DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT
2021–2022 and
2022–2023
Message from the dean AT PEPPERDINE CARUSO SCHOOL OF LAW, WE LOVE GOD, WE LOVE OUR STUDENTS, AND WE LOVE EACH OTHER. We are called to better the world by strengthening our students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership through a transformative legal education built on two foundational commitments: academic excellence and Christian values. Our commitment to academic excellence impels us to engage in the rigorous pursuit of legal knowledge and critical thinking in a community of diverse perspectives, and to debate vigorously ideas for the betterment of society. Our commitment to Christian faith and values drives our fearless pursuit of truth, and anchors our scholarship, pedagogy, and community engagement upon transcendent values, such as love for one another, integrity, respect, and belonging. Our fusion of these two pillars yields abundant benefits in legal scholarship, education, and training that transcend the sum of their individual parts.
We believe that knowledge, faith, and community are gifts from Above to be
stewarded for the glory of God and for our flourishing. We thus elevate the aim of our work and discourse through respectful dialogue as one community for the betterment of each other, our nation, and our world. By embracing our diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, we enhance our unity in this high purpose and promote a thriving community that no other law school can match. I look forward to building further on the work reflected in this report in the spirit of Scripture’s command “to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) as one Pepperdine Caruso Law community.
— PAUL L. CARON Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean
Contents 3
Introduction
4
Recruitment
8
By the Numbers
10 Retention 12 Institutional Transformation 15 Belonging Awards 16 We Belong and Pursue Truth Together as One
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Introduction The work of the Office of Diversity and Belonging for 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 was anchored in building a community where everyone belongs and feels a sense of ownership. We seek to build a community that is demonstrative of Caruso Law’s commitment to academic excellence and Christian mission. Rooted in this divine purpose, our work over the past two years has been to build and support a community that advances the work of Caruso Law across the campus, Los Angeles area, and larger society. And so in 2021–2022 we focused on being a community of peacemakers. Jesus teaches, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God,” and there is no higher calling than to be known as a child of God. In seeking ways to do so that are in line with being a premier law school, we recognized that, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice. Throughout the year, we embraced the nuances and difficulties of the human experience so that we could move toward the presence of justice, the presence of equality before the law, and the presence of righteousness. In 2022–2023, we saw the need for light in dark places and embraced the call to be a community of light makers. We know that being a light draws others closer to the light, and that the work of law students, faculty, staff, and alumni, has the power to illuminate broken and dark places, bringing justice and grace to those around us. Following the same format as our inaugural report, this biannual report is anchored around the diversity and belonging strategic plan and is structured over three areas: recruitment, retention, and institutional transformation. We continue to evaluate three central questions: Who do we bring into the Caruso Law community? How do we keep them in the community? How do we make our community a place where all feel—and know—that they belong? Throughout this report, we delve deeply into all the ways we advanced peace and light over the past two years in answer to those questions. We also believe that advancing peace and light is a communal work, and so this report contains calls to action in each section, culminating in our goals for the next two years. We invite you to prayerfully consider the ways that you can engage our community in our everevolving work. My hope—my prayer—is that your time with this report will leave you encouraged that Caruso Law continues to grow as a place where all belong and inspired to partner with us in building an even stronger and more inclusive community. Chalak Richards (JD ’12)
Dean of Students, Belonging, and Career Development
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Recruitment OUR COMMUNITY IS WHAT DIFFERENTIATES US AS AN INSTITUTION. Our students, faculty, and staff come together to pursue a premier legal education while remaining committed to our Christian mission. The Caruso School of Law continues to place great emphasis on ensuring access for everyone to become a part of this unique and transformative educational experience. We have spent the past two years building sustainable programs and partnerships to recruit and embrace into our community persons whose backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives have shaped their character and ability to contribute uniquely to the Pepperdine Caruso Law mission, culture, and experience.
/// HELP US broaden access to legal education by giving to student scholarships or supporting our HBCU Prep Program.
