Pepperdine Magazine Vol. 7, Iss. 1 (Spring 2015)

Volume 7 Issue 1 Spring 2015

A CAMPAIGN FOR PEPPERDINE COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE Life Lessons

Night Light

Pepperdine students use their education to help real-world enterprise.

A team of Seaver College physics students travels to a remote wilderness to further their research.

When Learning Rocks Your Faith Seaver College faculty members provide insight into their personal journeys with intellectual doubt.

A Star Is Born At age 73, Jim White (’64) is in the spotlight for his quiet work in McFarland, California.

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Volume 7 Issue 1 Spring 2015

FEATURES 14 Life Lessons

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Pepperdine students use their education to help real-world enterprise.

Lives Changed Commemorative Insert

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The Campaign for Pepperdine makes history and affirms the University’s vision for transforming lives.

18 Night Light

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A team of Seaver College physics students travels to a remote wilderness to further their research.

22 When Learning Rocks Your Faith

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Seaver College faculty members provide insight into their personal journeys with intellectual doubt.

26 A Star Is Born At age 73, Jim White (’64) is in the spotlight for his quiet work in McFarland, California.

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COMMUNITY 32 Searching for Sustainability 34 Justice for All

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36 A Good Samaritan Finds Esperanza 38 The Spirit of Community 40 Speed Racer 42 In Full Swing 44 An Illustrated Life 47 Behind the Scenes

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DEPARTMENTS 2 Letters 4 Perspectives

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6 News 12 Snapshot 30 Alumni 48 In Focus

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LETTERS

LE T TER FROM THE EDITOR IN A VIDEO COMMEMORATING THE CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR PEPPERDINE, University regent and Seaver College parent John Pleuger explains that the size of an institution is not directly related to the size of the dreams that are born within it. Here at Pepperdine, we dream big and, in 2005, a small idea sparked a powerful movement to keep the University vision alive for generations to come.

We are inspired by Ehsan Zaffar (JD ’07), a School of Law alumnus who envisions a world where all people have access to religious freedom and basic human rights.

This issue of Pepperdine Magazine celebrates the dreamers and the aspirations that the University is helping them live out.

We invite you to explore the comprehensive Campaign Final Report (insert following page 16) for a glimpse into the transformational ways the endeavor is making dreams come true at the University.

We celebrate Microenterprise Program mentee Greg Williams who, while lying in a jail cell in 2009, imagined the day when he could once again bake his mother’s special sweet potato pie, and the Seaver College freshman who is now helping him realize that dream with the launch of a baked goods microbusiness.

We are motivated by the budding dreams that are being realized in spectacular ways by a group of Seaver College physics students who witnessed, in wide-eyed wonder, the majesty of the aurora borealis for the first time.

Tell us what you think!

Do you like what you’re reading?

How can we improve?

Visit magazine.pepperdine.edu to tell us what you think about what you’re reading and how we’re doing. We’ll publish your thoughts in the next issue.

It’s stories like these that inspire a new editor to write her first letter to a readership of 90,000 and counting. Thank you for supporting all of the dreams that Pepperdine University makes possible for every member of its family.

GAREEN DARAKJIAN editor

Tuesday–Saturday • May 26–30, 2015 PRELIMINARY ROUND AND SEMIFINAL ROUND Thursday (9 am) and Friday (1 pm) May 28 and 29 $25 per day Smothers Theatre FINAL ROUND AND AWARDS CEREMONY Saturday, May 30, 7:30 pm $70 • $60 • $40 Smothers Theatre, black tie optional To order tickets, please call 2

310.506.4522 or visit arts.pepperdine.edu

PEPPERDINE MAGAZINE

Spring 2015

LET TERS TO THE EDITOR McBeard editor

Thanks for the kind write-up. I’m so honored to have a wealth of talent surrounding me, driving the whole company forward into the great unknown.

Gareen Darakjian

art director

/ app

developer

Keith Lungwitz

writer Sophia graphic designers

#GoWaves —Alec McNayr (‘00)

Fischer

Samantha Burg, Ryan Kotzin

photographer

Ron Hall (’79)

copy editor

Vincent Way

production manager

Jill McWilliams

interactive development manager

Atena Reyhani

interactive developer

Kimberly Robison (’10)

multimedia

Anthony LaFleur, Nathan Pang (’07)

PUBLISHED BY THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS chief marketing officer and vice president for public affairs and church relations

Rick Gibson (MBA ’09, PKE 121)

President Benton is now on Twitter Follow him @PresidentBenton

associate vice president for integrated marketing communications

Matt Midura (’97, MA ’05) executive director , integrated marketing communications

Megan Boyle creative director

Connect with Pepperdine

Keith Lungwitz director of interactive

Ed Wheeler (’97, MA ’99) director of digital media

Allen Haren (’97, MA ’07) Pepperdine Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 1, Spring 2015.

