Pepperdine University () is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

affiliated with 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 ...

with its main campus in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway near

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

. Founded by entrepreneur

George Pepperdine George Pepperdine (; June 20, 1886 – July 31, 1962) was an American entrepreneur and Christian philanthropist who was the founder of Pepperdine University in California. Biography Early life George Pepperdine was born on June 20, 1886, on a far ...

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as ...

in 1937, the school expanded to Malibu in 1972. Courses are now taught at a main Malibu campus, four graduate campuses in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, a center in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, and international campuses in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina;

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, United Kingdom;

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, Germany;

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy; and

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), ...

, Switzerland. The university is composed of an undergraduate liberal arts school (Seaver College) and four graduate schools: the Caruso School of Law, the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, the Graziadio Business School, and the School of Public Policy.

History

Early years

In February 1937, against the backdrop of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

founded a liberal arts college in the city of Los Angeles to be affiliated with the

and to be called—to the founder's embarrassment—George Pepperdine College. Pepperdine had built his fortune largely through the

Western Auto Supply Company Western Auto Supply Company—known more widely as Western Auto—was a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories. It operated approximately 1200 stores across the United States. It was started in ...

, which he founded in 1909 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 iscare. econsidered it wrong to build up a great fortune and use it selfishly." 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." On September 21, 1937, 167 new students from 22 different states and two other countries entered classes on a newly built campus on at West 79th Street and South Vermont Avenue in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of

, later referred to as the Vermont Avenue campus. The campus was designed in the

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

style by John M. Cooper, an

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

architect. By April 5, 1938, George Pepperdine College was fully accredited by the Northwest Association in large part due to the leadership of president

Batsell Baxter Batsell Baxter (November 17, 1886 – March 4, 1956) was one of the most important leaders and educators in the Churches of Christ in the first half of the 20th century. Biography He received his early education from David Lipscomb and Jame ...

and dean

Hugh M. Tiner Hugh M. Tiner (April 16, 1908 – January 7, 1981) was an American academic administrator. He served as the second president of Pepperdine University from 1939 to 1957. Early life Tiner was born on April 16, 1908, in La Vernia, Texas. He graduated ...

. The student newspaper, called the GraPhiC, published its first issue in October 1937. The college expanded significantly in the years following its founding, reaching an enrollment of 1,839 for the 1948–1949 year. The college's first graduate program, a master of arts in religion, admitted its first students in 1944, and the school's first international program, a year-long program in

Heidelberg, Germany Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, was launched in 1963.

Racial unrest, murder, and move to Malibu

Pepperdine University Malibu Canyon Entrance Gate

By 1957, when

M. Norvel Young Matt Norvel Young (October 5, 1915 – February 17, 1998), known as M. Norvel Young, was an American academic administrator. He served as the president of Pepperdine University from 1957 to 1971 and as its chancellor from 1971 to 1985. He wa ...

was named president, the young college faced serious problems, not least of which was the high cost of expansion in South Los Angeles. The area around the Vermont Avenue campus was developing issues including rising crime and urban decay, and racial tensions had arisen that led to the 1965 Watts Riots. Before the worst of the tensions began, President Young began to look for suburban sites to expand the university's footprint. In 1966, a committee was formed to look at potential locations, including sites in

Westlake Village Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vil ...

and Calabasas. Pepperdine favored the Westlake Village location until the Adamson-Rindge family, who owned hundreds of acres near Malibu, offered to donate and to sell 58.7 adjacent acres. Despite concerns over building costs on the mountainous site, the school decided to move forward based on its prime location and potential for raising donations, accepting the land in Malibu in 1968. In March 1969, Larry Kimmons, a Black teenager from the South LA neighborhood, was murdered by Pepperdine campus security officer Charlie Lane following a verbal argument. Protests ensued, with Black students opposing the university and White students fleeing the campus altogether. The killing was attributed to racism, and is said to have accelerated the move to Malibu, as a sort of

White flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

. In December 1970, student activists threatened to burn down the campus, even setting small fires in three buildings. They later occupied the Academic Life building, leading to a standoff with the Los Angeles Police Department that was defused by negotiations with vice president

William S. Banowsky William Slater Banowsky (March 4, 1936 – April 28, 2019) was an American academic administrator. He served as president of Pepperdine University from 1971 to 1978, then as president of the University of Oklahoma from 1978 to 1982 when he resign ...

bomb threats were made, buildings were destroyed, the National Guard surrounded the campus, random acts of vandalism were committed, and fighting between Blacks and Whites was reported

Construction in Malibu began on April 13, 1971, and the new campus opened for student enrollment in September 1972. The campus and many of its buildings were planned by Los Angeles–based architect and urban planner

William Pereira William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably pro ...