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DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
STUDENTS Pipeline Partnerships Expanding access to the legal profession to individuals includes offering guidance to applicants in the beginning stages of the admissions process, as well as preparing potential applicants through various programs. We have engaged in strategic pipeline partnerships to encourage and equip community college and undergraduate students to attend law school within the next three to five years. • We continued to host the For People of Color admissions conference in partnership with For People of Color, Inc. early in our application cycle to encourage a broad applicant pool. We welcomed more than 300 pre-law students to campus virtually and in person, where they learned from current law students, faculty, and Caruso Law alumni about their pathways to law school. Participants received a comprehensive overview of the law school application process. • Continuing our relationship with the California LeadershipAccess-Workforce Pathways to Law program, we held panels for community colleges across California during 2021–2022, led a student panel at the Pathways to Law Annual Summit in February 2022, and hosted the Southern California workgroup in May 2023. We also launched the Caruso School of Law Community College Day in April 2023, welcoming more than 100 community college students, faculty, and advisors to the law school where they participated in an admissions and financial aid workshop, attended a mock class taught by professor Ahmed Taha, and heard from judge Dwayne Moring (’84, JD ’91). They engaged in fruitful dialogue with current Caruso Law students who started their education journeys at community colleges, ultimately giving those in attendance a glimpse of what their path to law school could be.
HBCU Partnerships We recognize that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) play a critical role in educating and preparing future Black attorneys. We placed an emphasis on building those strategic partnerships throughout 2021–2022, creating a model for engagement across the 106 recognized HBCUs that we believe will prove fruitful to our continued collaboration with a variety of diverse-serving institutions. • In 2021 we welcomed our first HBCU Caruso Scholars as part of a guaranteed scholarship program meant to improve access to law school for students from historically underrepresented communities.
AS A RECIPIENT OF THE FULL HBCU SCHOLARSHIP, I APPRECIATE PEPPERDINE’S COMMITMENT TO LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD BY MAKING LAW SCHOOL AFFORDABLE FOR MINORITY STUDENTS. Without the
added stress of figuring out how to pay for it, I am better able to focus on navigating this space as a young Black woman and first-generation law student. — JORDAN WASHINGTON, current student
/// CONTACT US to suggest candidates for Diversity Fellowships or adjunct professors from various and diverse backgrounds.
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Recruitment Continued
UPON RECEIVING A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO ATTEND PEPPERDINE, I KNEW THAT THIS WAS WHERE GOD WANTED ME TO BE. I am so grateful for everything the school
does to make its students feel appreciated. From the free breakfast every day of Launch Week to the therapy dogs they brought during midterms! Most importantly, the professors and deans have never failed to show how much they wish to see their students succeed. My 1L experience so far has made it clear exactly why I was meant to attend Pepperdine. I am so glad to be here and look forward to the great things my law school has to offer in the future.” — GRACE JACKSON, current student
• We partnered with the HBCU2LA program launched by the Los Angeles County Bar Association, serving as its host law school. In June of 2022, 10 students from HBCU Morehouse College visited our campus for an all-day program that included an orientation, mock class, tour of the law school, and admissions information. As one of the students reflected, “I was so encouraged by this experience. Meeting the students and alumni and taking this mock class showed me that I can attend law school. This was my first time at Pepperdine, but I know it won’t be my last!”
• We signed a historic partnership with Tuskegee University in October 2022. The partnership creates a 3+3 program, allowing qualified students from Tuskegee to complete their undergraduate and law degrees in six years.
/// HELP US broaden access to legal education by giving to student scholarships or supporting our HBCU Prep Program.
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DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
FACULTY
STAFF
Deanna Newton (JD ’17) joined us in August of 2022 as the first Pepperdine Caruso Family Law Fellow. The fellowship program is designed to assist attorneys with backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in the legal academy to pursue a full-time academic tenure-track career. During her two-year appointment, Newton will focus her teaching and scholarship on international tax and tax policy. Newton earned her BA from Loyola Marymount University, her JD from Pepperdine Caruso Law, and her LLM in tax law from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. While a student at Pepperdine, she helped to form the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, located in the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. The clinic represents low-income taxpayers in collection matters with the Internal Revenue Service and the California Franchise Tax Board.