Pepperdine Magazine is the feature magazine for Pepperdine University and its growing community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. It is published quarterly by the University’s Public Affairs division.

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All material is copyrighted ©2015 by Pepperdine University, Malibu, California 90263.

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PERSPECTIVES

Bridging the Career Mobility Gap L

abor economists use the word “churn” to describe the process by which jobs are reallocated in light of a changing economic environment. Today, we live in an era of unprecedented labor-market churn, highlighted by the fact that about one-half of jobs held by Americans did not exist 25 years ago. This trend is likely to accelerate, as some projections suggest that more than 75 percent of jobs that today’s students will fill do not currently exist.

By David Smith INTERIM DEAN Graziadio School of Business and Management

The greatest hockey player of our generation, Wayne Gretzky, said the following: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” If Mr. Gretzky would allow me the privilege of applying this piece of wisdom to higher education, I would offer, “A good university prepares students for the current job market. A great university prepares students for the jobs of the future.” At Pepperdine, we aim to be a great university, nothing less. In this context, part of our aim is to prepare students to be mobile in their career paths.

I grew up in the state of Michigan, and when I graduated high school in the 1980s, the pathway to a secure future was clear: get a high school diploma, find a job with one of the “Big Three” automakers, and retire with benefits 30 years later. Not too long after I graduated, this pathway was washed out by a global economic environment, which brought heightened competition to American automakers.

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The growth of technology and innovation has raised our productivity, increased overall wages, and improved our standard of living over the past several decades. But it has also created a labor market where individuals need more advanced skills. Manufacturing has gone through the transformation that agriculture experienced 100 years ago: tremendous productivity gains, but at the expense of jobs. In the decade of 2000-2010 alone, approximately one-third of all manufacturing jobs in America disappeared.

The current generation of millennials not only faces a job market in a state of flux, but a labor market that still bears scars from the Great Recession of 2008. There are some silver linings as the slow economic recovery continues. In Pepperdine’s locale, Los Angeles County is projected this year to (finally) achieve employment levels past its pre-recession levels. More broadly, the U.S. Department of Labor projects that U.S. employment is expected to increase about 11 percent, or add nearly 16 million jobs, between now and 2022.

This is encouraging, but a grey cloud lingers.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for those aged 25-34, the length in which they stay on the job is nearly 20 percent higher in 2012 than in 2008— rising from 2.7 to 3.2 years—the largest spread among age groups by far. In addition, a recent report from Towers Watson shows four in 10 employees said they would need

to leave their organization in order to advance their careers. Given these dynamics, it is more important than ever to exert ownership over one’s career.

Taking career ownership is even timelier given that even as hiring increases, too few positions include the potential for significant wage growth. The so-called “career ladder,” under which previous generations of workers were hired and then regularly ascended through the company, is missing the bottom rungs. As my colleague Dr. Bernice Ledbetter, practitioner faculty of organizational theory and management, puts it: “Career mobility is a top priority for millennials, ranking even higher than salaries. However, the modern reality for many millennials is limited internal job mobility, stagnant wages, and career drift.”

I believe Pepperdine University, and the Graziadio Business School in particular, can play a unique role to aid those who seek upward career mobility. Graduate-level education such as a master of business administration (MBA) plays an important role in helping professionals move up the ladder.

According to the 2014 Graduate Management Admissions Council Prospective Students Survey, the number one reason people were considering an MBA was to “improve job opportunities.” Almost everyone involved in the career mobility debate agrees that education is key to greater employment opportunities and personal wage growth.

A Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management study illustrates the need for quality business education. The study, conducted in October 2014 based on nearly 700 private business owners, shows a whopping 87 percent of businesses report that they need to train new hires. Pepperdine can bridge the gap by imparting needed skills before graduation. Our students learn how to tackle real-world, real-time business challenges, providing valuable experience employers want. A key differentiator for this Christian university is Pepperdine’s emphasis on values-centered leadership that inspires professionals to make decisions within a values-driven framework.

The fact is those who acquire leadership skills along with functional skills have better longer-term job prospects. A recent study from the Center for Creative Leadership identified 10 skills valued by current leaders. There was a significant spread between the number one skill–leading people–and other important skills such as strategic planning, resourcefulness, and demonstrating composure.

I conclude with another piece of wisdom from another hockey legend, Luc Robitaille.