, who had also designed the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

, the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

, and much of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. The construction of the Malibu campus was made possible largely by gifts from

Blanche Seaver Blanche Ebert Seaver (September 15, 1891–April 9, 1994) was an American philanthropist and musician. Early life and marriage Born Blanche Ebert on September 15, 1891, she was the tenth child of Norwegian immigrants to Chicago. Her musical talen ...

, the wife of

Frank R. Seaver Frank Roger Seaver (April 12, 1883–30 October 1964) was an American lawyer, Naval officer, oil executive, and philanthropist. He grew up in Claremont, California, graduating from Pomona College in 1905, where he managed the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehe ...

and heir of his oil-drill manufacturing fortune, who donated to Pepperdine more than $160 million over her lifetime. The undergraduate college was officially named after Seaver in 1975. The university retained and continued to expand its original Vermont Avenue campus, building a new academic building there in 1970, and redesigning the curriculum to serve its more urban setting. Much of the undergraduate liberal arts program, however, moved to the new Malibu campus. In the decade to come, the Vermont Avenue campus transitioned away from its residential model, and in 1981 the Vermont Avenue campus was sold to

Crenshaw Christian Center The Crenshaw Christian Center is a non-denominational megachurch based in Los Angeles, California. It has around 28,000 members. History The church was founded in 1973 by Frederick K. C. Price in Inglewood, California. In 1981, the church ...

, whose minister, Frederick K. C. Price, then oversaw construction of the "Faith Dome," then the largest-domed church in the United States.

Growth of the university

Just as the university was looking for room to expand, it established several graduate schools. In 1969, Pepperdine bought the Orange University College of Law in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

, which became the

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

and moved to the Malibu campus in 1978. What had been a business division offering graduate and undergraduate degrees became a graduate business school in 1968, which in 1971 was named the School of Business and Management. Also in 1971, the School of Education was formed, which in 1981 became the Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Pepperdine administrators used these expansions as justification to change the institution's name to Pepperdine University in 1971. Pepperdine continued to expand, adding permanent international programs in

and in

beginning in 1984 and 1985, respectively. These were followed by similar programs in

, 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 ...

. The School of Business and Management was renamed the Graziadio Business School to honor a gift of $15 million from real estate developer

George L. Graziadio Jr. George L. Graziadio Jr. (1919–2002) was an American commercial real estate developer, banker and philanthropist. With George Eltinge, he developed 100 shopping centers for Kmart in California and elsewhere in the 1950s. In 1963, they co-found ...

, and in 2019 the School of Law was renamed the Caruso School of Law after a pledge of $50 million from alumnus

Rick J. Caruso Rick Joseph Caruso (born January 7, 1959) is an American businessman. A billionaire, he is the founder and former chief executive officer of Caruso, an American real-estate company. He is the chair of the board of trustees at the University ...

. The Malibu campus itself was expanded by the construction of the Drescher Graduate Campus, which was completed in 2003 under the supervision of president

Andrew K. Benton Andrew K. Benton (born c. 1952) is an American lawyer and academic administrator who served as the seventh president of Pepperdine University and as an interim president at the University of Central Oklahoma. Early life Benton was born in Lawrenc ...

Brushfires

Pepperdine's Malibu campus has often been threatened by brushfires, including in 1985, 1993, 1996,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. The university prepares for the fires by clearing brush 200 feet from all buildings and has developed plans with

Los Angeles County Fire Department The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting services as well as technical rescue services, hazardous materials response services and emergency medical response services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County ...

to shelter faculty, staff, and students in place.