We were pleased to expand the Office of Diversity and Belonging with the addition of an assistant director of diversity and belonging Ateshia Naccari (MDR ’23). Committed to ensuring that Caruso Law students experience a sense of belonging and inclusion inside and outside the classroom, this role also supports the recruitment, policy development and implementation, and relationships with the broader legal community necessary to advance the school’s mission of being a place where all belong. “I am honored to serve this community as the assistant director of diversity and belonging under the leadership of Dean Richards and in support of the law school’s overall mission to cultivate a community that fosters academic excellence and spiritual, personal, and professional development in a space of acceptance and belonging. As a graduate of Pepperdine’s online MDR program, I experienced the personal impact of a high-caliber curriculum coupled with the instruction and guidance of professors who truly cared. Pepperdine has transformed my life in a positive way, and I’m grateful to now be a part of helping advance the vision.” — ATESHIA NACCARI (MDR ’23) Assistant Director of Diversity and Belonging
/// CONTACT US to suggest candidates for diversity fellowships or adjunct professors from various and diverse backgrounds.
/// REACH OUT to Ateshia to share your experience at the law school and join our office in advancing Caruso School of Law belonging! CARUSO SCHOOL OF LAW
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By the Numbers 1L CLASS STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS 2021–22 Academic Year Students of Color
36%
Women
58%
First Generation
Age Range
21%
19–48
First Generation
Age Range
Out-of-State
39%
States Represented
Countries Represented
Undergrad Schools Represented
States Represented
Countries Represented
Undergrad Schools Represented
32
5
102
2022–23 Academic Year Students of Color
27%
Women
61%
21%
20–49
GRADUATES BY DEMOGRAPHIC (% OF REPORTED) Employment Status as of 10 Months Postgraduation
90%
ASIAN
77%
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
92%
HISPANIC
100%
NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER
100%
MULTIRACIAL
88%
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WHITE/CAUCASIAN
DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
Out-of-State
30%
25
5
92
2% Other Religion 4% Atheist
10%
Prefer Not to Say
8%
40 % Other
Spiritual
11%
Agnostic
<1% Buddhist/Hindu 1% Muslim
13%
Jewish
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
11%
Orthodox
Christian
9%
Roman Catholic
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Retention OUR COMMUNITY IS PRIVILEGED TO RECRUIT THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE. However, we understand this is only the first step toward achieving our goals. It is essential that we keep our community engaged and set up each member for success. We have worked diligently throughout the past two years to maximize the number of students, faculty, and staff from marginalized groups who advance through the educational and professional pipeline at Caruso Law, with a specific focus on supporting their professional success.
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DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT We’ve supported our students’ professional aspirations through two programs unique to Pepperdine. The Frost LLP and Frost Hassid Advisors Dress for Success Suit Stipend Program was endowed this year by Frost LLP and Frost Hassid Advisors. The program, created in 2019, provides students with funds to purchase professional attire. The second, the Pirnia Career and Networking Stipend Program, supports students in attending career fairs, conferences, and other networking events that may materially impact their ability to launch into their professional careers.
Suit Support • To date the program has granted 89 stipends to JD students who otherwise would have found it a challenge to purchase a suit • The newly endowed program will fund 30 JD students per year “Professional suits are so expensive, yet they are imperative in a legal job search. We knew that if we really wanted to help our students have access to as many opportunities as possible, we needed to help solve this barrier. I’m so grateful for the support the program has received throughout the years, and I am thrilled that the program has recently been endowed.” — ALEXIS JOYCE (JD ’14) Director of Career Development
Networking Support • For the 2022–2023 academic year, the law school granted 11 Pirnia career fair/networking stipends for a total of $2,254.66 • This year the law school has already granted 10 Pirnia career fair/networking stipends totalling $2,000 The stipend programs have only been possible through the generous support of our alumni and friends. Join us in ensuring that all students can travel to networking opportunities and interviews, and be confident in their professional attire by giving to the Diversity Enhancement Fund, which helps support diversity and belonging efforts at the law school. We hosted the Bar Association Fair in September 2022, bringing diverse bar associations to campus to promote student engagement in the legal community. Bar associations play a pivotal role in the mentoring and development of early-career attorneys, and we want all of our students to begin that process early.
POSTGRADUATE SUCCESS Caruso Law has experienced increased postgraduate success, with record-high job placement of recent graduates and strong bar-passage rates. One of our key outcomes from the Caruso School of Law Strategic Plan for Diversity and Belonging has been the academic success and postgraduate job placement for historically underrepresented students. We are proud that all of this has been experienced by all of our graduates!
