder/President, Hats Off For Cancer, Inc.

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

Entertainment

Karl Brauer - Editor-in-Chief, edmunds.com

Chase Crawford - Actor

Kim Fields (1995) - actress, U.S. TV sitcoms The Facts of Life and Living Single

Kimberly Forsyth - Miss Arkansas USA 2006

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's Sister, Sister

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

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

Politics and government

Steven Baldwin (1979) - Actor, one of the Baldwin Brothers.

James Hahn (J.D., 1975) - Los Angeles mayor, 2001–2005

Janice Hahn - Los Angeles City Councilwoman, 15th District

Bernard C. Parks - Los Angeles City Councilman, 8th District

Jami Miscik (1980) - Director of the Office of International Affairs, CIA

Rod Blagojevich (J.D., 1983) - Governor of Illinois, 2003—

Todd Russell Platts - (J.D., 1991) U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania, (2001- )

Theodore Kanavas - Wisconsin State Senate, 33rd District

Michelle Park Steel - California Board of Equalization

Pierre-Richard Prosper (J.D., 1989) U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues

Andre Birotte Jr. - (J.D., 1991) Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Commission

Gregory D. Totten - (J.D., 1982) District Attorney of Ventura County

Hon. Eileen C. Moore - (J.D., 1978) Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, Fourth District

Colleen P. Graffy - Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy

Talis Colberg - (J.D.) Attorney General, State of Alaska

Stephen P. Beeler - (M.A. 1974) Best selling author - The Firestone Syndrome

Sports

Alex Acker (2005) - Former professional basketball player (2005-2006; Detroit Pistons)

Brandon Armstrong (2001) - Former professional basketball player (2001-2004; New Jersey Nets)

Dain Blanton (1994) - 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Beach Volleyball

Doug Christie (1992) - Former professional basketball player (1992-2007; Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks & Los Angeles Clippers)

Bob Ctvrtlik (1985) - 1988 Olympic Gold Medal Volleyball Team Member, Member of International Olympic Committee

Yakhouba Diawara (2005) - Power Forward for the Denver Nuggets

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)

Brad Gilbert (1982) - Professional tennis player, Andre Agassi's coach

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.

Danny Haren - Professional baseball player; 2007 A.L. All Star Starting Pitcher (Oakland Athletics)

Dennis Johnson (1976) - Former professional basketball player (1977-1990; 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)

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)

Merrill Moses (2000) - Water polo goalie for USA National Team

David Newhan - Professional baseball player (New York Mets)

Will Ohman - Professional baseball player (Chicago Cubs)

Rob Picciolo - Former professional baseball player (1977-1985; Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers & California Angels)

Terry Schroeder (D.C., 1981) - Olympian 1988, 1992 & 1996

Mike Scott - Former professional baseball player (1979-1991; New York Mets & Houston Astros) & winner of the 1986 NL Cy Young Award

Andy Stankiewicz - Former professional baseball player (1992-1998; New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos & Arizona Diamondbacks)

Andrew Sznajder - Professional tennis player

Derek Wallace - Former professional baseball player (1996-1999; New York Mets & Kansas City Royals)

Randy Wolf - Professional baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers)

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. Princeton Review also ranked Pepperdine University #13 in its list "Alternative Lifestyles not an Alternative". 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. 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. Financial Times magazine has ranked the Graziadio School's EMBA in the world's Top 50.

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.Further Information

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