Campus

Pepperdine University aerial view July 2021

Malibu campus

Pepperdine's Malibu campus is situated on of the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway. It is its own

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

, located in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

. It is widely considered one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world in terms of scenery and architecture, and has been described as "a place that looks more like a beach resort than a private university." The campus offers views of the

Santa Monica Bay Santa Monica Bay is a bight (geography), bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn betwe ...

, Catalina Island, the

Palos Verdes Peninsula The Palos Verdes Peninsula (''Palos Verdes'', Spanish for "Green Sticks") is a landform and a geographic sub-region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the Sou ...

, and much of the

westside of Los Angeles The Los Angeles Westside is an urban region in western Los Angeles County, California. It has no official definition, but sources like ''LA Weekly'' and the Mapping L.A. survey of the ''Los Angeles Times'' place the region on the western side of t ...

. Most buildings are designed in the

Mediterranean Revival Style Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

with white stucco walls, red tile roofs, and large tinted windows. The first round of construction on the site was completed in 1973. The most distinctive feature of the Malibu campus, apart from its location, is the Phillips Theme Tower, a 125-foot obelisk with an embedded cross that stands on the front lawn. The tower was designed by William Pereira in 1972, and construction was completed in 1973. The tower was dedicated in 1974 as a symbol of Pepperdine's dedication to its Christian mission. Following disputes with Malibu residents over the lighting of the cross, the tower has not been illuminated since 1980. Alumni Park is located on the lowest part of the Malibu campus, adjacent to the Pacific Coast Highway. It is a 30-acre expanse of lawns, trails, hills, ponds and coral trees overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Landscape architects Eric Armstrong and S. Lee Scharfman were responsible for the campus green space planning and design. The park was dedicated in 1979, and it now serves as the location for the university's commencement exercises and other campus activities that need a large open space. Overlooking Alumni Park is Stauffer Chapel, with its 3,000 square feet of stained-glass windows designed by Robert and Bette Donovan and constructed in 1973. The main academic plaza for the undergraduate programs of Seaver College lies on a knoll above Alumni Park and includes Tyler Campus Center,

Payson Library Payson may refer to: Places in the United States * Payson, Arizona * Payson, Illinois * Payson, Utah People

* Edward Payson (1783–1827), American Congregational preacher * (1893–1927), American botanist * Harold Payson (1928–2011), U.S ...

, and the Weisman Museum of Art. Undergraduate housing and athletic facilities sit to the northwest of the academic complex. The Caruso School of Law is situated on a hill above these areas. Banowsky Boulevard separates Alumni Park from the main academic complex and is named in honor of

, the fourth president of Pepperdine. Spur roads to the east lead to faculty housing. The Drescher Graduate Campus is contiguous with and northwest of the central campus. Construction was completed in 2003, and it is now home to the School of Public Policy, the Villa Graziadio Executive Center, and the full-time programs of the Graziadio Business School and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, as well as housing for students and faculty.

Graduate campuses

The Graziadio Business School and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology are headquartered in

West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...

at the Howard Hughes Center next to Interstate 405. These two schools also offer programs at graduate campuses in

, Encino,

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...

, and Calabasas.

International campuses

Pepperdine owns and operates permanent satellite campuses in five countries, with each campus offering semester- and year-long programs for students of Seaver College. The first such program was opened in 1963 in

. Programs were then introduced in the

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

district of

in 1984 and in

in 1985. Since then, programs have been launched in

, and

. In 2021, Seaver College announced the permanent closure of its Shanghai campus due to “operational difficulties and decreased enrollment.” The Caruso School of Law also offers regular programs at the campus in London. In addition to these regular offerings, international programs of the university's various schools have also taken place in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, Uganda and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Academics

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

Seaver College is named for

and his wife Blanche, the principal benefactors of Pepperdine's Malibu campus. The college offers undergraduates a liberal arts education; each candidate for a bachelor's degree must complete a broad program of general education courses. Seaver's general education requirements have received an A rating from ACTA's annual ''What Will They Learn'' report for several years running. Seaver students attend classes at the Malibu campus, and most students study abroad either at one of the University's permanent international campuses in

, and

or at one of several summer programs. The current dean is Michael Feltner. Seaver College offers 45 majors and 47 minors across eight academic divisions: business administration, communication, fine arts, humanities and teacher education, international studies and languages, natural science, religion and philosophy, and social science. In addition to bachelor's degrees, the college offers the following graduate degrees: master of arts (MA) in American studies, master of arts in religion, master of science (MS) in ministry, master of divinity (MDiv), and master of fine arts (MFA) in screen and television writing. Seaver students can also earn both single-subject and multiple-subject teaching credentials. The Religion Division offers undergraduate and graduate education in ministry, works with Pepperdine's Center for Faith and Learning and Office of Church Relations, and publishes ''Leaven: A Journal of Christian Ministry''.