/// SHARE JOB OPPORTUNITIES with the Career Development Office. Serve as a mentor for current students.
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Institutional Transformation OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY IS THE TOUCHSTONE OF THE CARUSO LAW EXPERIENCE—and it has remained the foundation of our work in the past two years. We offered engaging academic and nonacademic events, connecting with our community in a variety of ways.
A BROAD ARRAY OF PROGRAMS We held programs across a variety of areas, encouraging our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to engage in hard conversations, think rigorously, celebrate each other, and build relationships. • Faith and Justice: Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and in partnership with the Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics, we have considered the intersection of faith and justice as exemplified by Dr. King. Last year we were pleased to learn from Allyson McKinney Timm, the founder and executive director of Justice Revival, a faith-based organization devoted to defending human rights. This past January, we welcomed Timothy Welbeck, assistant professor and director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University as a Dean’s Speaker Series presenter. • American Bar Association (ABA) Day of Conversation: we once again hosted the ABA Day of Conversation in March 2023, bringing women faculty, staff, and students together to discuss the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s report, “This Talk Isn’t Cheap: Women of Color and White Women Attorneys Find Common Ground.
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DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
THE RACE AND THE LAW SERIES FOCUSED ON AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION AT THE INTERSECTION OF DIVERSITY AND MEDIATION. DOES BEING NEUTRAL SUGGEST THAT I HAVE TO TOLERATE BIGOTRY? The answer is certainly no, and the students who attended were candid and thought deeply about the parameters of impartiality, exploring multipartiality and other theoretical frames. The discussion addressed the differences in power between the parties, and how each student might practice as a neutral while incorporating their personal and ethical choices.” — STEPHANIE BLONDELL, Professor of Law and Practice, Faculty Director of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
• Black History Month: in honor of Black History Month, we brought our students and alumni together for a series of programs 2022: Walk the Walk, Dean’s Speaker Series, Loyola Project, Alumni Panel 2023: Dean’s Speaker Series, Judges Panel, Unspoken Film Screening and Discussion • LA vs Hate Campaign: we partnered with LA vs Hate to support a street law program providing training on anti-hate in Los Angeles County • Spring Break Trips: together with the Nootbaar Institute, we led the Faith and Justice Spring Break Trip to the National Memorial and Museum for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Beginning in 2022, we have led 10 JD students each spring break on what is truly a pilgrimage, examining the role of Christianity in civil rights and racial justice and encouraging students to think about how their faith intersects with their own justice work. “The trip to Montgomery offers a singular opportunity for our community at the law school (students, faculty, staff, alumni) to be transformed and to grow closer as a community by experiencing and processing together how faith impacted this country in addressing social justice issues in the past and what role it can play in addressing such issues moving forward.”
RACE AND THE LAW We continued the Race and the Law series, inviting our faculty to engage in conversations with our students on the ways that their area of research and expertise intersect with race, gender, nationality, socioeconomic status, and other areas of law. All of our Race and the Law programs are available for viewing.
Fall 2021: Race and Immigration: Jennifer Koh
Spring 2022: Race and Domestic Violence: Tanya Asim Cooper
Fall 2022: Race and Mediation: Stephanie Blondell and Aparna Gupta
— COURTNEY BRYAN-CARON CARUSO SCHOOL OF LAW
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Institutional Transformation– the Academic Experience PROVIDING RIGOROUS INTELLECTUAL AND ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES while remaining
conscientious about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is key to building an institution where all feel they belong. We believe that Pepperdine Caruso Law could and should be the leading Christian law school advancing principles of diversity and belonging. Recognizing that the ABA now requires schools to provide “education to law students on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism,” we have embraced the opportunity to fulfill this mandate in a uniquely Pepperdine way. Our faculty have thoughtfully developed iterations of classes and educational experiences that help students think deeply about issues surrounding diversity and belonging.
