Centers and Institutes

The Center for Faith and the Common Good

The Center for Faith and the Common Good is Pepperdine’s academic home for scholarly investigations on the role faith and religion play in human flourishing and notably in prison outcomes and other social and behavioral services.

Boone Center for the Family

The Boone Center for the Family provides seminars and counseling for marriage, family, and parenting needs. Guided by the Christian principles that define the University, the center also provides training for churches, professionals, and lay leaders.

Center for Faith and Learning (CFL)

Pepperdine's Center for Faith and Learning strengthens the connection between spiritual and academic exploration. Through grant programs and spiritual retreats, the center supports students and faculty at all five Pepperdine University schools.

Center for Sustainability

Pepperdine's values-centric framework for sustainability is consistent with the University mission of graduating academically knowledgeable and ethically responsible students with a lifelong commitment to purposeful service and leadership. The Center for Sustainability is a conduit for advancement of sustainability through communication, implementation, and education.

Center for Teaching Excellence

The Seaver College Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) promotes excellence in college teaching in order to achieve deeper student learning. The Center provides academic, instructional, and professional development support to Seaver College faculty.

Keck Data Science Institute

The Keck Data Science Institute was created after Pepperdine University received a $10 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation in order to strengthen the research and teaching methods of Data Science & AI at Seaver College. The institute gives students and faculty members an opportunity to learn about and interact with one of the fastest growing fields of study.

Aliento: The Center for Latina/o Communities

The Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology has established unique programs that address the mental health needs of Latina/o communities. Spanish for "breath," Aliento is about "helping communities breathe better."

Center for Women in Leadership

The Center for Women in Leadership works to build within all Pepperdine University women—students, faculty, and staff members—confidence and a sense of competency to fully take on the challenges of leadership through scholarship, mentoring, and engagement.

Center for Applied Research

To advance its mission to shape values-centered scholars and leaders, the Center for Applied Research at Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School promotes research initiatives and grant projects for students, alumni, and faculty.

Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE)

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) is part of Pepperdine's Graziadio Business School. The center's mission is to innovate in business education in ways that are relational, experiential, applied, and learner focused (REAL).

Institute for Entertainment, Media, and Sports (IEMS)

Through seminars, internships, and education, IEMS empowers Pepperdine students to create entertainment that makes a positive impact and fosters social and media entrepreneurship.

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

Ranked number one for dispute resolution by U.S. News & World Report for 16 of the last 21 years, the Straus Institute at the Caruso School of Law offers MDR, LLM, and certificate programs for students and professionals.

Sudreau Global Justice Institute

The Sudreau Global Justice Institute partners with governments around the world to implement equitable laws and systems, and we provide training to judges, lawyers, and key stakeholders along the way. The Institute provides law students and practicing attorneys academic training and hands-on opportunities around the world to advocate on the behalf of those in need.

Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law

At the Caruso School of Law, the Palmer Center prepares graduates for the unique and intense demands of business, entertainment law, securities regulation, and intellectual property rights. This is accomplished through the integration of cutting-edge technology, education, and strategy.

Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics

The Caruso School of Law is committed to providing a superior legal education that aligns with and strengthens personal ethics. The Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics reinforces the missions of the University and School of Law through seminars, conferences, and symposia.

Parris Institute for Professional Formation

Parris Institute for Professional Formation is dedicated to first-year (1L) students at the Caruso School of Law. The program includes the school's Preceptor Program, which provides students with both faculty and student mentors and focuses on the pillars of professionalism.

Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr., Judicial Clerkship Institute

Each year, the Caruso School of Law brings law students from across the country to its campus for the Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr., Judicial Clerkship Institute (Byrne JCI). Through the Byrne JCI, students who have been accepted into federal judicial clerkship positions have the opportunity to gain distinctive, comprehensive training by federal judges.

Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service

Established in 2024, the Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service aims to cultivate a community of scholars through a framework of faith, a spirit of viewpoint diversity, and a commitment to developing scholars who will uphold the rule of law and serve their nation with integrity and compassion.

Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership

The Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy is the School of Public Policy's center focused on local government leadership. Launched in 2010, the institute aims to advance public engagement and civic education that fosters productive interaction between communities and local government. The Davenport Institute achieves this mission through its role as a thought leader, trusted advisor, convener, and trainer through professional certifications and workshops promoting authentic public engagement for government and emerging community leaders. On campus, the institute serves as the host of our International City/County Management Student Chapter, and organizes the “Local Government in Residence” program which brings mayors and city managers to campus for individual career development meetings with students. Additionally, the Davenport Institute hosts regular luncheon events (Davenport Discussions), welcoming top local government leaders and innovators to speak with students on campus. With an active Advisory Council composed of many respected local government leaders, the Davenport Institute provides our students the opportunity to develop their interests in local government and build connections with practitioners in the field. 

Edwin M. Meese III Institute

The Edwin M. Meese III Institute at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, named after American patriot and the nation's 75th Attorney General, serves as a first of its kind at a graduate policy school, academic home for scholarship, teaching, and events focused on the role of faith and America's founding principles. The Meese Institute operates as a think tank to (1) study and teach the importance of Judeo-Christian principles within America’s founding and the creation of our Constitutionally-ordered Republic; (2) study and teach the importance of Christian civil society in the formation of public policy and the delivery of public services; (3) promote the scholarship and writing about the mutually supportive relationship of the Christian views of what defines a flourishing society.