PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2024
Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
PRESIDENT
True liberty—the freedom found in Jesus—is the ability to become the people we were created to be.
FLOURISH
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
—2 COR. 3:17F I N A N C I A L R E P O R T
$1.9 billion Value of FY24 NET ASSETS maintained by the University (unaudited)
$1.3 billion Value of the University’s FY24 ENDOWMENT funds
66.9% 10-year total endowment GROWTH
Seaver College senior Sean Wu received the University’s first Rhodes Scholarship in November 2024. Wu, majoring in mathematics and computer science and minoring in data science, will begin working toward two master’s degrees at Oxford University in the fall. In addition to publishing 15 peer-reviewed, scholarly research articles—all of which evaluate how machine learning can intersect with medicine—he plays the tuba with the Pepperdine Orchestra and has a 4.0 GPA.
Influential figures illuminated timely issues for the President’s Speaker Series. Featured speakers included Liz Truss, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, who shared her observations on the cultural influence the US has on the rest of the world; Rabbi Ari Berman, the fifth president of Yeshiva University, who discussed with President Gash their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities faced by faith-based institutions of higher education; Palmer Luckey, inventor of the Oculus VR headset and founder of Anduril Industries, who discussed how the technology industry should ethically participate in the defense sector; and business innovator and civic leader Rick Caruso and Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt who represented both sides of the political spectrum in a discussion about the key issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the featured guest at the 2024 Pepperdine Associates dinner. Alongside Board of Regents chair Dee Anna Smith (’86) and Taube Family Chair of International Relations and Politics Kiron Skinner, Rice discussed her career, the future of higher education, and the importance of leaders nurturing leadership qualities in one’s colleagues and team members.
The Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service launched in March 2024 at a dinner in Washington, DC, where associate justice of the Supreme Court Samuel Alito delivered the keynote address. Commemorating the former Caruso School of Law dean’s dedication to religious liberty and constitutional principles, the institute will sponsor conferences, fund chairs for prominent faculty, and offer student scholarships directed toward the evolving intersection of law and faith.
G R A Z I A D I O
B U S I N E S S S C H O O L
#16 ONLINE MBA
#4 GREATEST RESOURCE for Minority Students
#2 BEST MBA for Nonprofit
Princeton Review
Pepperdine Announces the Decision to Establish the COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE
N O T A B L E R E S E A R H G R A N T S
$1M from the FLETCHER JONES FOUNDATION for the Fletcher Jones Professorship in Data Science
$200,000+ from GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY (through the John Templeton Foundation) to Elizabeth Krumrei Mancuso for the Cultivating Intellectual Humility project
$1M from the LILLY ENDOWMENT INC. to Mike Cope for the Compelling Preaching Initiative
$150,000 from the WOOD-CLAEYSSENS FOUNDATION to Regan Schaffer for the Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative
$500,000+from the NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION to Helen Holmlund for the study of resurrection ferns
The Four Lights Memorial on the Malibu campus was dedicated in April in memory of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams. The Seaver College students lost their lives in a tragic accident on Pacific Coast Highway in the fall of 2023. The memorial was conceived by University members in the midst of the outpouring of grief following news of the loss.
The University’s commitment to ethical and sustainable technology was evidenced by two conferences hosted by Seaver College. In the spring, thought leaders shared ideas for the use of clean and safe nuclear power to reduce reliance on fossil fuels at the Clean Energy Nuclear Power Conference. In the fall, the third annual Human-Centered AI Conference featured experts in artificial intelligence from around the globe to discuss the ways AI can improve the human experience.
The Caruso School of Law welcomed associate justice of the Supreme Court Amy Coney Barrett to the Freedom in Truth: Caruso School of Law Dinner, where she discussed safeguarding the legal system with Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean Paul Caron and professors of law Babette Boliek and Trey Childress. The law school also honored senior vice chancellor and Dean Emeritus Ronald F. Phillips at a dinner this spring for a lifetime of dedicated service to the University and the law school.
A Record-Breaking 5,000 Attendees Gather in Worship and Fellowship at the Fourth Annual PEPPERDINE WORSHIP SUMMIT
Musician and entertainer Pat Boone reflected on the American spirit at the 2024 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Boone delivered a keynote address reflecting deeply on the lasting legacy of 9/11, the American flag, and the men and women who have bravely sacrificed their lives to defend it. The heartfelt tribute was set against Pepperdine’s annual Waves of Flags display that commemorates the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
Dance in Flight, Pepperdine’s resident dance company, celebrated 30 years of performances last spring. The annual program provides dancers and choreographers at all levels of experience a venue to develop their creativity and physical expression, uniting them in their love for the art of movement.
Pepperdine’s Facilities Services decreased the University’s annual electricity usage for the year by 5 percent. The department’s power-saving efforts included building automation tailored to weather conditions and installing more efficient fixtures as a maintenance initiative.
The ninth annual Future of Healthcare Symposium hosted by the Graziadio Business School was held in February, with keynote remarks from governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. Panelists discussed innovative solutions to pressing healthcare industry problems and trends in the business of wellness.
L I S A S M I T H W E N G L E R
C E N T E R F O R T H E A RT S
A R T S R E A C H P R O G R A M
offered free professional performances and museum tours to MORE THAN 3,400 K–12 STUDENTSfrom 30 schools
The School of Public Policy launched a master of public policy Washington, DC, track. The program provides degree candidates with the option to complete their last semester at Pepperdine’s Washington, DC, campus, offering returning students a unique opportunity to accelerate their professional development in the nation’s capital.
PEPPERDINE ATHLETICS Welcomes Exciting New Leadership to Malibu
A T H L E T I C S
Five teams won six WCC conference championships:
WOMEN’S GOLF
WCC Champions
MEN’S TENNIS
WCC Regular-Season
Champions
WOMEN’S TENNIS
WCC Regular-Season and
Tournament Champions
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
WCC Champions
WATER POLO
WCC Regular-Season
Champions
GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE
four points higher than national average
Bob Goff, renowned speaker, author, and founder of Love Does, shared his inspirational message with the Pepperdine community in September at the Well, the University’s weekly worship service. Love Does has made significant contributions to the judicial system in Uganda and has established schools in conflict zones around the world.
Scholar, diplomat, and foreign policy expert Kiron Skinner was named the inaugural Taube Family Chair of International Relations and Politics at the School of Public Policy. The chair—an historic, first-ever distinguished chair at Pepperdine and the single largest newly endowed position at the University—aims to firmly establish a more balanced view of international affairs and politics and embraces the view that the US plays a critical, leading role on the global stage.
The Graduate School of Education and Psychology’s MA in Social Entrepreneurship and
Change joined with the School of Public Policy to host the third Social Enterprise Collective
last spring in Washington, DC. More than 200 attendees benefited from the unique opportunity
to interact with industry professionals and social impact leaders from the government,
for-profit, and nonprofit sectors.
Alumni, students, and faculty celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Pepperdine London program during Waves Weekend in October. More than 170 community members enjoyed the London Grand Reunion at the Brock House, reminiscing about memories made at 56 Prince’s Gate.
S E A V E R C O L L E G E
The SUDREAU GLOBAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE Continues to Bring Hope and Justice to Incarcerated Individuals Across Several Partner Countries in Africa
Organizational
VALUES
1. We see the image of God in every person we encounter.
2. Academic excellence requires development of both the mind and spirit.
3. Students are at the heart of everything we do.
4. We are united in our pursuit of truth, even when we disagree.
5. Freedom is both a right and a responsibility.
6. Service is our posture.