RACE, RACISM, AND THE LAW Race, Racism, and the Law seeks to explore the possibilities of adapting the law to more adequately fulfill the promise of equal protection under law. “Racial disparities and disproportionalities continue to plague our society and legal systems. This course exposes students to a wide variety of topics that critically explore race, racism, and the law, and students gain tools for legal practice, social change, and global citizenship.” — TANYA ASIM COOPER, Clinical Professor of Law “Having taken Race, Racism, and the Law was extremely helpful during my summer internship. The paper I wrote in that class about the Black American maternal mortality crisis was fantastic preparation for my job. I feel so much more confident at work each day because of the foundational knowledge I developed about maternal health, racial disparities, and even Medicaid while writing that paper. It was a wonderful course and Professor Cooper’s guidance was invaluable. I am so grateful and I hope many other students at Pepperdine get the opportunity to enroll in Race, Racism and the Law.” — MARA GREENWALD (JD ’23)
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DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
RACIAL JUSTICE AND THE LAW Racial Justice and the Law analyzes the impact of race on the legal decision-making process, and provides a classroom workshop for enhancing inclusiveness through teaching projects. With this background, students can focus on understanding and communicating with others about ongoing and current inequalities in areas such as housing, health, employment, banking, education, citizenship, and sovereignty. “In this course, students learn from not only books, cases, and law review articles, but also concrete tools for understanding the psychology of talking about racial issues. They hone their skills by developing a final project presenting a racial injustice issue to an outside group. Past groups have included high school students, and undergraduate clubs and classes.” — CHRISTINE CHAMBERS GOODMAN, Professor of Law
ADDITIONAL COURSES • Racial Justice Seminar • Racial Inequality, Law, and Democracy: Questions of Faith • Diversity and Inclusion Seminar • Bias in Legal Analysis and Writing
REIMAGINING JUSTICE We inspired the imaginations of our community to consider what justice could look like through our Reimagining Justice series.
Fall 2021 Reimagining Justice: Mental Health and the Justice System Reimagining Justice: Indigenous Cultural Landmarks
Fall 2022 Reimagining Justice: the Hispanic Community
Belonging Awards We held the second and third annual Belonging Awards in person, welcoming more than 300 guests to celebrate our community members who work toward creating spaces of belonging at Caruso Law, the legal community, and society at large. Beginning in 2021–2022, our faculty, staff, and student awards were nominated by peers and colleagues, creating a truly community-led celebration!
Alumnus Award 2021–2022: Judge Beverly Bourne (JD ’91) 2022–2023: Chris Ng (JD ’01)
Young Alumnus Award 2021–2022: Nathaly Medina (JD ’19) 2022–2023: Lavinia Osilesi (JD ’19)
Larry D. Kimmons Justice Award 2021–2022: Elizabeth Eubanks (’05, JD ’08) 2022–2023: Capri Maddox (JD ’01)
Faculty Award 2021–2022: Tanya Asim Cooper 2022–2023: Deanna Newton (JD ’17)
Student Organization Award: 2021–2022: National Latin/x Law Student Association 2022–2023: OUTLaw
Individual Student Award 2021–2022: Shayna Elian 2022–2023: Brandi Coleman
Staff Award: 2022–2023: Kristin Lyming
/// SAVE THE DATE for the fourth annual Belonging Awards on March 1, 2024! We particularly hope you will join us as a Legend, Grand Champion, Champion, and Notable sponsor.
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We Belong and Pursue Truth Together as One Our pursuit of truth means going deeper into the truth of who we are as an institution and a people, so that we can lovingly confront and correct areas that stand opposed to every member of our community. We also commit to doing this from a place of radical love, calling forth and standing up to correct areas that stand contrary to our community of belonging.
RECRUITMENT
INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION
We will build upon our strategic partnerships to strengthen our applicant pool and enable more students to attend Caruso Law. We seek to build a strong pre-law preparatory program and invite you to join us!
We will continue to be a place that engages with the legal and societal issues of the day with equal parts intellectual rigor and grace toward our neighbor. We will partner with the broader Pepperdine and legal community and celebrate those who create and sustain spaces of belonging through our Belonging Awards.
RETENTION We will continue to work closely with our academic support and career development offices to ensure that all of our students have increased resources and strong outcomes. We seek to provide even more funding for students to attend conferences and career fairs, engage with mentors from varied backgrounds and experiences, and develop a strong leadership fellows program.
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DIVERSITY AND BELONGING REPORT 2021–2023
JOIN US! This is not work we can do alone! We invite you to answer the call of our community, whether it is by sharing your time as a pre-law or current student mentor, sharing your wisdom by engaging with the office from your area of expertise, or financially supporting the Diversity Enhancement Fund.
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