Graziadio Business School

Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School enrolls approximately 2,000 students in its full-time and part-time degree programs. The school was founded in 1969, and has since graduated more than 47,000 alumni. Deryck J. van Rensburg has served as dean since 2014. In 2016, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the online MBA program tied for 15th best in the country, and the part-time MBA program was ranked at 29th nationally. In 2016, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Pepperdine overall 65th out of 437 business programs in the United States.

Caruso School of Law

The Caruso School of Law is located on the Malibu campus adjacent to Seaver College, and enrolls about 500 students. It is accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

, is a member of the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non ...

, and hosts a chapter of the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

. The School's Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution is consistently ranked as a leading dispute resolution program, offering Master's and Certificate programs. Other degree programs include the Juris Doctor/Master of Divinity with Seaver College, the JD/MBA, JD/MPP, and JD/MDR. The school offers both a summer session and a fall semester at the university's campus in

. The current dean is Paul L. Caron, and

Deanell Reece Tacha Deanell Reece Tacha (born January 26, 1946) is a retired United States Circuit Judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She was the Dean of the Pepperdine University School of Law from 2011 to 2016. Education ...

is the dean emeritus. The school is ranked 52nd among the nation's 199 American Bar Association-approved law schools by the 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' rankings. It is known for its

entertainment law Entertainment law, also referred to as media law, is legal services provided to the entertainment industry. These services in entertainment law overlap with intellectual property law. Intellectual property has many moving parts that include tradema ...

program.

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

The Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) offers both masters and doctorate programs, including EdD, PsyD, and PhD degrees. Student enrollment is about 1,600. Its programs are accredited by

WASC WASC may refer to: * Supreme Court of Western Australia * WASC (AM), a radio station (1530 AM) licensed to Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States * West Africa Submarine Cable * West African School Certificate * Western Association of Schoo ...

and the APA. The current dean is Helen Easterling Williams.

School of Public Policy

The School of Public Policy enrolls approximately 70 graduate students in its two-year master's degree in

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

(MPP). Joint degree programs include the following: * MPP/Juris Doctor with the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

. * MPP/Masters of Dispute Resolution with the law school's highly-rated Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. * MPP/MBA degree with the Graziadio Business School. Notable faculty at the school include Ted McAllister,

James Q. Wilson James Quinn Wilson (May 27, 1931 – March 2, 2012) was an American political scientist and an authority on public administration. Most of his career was spent as a professor at UCLA and Harvard University. He was the chairman of the Council of A ...

, James Prieger (Senior Economic Advisor, FCC), Joel Fox, Angela Hawken, Gordon Lloyd and Robert Kaufman. Notable graduates include a former member of the Bush administration: Eryn Witcher, director of television. The current dean of the school is Pete Peterson.

Student body

Pepperdine's fall 2018 enrollment was 7,961 students, of whom 3,627 were at the undergraduate and 4,334 at the graduate and professional levels. In the 2017 academic year, the freshman retention rate was 91%.

Fall freshman profile

Admissions

Some 13,721 students applied for admission to the undergraduate class of 2023, and 4,241 were admitted (30%); Among admitted freshmen, the interquartile ranges for SAT composite scores, ACT composite scores, and unweighted GPAs were 1,300–1,450, 28-32, and 3.64–3.97, respectively. Admission to Pepperdine is rated as "more selective" by ''U.S. News & World Report'' and by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans

Pepperdine University is part of the Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans. Like several other colleges and universities that participate in the program, Pepperdine University offers support for an unlimited number of veteran students as well as an unlimited monetary contribution toward each veteran's tuition assistance. As of 2016, 72% of Pepperdine students who are veterans are in the Yellow Ribbon Program which enables Veterans to attend tuition-free.