At a recent Dean’s Executive Leadership Series speaking engagement held by the Graziadio School, the current Los Angeles Kings president of business operations brought the point home: “There is a structure in leadership and we aim to build a team based on character. It’s all about winning with the right people.”

A good university prepares students for the current job market. A great university prepares students for the jobs of the future.

—David Smith

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NEWS

MICHAEL FELTNER

NAMED DEAN OF SEAVER COLLEGE After a national search, Michael Feltner has been named the new dean of Seaver College.

Feltner, who has fulfilled the interim dean role at Seaver since August 2014 and held various teaching positions at Pepperdine University since 1988, will assume his responsibilities immediately.

“The rise of Seaver College has been a source of University pride over the past several years,” says president Andrew K. Benton.

“Leadership will be key to maintaining that trajectory and the selection of Dr. Feltner is both encouraging and energizing. His deep experience at Seaver, his commitment to mission, and the experience of students and faculty across broad interests promises a bright future. I am grateful to the search committee for their good work and I pledge my own efforts in support of a successful tenure for Dean Feltner.”

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Over the past three decades, Feltner has greatly impacted the lives of Pepperdine students in the classroom and devoted much of his academic life to teaching and scholarship, including undergraduate research, in biomechanics and sports medicine.

Throughout his tenure at Pepperdine, Feltner has contributed significantly to the advancement of the Natural Science Division and the sports medicine program. As Natural Science Division chairperson, he was integral in the design and renovation of science facilities in both Keck Science Center and Rockwell Academic Center. He also designed and has directed the biomechanics laboratory at Pepperdine University.

“I am delighted that Dr. Feltner has agreed to serve as the next dean of Seaver College,” says provost Rick Marrs. “Michael knows the college extremely well, having served as a

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faculty member, division chair, and associate dean. He has the rare ability to see the bigger picture of the college and its relation to the University, while also managing the details of the numerous areas of the college. I know he will advance the college academically and enrich the mission of the school. I am looking forward to working closely with him as he empowers Seaver College to realize its many aspirations.”

Feltner earned a bachelor of science in biological science education from Miami University, and a master of science in physical education and a PhD in human performance from Indiana University. He, his wife Michele, and two children, Maddie (12) and Max (10), are active members of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California, and devote much time to supporting their Conejo Valley community.

PEPPERDINE REMEMBERS BELOVED FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY

Pepperdine mourns the loss of Life Regent Hari Harilela, a revered friend of Pepperdine, who, along with his wife Padma, generously supported education at Pepperdine for decades.

left to right: President Benton, Derek Stoutland, Bernice Ledbetter, Mark Chun, Lee Kats

SECOND ANNUAL WAVES OF INNOVATION WINNERS ANNOUNCED Following a University-wide call to participate in the creative process of change and innovation at Pepperdine, faculty, staff, and students submitted nearly 100 proposals to improve Pepperdine and make it a more agile and sustainable institution.

Winners of Pepperdine’s second annual Waves of Innovation were announced at the Waves of Innovation Talks Thursday, February 5, at Smothers Theatre in Malibu.

“I am continually inspired by the initiative that the members of our community take to live out the founding vision of George Pepperdine,” says Pepperdine president Andrew K. Benton. “The overwhelming number of submissions to the Waves of Innovation initiative further proves that our faculty, staff, and students believe in and are committed to strengthening the future of the University.”

Of the six finalists who presented their ideas to President Benton and the Waves of Innovation Committee, three were awarded substantial grants to implement their ideas. Winning proposals included the Financial Literacy Initiative, a proposal that seeks to educate young adults on the foundational concepts of personal finance; the Center for Women in Leadership, a collaborative pilot initiative between the Seaver College Business Administration Division, Graziadio School of Business and Management, and Pepperdine University Human Resources; and the development, launch, and implementation of a new degree program: the Master of Science in Applied Analytics. The next round of submissions are due spring 2016.

“Once again, the Pepperdine community responded to the Waves of Innovation initiative with creative, energetic, and rich ideas,” says Lee Kats, Pepperdine vice provost and Waves of Innovation Committee chair. “Each of the six presentations was excellent. President Benton and the committee were left with a difficult choice, but I believe the three projects that were selected offer the best opportunities for making Pepperdine an even better university than it is now.”

Read more about about the winners: magazine.pepperdine.edu/innovation

“Dr. Hari, as so many of us called him, was Pepperdine’s ambassador abroad,” said Pepperdine president Andrew K. Benton. “He opened many doors for us, and the Harilela name is part of our legacy and reputation around the world. He and his wife were an elegant, gracious presence at many Pepperdine events. We will miss him and we express our deep condolences to his loving family.”

