Pepperdine University Announces First Annual James Q. Wilson Award for Public Service and Honors William J. Bratton as Inaugural Recipient
MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy (SPP) is launching a new annual award program that recognizes leading policymakers and scholars for their career contributions to building flourishing communities: The James Q. Wilson Award for Public Service.
“Jim Wilson is one of America’s greatest policy scholars and had a particular influence on the creation of Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy,” said Pete Peterson, Braun Family Dean’s Chair and Dean of the School of Public Policy. “He was essential in formulating the most unique curriculum in public policy education, and we recognize his ‘moral sense’ in policy making and public leadership.”
Called one of the School of Public Policy’s “founding fathers,” the late, renowned social scientist, James Q. Wilson, served on the school’s organizing committee and as our inaugural Ronald Reagan Professor of Public Policy from 1999-2012. Through this annual award, the School of Public Policy will recognize a distinguished policymaker, political leader, or scholar for a career spent in the service of others, contributing to flourishing communities in their fields of public endeavor.
The inaugural award recipient is William J. (Bill) Bratton, whose career in law enforcement included seven years as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and two nonconsecutive terms as the Police Commissioner of the City of New York. He is the only person to have led the police agencies of America’s two largest cities, and under his leadership, both cities saw significant reductions in crime.
“Bill Bratton’s public service career has been nothing short of legendary,” said Pete Peterson, Braun Family Dean’s Chair and Dean of the School of Public Policy. “For his decades utilizing both data-driven decision-making along with a servant leadership mindset, the Pepperdine School of Public Policy is honored to award him with our inaugural James Q. Wilson Award for Public Service.”
The Pepperdine School of Public Policy will host a dinner on May 7, 2025, at the California Club for the presentation of the inaugural James Q. Wilson Award for Public Service. Admission registration and program sponsorship information can be found on the School of Public Policy’s website.
About Pepperdine University School of Public Policy
Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy (SPP) is built on a distinctive philosophy of nurturing public leaders to use tools of analysis and policy design to effect real change. Grounded in understanding policy's moral and distinctly American elements, SPP prepares graduates for careers as leaders by offering a master’s degree in public policy and three joint-degree programs. The school’s Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership promotes citizen participation in governance through major conferences, trainings, seminars, and published research. Follow SPP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Media Contact
Public Relations Office
pr@pepperdine.edu
818.702.1401