Rankings and reputation

'' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Pepperdine tied for the 50th best national university, tied for 20th in undergraduate teaching, and tied for 24th best college for veterans in its rankings for 2020. Pepperdine was ranked number 1 in the Institute of International Education's 2015 Open Doors Report, with 86.5 percent of all undergraduate students studying abroad during the 2013–2014 academic year. The

placed 52nd among the 199 American Bar Association accredited law schools by the 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' rankings. It is known for its entertainment law, and also its dispute resolution program, which is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. In 2018, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Pepperdine's business school 65th out of 437 business programs in the United States. ''Forbes'' magazine has ranked the Graziadio School's Fully Employed MBA programs in the world's Top 20 based on ROI. In 2019, the

American Council of Trustees and Alumni The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is a conservative non-profit organization whose stated mission is to "support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure t ...

included Pepperdine in its ''

What Will They Learn? ''What Will They Learn?'' is the annual rating system of American colleges and universities published by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a conservative non-profit organization. The report, which evaluates the core academic requirement ...

'' study, which is an annual evaluation system of colleges and universities. The report assigns a letter grade to 1,120 universities based on how many of the following seven core subjects are required: composition, literature, foreign language, American history, economics, mathematics and science. Pepperdine was one of 23 schools to receive an "A" grade, which is assigned to schools that include at least six of the seven designated subjects in their core curriculum.

Athletics

Pepperdine University competes in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

intercollegiate athletics. Most teams play in the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of ...

, but men's volleyball plays in the

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...

and men's water polo plays in the

Golden Coast Conference The Golden Coast Conference (GCC) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States in which its members compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association National Collegiate (D-NC) division. The conference sponsors one sport, water p ...

. Pepperdine's teams are known as the Waves. Pepperdine University is often ranked by the

NACDA Director's Cup The NACDA Directors' Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the NACDA Learfield Directors' Cup or simply as the Directors' Cup, is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and univers ...

as having one of the most successful athletic programs for non-

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

Division I schools, ranking first on three occasions (most recently in 2011–12) and finishing in the top three eight times in the last fifteen years. Pepperdine University sponsors seventeen

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I intercollegiate athletics teams: baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, track, volleyball, and water polo teams for men; and basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball for women. There are also several intercollegiate sports clubs such as women's lacrosse, surfing, and men's rugby. NCAA Division I team championships: *Baseball (1992) *Men's golf (1997, 2021) *Men's tennis (2006) *Men's volleyball (1978, 1985, 1986, 1992, 2005) *Water polo (1997) NCAA Division I individual titles: *

Robbie Weiss Robbie Weiss (born December 1, 1966) is a former tour professional tennis player and NCAA Division 1 singles champion. The resident of Las Vegas achieved a career-high ATP ranking in singles of world No. 85, which he reached on the heels of w ...

(1988 tennis – singles) *

Carlos Di Laura Carlos di Laura (born 19 October 1964) is a former tennis player from Peru. He participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics for his native country. The left-hander won three tour doubles titles during his professional career. Di Laura reached his h ...

Kelly Jones Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics. Early life and debut Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...

(1985 tennis – doubles) *

Jerome Jones Jerome Jones (born October 25, 1981), also known by his stage names Romeo and Young Rome, is an American rapper and singer. He is a member of R&B group Immature/IMx. Jones released his solo debut album '' Food for Thought'' in 2004. Music car ...

& Kelly Jones (1984 tennis – doubles) The water polo competitions for the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

were held at

Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool The Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool is an Aquatic sports, aquatics venue located on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. The pool was constructed in 1975 and dedicated the following year to Raleigh Neal Runnels, the son of Pepp ...

on campus.

Notable people

There are currently over 100,000 living alumni worldwide. Notable alumni of Pepperdine University include prominent scientists, musicians, businessmen and women, engineers, architects, athletes, actors, politicians, and those who have gained both national and international success. The Pepperdine alumni network consists of over 30 alumni groups on four continents. File:Sarah Attar Rio2016.jpg,

Sarah Attar Sarah Attar ( ar, سارة عطار; born August 27, 1992) is a Saudi-American track and field athlete who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the first two female Olympians representing Saudi Arabia. She also competed in the maratho ...