At Pepperdine the Harilela International Tennis Stadium and the Harilela Seminar Room in the Young Center of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology are prominent and popular Malibu campus venues that bear their names. Hari and Padma recently made a generous new gift to their Harilela Educational Scholarship endowment. Pepperdine is honored to count more than 20 Harilela family members as alumni.

Pepperdine also remembers William “Bill” Waugh, a member of Churches of Christ, who held active roles in multiple corporate ventures throughout his career and had served on the Pepperdine Board of Regents since 1980. He was elected to Life Regent in 1995 and served on the University’s Buildings and Grounds, Campus Planning, Religious Standards, and Finance and Investments Committees.

“Bill was an artist, a visionary entrepreneur, and a dedicated friend to Pepperdine,” said president Andrew K. Benton. “His service to the University will long be felt through his contributions to the many committees he was devoted to. He will be deeply missed.”

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NEWS

SCOTT WONG (’01)

NAMED WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

Pepperdine alumnus Scott Wong was named the Waves’ new head women’s volleyball coach last December.

From 1998 to 2001 Wong was a three-time All-American for the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team before serving as an assistant coach for two legendary volleyball instructors. He first assisted Marv Dunphy (’74) on the Waves’ sideline for four men’s seasons between 2005 and 2009. Since 2010 Wong has been associate coach for Dave Shoji and the University of Hawai’i women’s volleyball team. Wong’s coaching experience also extends to the sand, where he has led the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine sand volleyball team since its inception in 2012.

“I am so excited that Scott has returned to Pepperdine to lead our women’s volleyball program,” said director of athletics Steve Potts (JD ’82). “Having positively impacted Pepperdine athletics as both a student-athlete and assistant coach of our men’s volleyball team, Scott will now do the same for our women’s volleyball team.”

Prior to joining the Hawai’i coaching staff, Wong assisted Coach Dunphy and helped the Waves win the 2005 NCAA Championship, its fifth NCAA title in program history. In Wong’s four seasons at Pepperdine, the Waves won two MPSF Tournament Championships and made three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Wong is now the fifth coach in program history. As a studentathlete, Wong was a four-time All-MPSF performer and remains one of the top players ever at Pepperdine. Wong holds the program’s record with 807 career digs, and ranks in the top five in aces (4th, 140), kills (5th, 1700), and fifth in total points.

Hear what Scott Wong has to say about returning to Pepperdine: magazine.pepperdine.edu/scott-wong

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NCAA COMMITTEE ON INFRACTIONS AND PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY RESOLVE SELF-REPORTED VIOLATIONS

Pepperdine University continues to comply with the NCAA Committee on Infractions regarding self-reported violations that occurred between the 2007-2008 and 2010-2011 seasons. Many of the penalties issued to Pepperdine were proposed by the University and agreed to by the Committee on Infractions.

Said director of athletics Steve Potts: “At Pepperdine, we are committed to the highest standards of academic and athletic excellence and Christian values. Integrity, accountability, and a strong culture of compliance with NCAA rules fall within that commitment. It is important to note that these NCAA compliance issues were self-discovered and self-reported. There was no intentional misconduct on the part of any coach or staff member and appropriate corrective measures have been taken to ensure that these types of mistakes will not be repeated.”

The violations included misapplying progress-toward-degree rules for transfer student-athletes; not seeking reinstatement for an ineligible student-athlete; inadvertently over-awarding the number of allowable athletic scholarships; not properly creating and maintaining squad lists; not properly documenting awarded nonathletic scholarships, which do not “count” against the permissible athletic scholarships; and inadvertently not completing an annual certificate of compliance.

Since discovering these unintentional violations, Pepperdine has strengthened its oversight and compliance processes, including bringing on two experienced individuals to its compliance staff, and making a commitment to continuing rules education University-wide.

When the grant-in-aid violations were discovered in the spring of 2011, Pepperdine immediately self-imposed a one-year postseason ban for the three teams that were over-awarded but were still in the middle of their seasons: baseball, men’s tennis, and men’s volleyball.

The additional penalties included public reprimand and censure; four years of probation through the 2015-2016 season; the vacating of all wins and team accomplishments for the sports of baseball, men’s tennis, and men’s volleyball encompassing the 2007-2008 through 2010-2011 seasons; and scholarship reductions in those three sports plus women’s soccer and men’s water polo.

DAVENPORT INSTITUTE

RECEIVES GRANT TO SUPPORT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WORK The Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy was awarded a grant by the James Irvine Foundation in support of its public engagement programs in California.

