Andrew K. Benton (born c. 1952) is an American lawyer and academic administrator who served as the seventh president of

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

and as an interim president at the

University of Central Oklahoma The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...

Early life

Benton was born in Lawrence, Kansas. He graduated from

Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma Christian University (OC) is a private Christian university in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1950 by members of the Churches of Christ. History Oklahoma Christian University, originally named Central Christian College, w ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies in 1974, and he earned a J.D. from

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...

Career

Benton began his career as a lawyer in Oklahoma. He was an assistant to the president of his alma mater, Oklahoma Christian University, from 1975 to 1984. Benton joined Pepperdine University in 1984. He served as its vice president from 1991 to 1999. He served as its president from 2000 to 2019, becoming the longest-serving person to hold the office. During the course of his presidency, "Total University assets have increased by more than $1 billion." His presidency also saw the construction of the Drescher graduate campus and the establishment of campuses in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

. When

Jim Gash James Allan Gash (born 15 March 1967) is an American legal scholar and academic administrator who currently serves as the president of Pepperdine University. Education Gash received his Bachelor of Arts in finance from Abilene Christian Universi ...

succeeded him in 2019, Benton took on the role of president emeritus. A road on the university's Malibu campus was renamed Benton Way in honor of his service to the university. While serving at Pepperdine, Benton was also named the vice chair, and later the chair, of the board of directors of the

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C.. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it has over 1,000 independent hig ...

(NAICU). Benton was honored as a distinguished alumnus by Oklahoma Christian University in 2000. In 2023, Benton became the interim president of the

after Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar resigned.

Personal life

With his wife Deborah, Benton has a son and a daughter. He is a member of the

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Andrew K. Living people 1950s births People from Lawrence, Kansas Oklahoma Christian University alumni Oklahoma City University alumni Pepperdine University faculty American members of the Churches of Christ Presidents of Pepperdine University Presidents of the University of Central Oklahoma