, first female Saudi Arabian Olympian File:Chace Crawford 2012 Shankbone.JPG,

Chace Crawford Christopher Chace Crawford (born July 18, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his television portrayals of Nate Archibald on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012), and of The Deep in Amazon Prime Video original series ...

, actor File:Sharon Draper.JPG,

Sharon Draper Sharon Mills Draper (born August 21, 1948) is an American children's writer, professional educator, and the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. She is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for books about the young and adolescent Afric ...

, children's writer and a professional educator File:Michelle-fields.jpg,

Michelle Fields Michelle Fields (born January 10, 1988) is an American political journalist who formerly wrote for ''The Huffington Post'', and was a reporter for ''Breitbart News'', as well as a Fox News contributor. After graduating from college, Fields was hi ...

, political journalist File:Christine Blasey Ford.jpg,

Christine Blasey Ford Christine Margaret Blasey Ford ( ; born November 1966) is an American professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in designing statistical models f ...

, American professor File:Colleen Graffy official.jpg,

Colleen Graffy Colleen Graffy is a former United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy for Europe and Eurasia, and associate professor of law and Director of Global Programs at Pepperdine University School of Law and Academic Director ...

, former United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy File:James Hahn at the Long Beach Port (1).jpg,

James Hahn James Kenneth Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Hahn was elected the 40th mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election. Prior to his term a ...

, former

mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is term limit, limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of Califo ...

File:Dan Haren on September 16, 2011 (1).jpg,

Dan Haren Daniel John Haren (born September 17, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Haren played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Wa ...

, former professional baseball pitcher File:Dennis Johnson Lipofsky.jpg,

Dennis Johnson Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

basketball player File:John Lasseter 2002.jpg,

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, ...

, director, former Chief Creative Officer at

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

and

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

File:LeachMike092212-18.JPG, Mike Leach, American college football coach File:Oscar Munoz (cropped).jpg, Oscar Munoz, former president and CEO of

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

File:Sean Rooney.jpg, Sean Rooney, Olympic gold medalist volleyball player File:Michael Shermer wiki portrait4.jpg,

Michael Shermer Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of ''Skeptic'' magazine, a publication focused on investigating pseudoscientific ...

, science writer, historian of science, founder of

The Skeptics Society The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. The Skeptics Society was co-founded by Michael Sh ...

Demographics

The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

has designated the Pepperdine University campus as a separate

(CDP) for statistical purposes. It first appeared as a CDP in the 2020 Census with a population of 2,747.

2020 census

''Note: The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

In popular culture

* ''

Battle of the Network Stars ''Battle of the Network Stars'' is a series of competitions in which television stars from ABC, CBS and NBC would compete in various sporting events. A total of 19 of these competitions were held between 1976 and 1988, all of which were aired b ...

'' (1976–1988; 2017) and ''

Zoey 101 ''Zoey 101'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. It aired from January 9, 2005, to May 2, 2008. It focuses on the lives of Zoey Brooks (Jamie Lynn Spears), her brother Dustin (Paul Butcher (act ...

'' (2005–2008) were filmed on the campus.

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited references

External links

*
Pepperdine University Athletics website

Image of Black students protesting the college's decision to not renew the contract of African American public relations writer, Ron Ellerbe, 1970s.

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,

Charles E. Young Research Library The Charles E. Young Research Library is one of the largest libraries on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. It initially opened in 1964, and a second phase of construction was completed ...

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. {{authority control 1937 establishments in California Business schools in California Educational institutions established in 1937 Malibu, California Private universities and colleges in California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Seminaries and theological colleges in California Tourist attractions in Malibu, California Universities and colleges affiliated with the Churches of Christ Universities and colleges in Los Angeles County, California

History

Early years

Racial unrest, murder, and move to Malibu

Growth of the university

Brushfires

Campus

Malibu campus

Graduate campuses

International campuses

Academics

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

Graziadio Business School

Caruso School of Law

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

School of Public Policy

Student body

Admissions

Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans

Rankings and reputation

Athletics

Notable people

Demographics

2020 census

In popular culture

See also

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited references

External links