Funds will be used to lead public engagement seminars, consult with community leaders, and develop expanded government relationships.

“We are grateful for the James Irvine Foundation’s continued support of our work in promoting public engagement in policy making throughout California,” says Pete Peterson, executive director of the Davenport Institute. “Not only is the financial backing important, but coming from Irvine’s California Democracy Program is a real ‘seal of approval’ from California’s leading grant maker in this field.”

PEPPERDINE OPENS NEW

EXECUTIVE MBA CENTER IN SILICON VALLEY Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management celebrated the grand opening of its new location in the Bay Area with an official ribbon cutting and reception in February. The ceremony was led by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce. The Graziadio Alumni Network Council of Northern California (GAN-NorCal) hosted the event, which was attended by state assemblymember Kansen Chu, San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo, and San Jose City councilmember Ash Kalra, as well as Graziadio School students and alumni, dignitaries, and business executives.

The Silicon Valley Center serves communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including San Francisco proper, Peninsula, North Bay, East Bay, South Bay, Silicon Valley, Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga, Palo Alto, Milpitas, Campbell, Los Gatos, Gilroy, Stanford, Fremont, Redwood City, San Mateo, and Pleasanton.

Pepperdine’s Executive MBA delivers a full MBA experience in 19 months with a format and curriculum that fits the needs and schedules of busy executives. Classes meet approximately every three weeks at the six Pepperdine graduate campuses across California.

Read more about Pepperdine’s new Silicon Valley site: magazine.pepperdine.edu/silicon-valley

This is the second grant awarded to the institute by the James Irvine Foundation’s California Democracy Program, which is committed to the important work of connecting local governments and residents to address the difficult public issues facing California in the 21st century.

In 2010 a similar grant helped to fund trainings for over 1,000 public officials. The funding was divided into annual consulting grants in support of public engagement projects on issues ranging from teen services to land use to budgets in communities across California.

Foundation support has also allowed the institute to expand its training programming in the areas of technology and civic engagement, and to begin to institutionalize public engagement as a leadership skill in several major California cities.

SCHOOL OF LAW’S ANNUAL

NOOTBAAR INSTITUTE CONFERENCE EXPLORES WISDOM AND LAW

Distinguished leaders in law and legal education gathered at the School of Law in February at the 14th annual conference hosted by the Herbert and Elinor Nootbar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics.

Cosponsored by the University’s Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies, the conference explored the theme “Wisdom, Law, and Lawyers.” The conference was organized around three topics: the nature of wisdom, which reviewed how different religious traditions impact perspective and the nature of wisdom; the relationship between wisdom and law and how it influences modern-day issues; and wisdom and lawyers, which examined if and how wisdom should influence a lawyer’s work.

Speakers included legal scholars from schools of law throughout the United States and from England.

Addressing a wide range of issues, such as religious freedom, human rights, and diversity, the institute seeks to bring top scholars, lawyers, students, and the community together to ultimately have a positive impact on society. At a time when law is seen by many as a matter of power politics and the lawyer’s role as purely a matter of pursuing client economic interests, the conference considers how wisdom should influence deliberations in legislative chambers, courts, and lawyers’ offices.

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NEWS

SYMPOSIUM ADDRESSES SOLUTIONS TO

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM PROBLEMS

The Graziadio School of Business and Management hosted the Future of Healthcare Symposium, a gathering of healthcare CEOs, senior executives, and policy advisors, in March. Corporate and pharmaceutical industry leaders focused their presentations on the future of healthcare, changes to the system beyond the Affordable Care Act, the impact to payers, and needed improvements including affordability and quality.

The symposium also examined challenges to providing high-quality patient care, including the increasing cost of drugs, and the role scientific and technological advancements continue to play in ensuring the health of the population.

Speakers included Susan Dentzer, senior policy adviser for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Steve Collis, president and CEO of AmerisourceBergen; Dr. John Agwunobi, former senior vice president and president of health and wellness at Walmart; Mark Morgan, president of Anthem Blue Cross; Thomas Priselac, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System; and Dr. David Feinberg, president and CEO of UCLA Health System, among others.

“Whether you’re in the field of healthcare or not, this is information we all need to be familiar with. Healthcare continues to be one of the largest growing industries in our economy, and our students have increasingly shown interest in gaining a greater understanding of the field,” said Gary Mangiofico, associate dean of executive programs and executive professor of leadership and management at the Graziadio School.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY HOSTS “WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP” CONFERENCE

The third annual Women in Leadership: Work-Life Balance conference at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology took place March 19 to 20 and engaged scholars and business professionals in conversation about opportunities for women to live meaningful lives of purpose and leadership.

“Through the Women in Leadership conference and other programs and practices, GSEP creates opportunities for women to be inspired and empowered to be the best expression of themselves and to bring positive change to the world,” says Graduate School of Education and Psychology dean Helen Easterling Williams.

Each plenary and breakout session focused on mentoring and sponsorship. Kathy E. Kram, the R. C. Shipley Professor in Management at Boston University, provided the keynote address that focused on the role of mentorship and developmental networks in enabling womens’ success at work and in life. Kathleen McChesney, former executive assistant director at the FBI and management Susan Dumond consultant at Kinsale Management Consulting, discussed leadership lessons she learned during her time serving in the bureau’s third highest position. In her plenary address, Susan Dumond, vice president of talent and organizational effectiveness at Disney ABC Television Group, concentrated on mentorship and how employees and their organizations can benefit from opportunities.

The Women in Leadership: Work-Life Balance initiative, led by Dean Emeritus Margaret J. Weber, aims to explore the work-life balance issues of women from global perspectives.

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JAMES R. WILBURN TO BE NAMED

DEAN EMERITUS OF SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

James R. Wilburn, who has served as inaugural dean of the School of Public Policy since its founding 18 years ago, will be named Dean Emeritus on August 1, 2015. He will transition from his administrative position and plans to return to the classroom for the 2016-2017 academic school year after a sabbatical.

Wilburn has served as a passionate champion of the University’s mission throughout more than four decades at Pepperdine. He has skillfully filled the roles of faculty member, provost, dean of the Graziadio School of Business and Management, and vice president for university affairs. In 1997 he was named founding dean of the School of Public Policy.

“In his four decades of service, Jim Wilburn has proven his dedication and his capacity to lead over and over again,” says president Andrew K. Benton. “The loyalty his friends, former students, and colleagues feel for Jim is legendary. I am personally grateful that Jim and his talented wife, Gail, will continue to serve at the forefront of the important things we hope to accomplish at the School of Public Policy and more broadly within Pepperdine University.”

Wilburn is known for his headline-making work in public policy. From 1991 to 1996 he served as co-chair of the U.S. Committee to Assist Russian Reform, a program funded by the U.S. Department of State and authorized by Boris Yeltsin.

During Wilburn’s years as dean of the Graziadio School, it moved more aggressively into international business and started five new academic programs, with the nation’s foremost program for mid-career adults and the largest MBA enrollment west of Chicago, Illinois. In addition to his experiences in higher education, Wilburn has authored books on American history, business management, and faith and public policy.

Upon Wilburn’s departure, Pete Peterson, executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy, will serve as interim dean.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2015!

Pepperdine proudly hosted a distinguished lineup of speakers for its 2015 commencement ceremonies. Each guest shared words of wisdom with the nearly 1,300 graduating students.

The School of Public Policy heard from veteran news correspondent and political commentator Brit Hume, senior political analyst for Fox News Channel, at its commencement ceremony on April 17. Hume received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

On April 18 the Graziadio School of Business and Management hosted California real estate industry icon Fred Sands, chair of Vintage Real Estate, LLC, who received an honorary Doctor of Business degree.

The School of Law welcomed top trial lawyer Mark Lanier, who was named the 2015 Trial Lawyer of the Year by The National Trial Lawyers. He was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the May 15 ceremony.

On May 2 Seaver College welcomed health technology entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, who delivered the commencement address to a graduating class of 667. She was presented an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Each year the Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) hosts two ceremonies celebrating graduates from each program. Terry Hargrave, professor of marriage and family therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, addressed GSEP’s Psychology Division on May 16 and was presented with an honorary Doctor of Psychology degree, while Barry Munitz, Trustee Professor of California State University, Los Angeles, and president of the Cotsen Family Foundations, delivered the commencement address at GSEP’s Education Division commencement ceremony, also on May 16, and was given an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Pepperdine extends heartfelt congratulations to all of the graduates and their families on this important achievement.

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SNAPSHOT

Salt of the Earth

During an educational field trip while studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a group of International Programs students took a long and bumpy overnight bus ride to a place where the soil meets the sky.

Location: Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) in PotosĂ­, Bolivia Photo credit: Trevor Alvord, Seaver College senior

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Campaign Final Report

I’m a Wave, and my life has been changed.

This sentiment echoed through the L.A. Live ballroom on May 14, 2011, as 950 guests first caught the vision of the Campaign for Pepperdine: Changing Lives, a fundraising campaign that had been in motion since 2005. On December 31, 2014, nearly four years after that milestone event, the third and largest campaign in the University’s history culminated with an unprecedented finale.

Almost 50,000 alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of Pepperdine helped exceed the University’s fundraising goal by contributing over $470 million—surpassing the campaign’s initial goal by $20 million—to fuel the dreams and advance the University in very tangible ways.

While motivating a group of devotees seemed challenging in a dire economic climate, a steadfast commitment to the University’s mission and vision inspired their magnanimous support.

“Simply stated, a university with unlimited academic aspirations, coupled with a commitment to a faith heritage, is unique and compelling,” says Pepperdine president Andrew K. Benton.

“When I think about the difficult national economic conditions that were in evidence when we began the campaign, I wonder at our boldness. As I look back now on the journey, what I see is confidence in all that makes Pepperdine special. I am proud of those who joined us in campaign leadership.”

Transformational, major dollar commitments propelled the campaign to historic levels with donors helping to meet the many fundraising objectives that directly impact students. Key successes include $141 million in scholarship funds and aid to students; $140 million in new faculty and academic initiatives; and $114 million in campus improvements, including key international facilities,

Mullin Town Square, Payson Library, and the School of Law. More than half of campaign donors were first-time givers to Pepperdine, raising more than $58 million. Donors also came from all 50 states and 65 countries, contributing more than 159,000 gifts to the campaign.

“I am humbled and grateful for all those who came alongside us to propel the campaign to a successful conclusion,” says Keith Hinkle, vice president for advancement and public affairs and chief development officer. “The funds raised enable us to enter the 21st century from a heightened position of strength. Pepperdine’s model for higher education is, indeed, strong.

Every future student will be impacted by those who gave so generously during the campaign.”

The formidable effort was led by campaign chairs, University regent Glen A. Holden, U.S. ambassador (ret.), and Marylyn M. Warren (’58), vice president of eHarmony.com, who were impressed and inspired by the spirit of the supporters.

“At our first campaign meeting, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who had stepped forward to focus on certain elements of the campaign and lead the fundraising for that project,” says Warren. “Many were Pepperdine graduates, but there was a large contingent of Pepperdine friends and parents who love the school and are proud of its accomplishments.”

Holden explains that the future of the University lies in those who believe in the distinctive qualities of Pepperdine and its people.

“It’s demonstratively evident that the environment for students of Pepperdine is unusual and very impressive,” says Holden.

“People pick up on that and it makes things like this possible. Pepperdine has become an educational institution that is quite unusual.

It gives our students a better place to be, and that’s proven by the success of the campaign for Pepperdine.”

Mere months after its conclusion, the campaign has already impacted the future of the University in many ways, namely the creation of new centers and institutes initiated during campaign years, and the endowment of scholarships for students in need.

“The mission and vision [of the University] hasn’t changed,” says Claudia Arnold Preston, vice chancellor and campaign director. “The campaign takes our aspirations for what we want to be and where we want to invest and gives us a vehicle to explain and share that dream with people who can make it happen.

It absolutely revolves around people and their relationships and how they can change an institution and another person’s life by what they do.”

It all started with an idea… …to embark upon an extraordinary fundraising quest that would have the power to change the life of every Pepperdine student. More than just new scholarships or facilities or research and programs, a dream was brought to life to create a comprehensive campaign for Pepperdine whose impact could transform students with every dollar given.

Between 2005 and 2014, that dream became a reality. Despite the worst economic recession since the Great Depression and a downward trend in philanthropic support, alumni and friends passionately gave millions of dollars to Pepperdine, enabling its bold vision and unlocking new potential for an institution of higher learning.

Now, because of you, we’ve raised an unprecedented $470 million, empowering us to impact every student and the communities they serve.

We have secured our position in the pantheon of higher education and, with your support, have forever elevated our stature as a preeminent, global, Christian university. Thank you.

Read the full Campaign Final Report and view exclusive online content:

pepperdine.edu/campaign

Seaver College

Undergraduate students were by far the biggest beneficiaries of Campaign for Pepperdine support, benefiting from nearly $44 million in endowed scholarships and financial aid, and almost $50 million more to come in a generous estate gift. A new academic chair in finance, more than $2.3 million in equipment for the natural science division, and an additional $5 million to advance the work of the Center for Teacher Excellence are enriching Seaver College in tangible ways.

Thanks to steadfast donors who recognize the importance of helping deans address strategic initiatives, Seaver received more than $5.3 million toward the dean’s excellence fund. The Great Books program was enhanced by campaign gifts, as was the music laboratory, the Pepperdine choir, student research programs in biology, and the Hearst Writing Center. The Center for Volunteerism and Community Service gained more than $1.1 million in lifechanging support.

Pepperdine donors also directed campaign gifts to key student-serving resources. Support for international programs totaled nearly $2 million, permitting the University to launch major renovation efforts at three of its six permanent residential centers. The oldest, our beloved Moore Haus in Heidelberg, Germany, is in the midst of a two-summer, $5 million facelift that will result in a new student lounge, space for an additional six students, and a refurbished apartment suite for each term’s faculty family, in addition to a complete upgrade of its electrical, plumbing, and technology infrastructure.

Back in Malibu, the John Stauffer Charitable Trust awarded a $1 million challenge grant for summer research in chemistry, while The Ahmanson Foundation continued its support of veterans with continuing scholarship grants. Your confidence in the faculty and students of Seaver College makes our dreams possible.

School of Law

At the Pepperdine School of Law, the next generation of attorneys and peacemakers are gaining a superior legal education buttressed by new funding that propels forward the highest principles of professional, ethical, and moral responsibility.

At long last a milestone $10 million gift will transform the Odell McConnell Law Center with sweeping renovations to the Henry J. and Gloria Caruso Auditorium and the adjacent Lon V. Smith Atrium. Further advancing a campus experience of unparalleled quality, the renovation will include refurbishing, modernizing, and unifying the spaces to create state-of-the-art, multipurpose facilities for faculty and student use.

Providing new enrichment to student engagement, the School of Law experienced an extraordinary proliferation of centers and institutes during the campaign. More than $20 million in estate and planned gifts established the Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics, which is already impacting communities around the world with its renowned Global Justice Program.

A generous gift from alumnus Geoffrey Palmer (JD ‘75) established the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law, and major commitments from parents Rex and Carrol Parris launched the Parris Institute for Professional Formation, an innovative center that unites skill-building, academic counseling, leadership development, and mentorship programs.

Meanwhile, new campaign funding established the Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean’s Chair, the Laure Sudreau-Rippe Endowed Chair, and the School of Law Ken Starr Excellence Fund, which was formally named with more than $5.1 million supporting its efforts.

As the School of Law boldly continues its ascent as a world-class law school, we are grateful to all of our supporters who made commitments during the campaign.

Graziadio School of Business and Management

At the crossroads of enterprise and ethics stands the Graziadio School of Business and Management, sustained by resources that will expand its global reach and anchor its foundation in entrepreneurship and excellence.

The Graziadio School boasts more than $3.4 million in new scholarship funding, which continues to attract top-quality student entrepreneurs and future business leaders in Los Angeles and around the world. And with more than $1.4 million generously donated to the Graziadio School’s preeminent Entrepreneur-In-Residence program during the campaign, it’s no wonder Pepperdine ranks among the top 10 most entrepreneurial universities in America according to Forbes.

Our E2B (Education to Business) program continues to be one of our most popular—and transformative—offerings. With nearly $700,000 in campaign funding and unparalleled support from enterprise partnerships across the country, business students have consulted with hundreds of companies, finding fresh solutions to their most complex and pressing challenges.

As the corporate environment evolves nationwide and globally, we are excited to offer thriving executive education programs such as the Presidents and Key Executives MBA program, boosted by more than $1 million in new campaign resources.

Along with our executive MBA, a master’s degree in organization development, and continuing executive certificate programs, established business leaders are sharpened with new experience-driven, collaborative tools that advance responsible business practices.

Among the campaign’s final gifts included a major commitment from Carla and Fred Sands to establish the Fred Sands Institute of Real Estate.

The new institute will be anchored by an endowed chair occupied by the institute’s director, regional and national real estate conferences, a Fred Sands Fellows program, and eventually a master’s degree and other certificate opportunities.

And at Graziadio, the classroom is just the beginning. Because of you, students are learning from heads of Fortune 500 companies with the Dean’s Executive Leadership Series, leading the way in corporate social responsibility, and creating an alumni network that stretches across the globe.

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Deeply rooted in Pepperdine’s mission for service, GSEP takes great pride in preparing students for careers that make a difference in the lives of others. Joining the workforce as educators, psychologists, counselors, therapists, school administrators, and business leaders, GSEP graduates assume vital service roles within their respective communities.

Thanks to the abundant generosity of alumni and friends, funds raised during the campaign are enhancing the student experience through a wide range of dynamic curricular and co-curricular offerings. Enriching cutting-edge teaching resources, increasing opportunities for outreach and professional growth, and replenishing GSEP’s scholarship reserves significantly advance our future.

Created to support and encourage future educators, the Rosalyn S. Heyman School Leadership Chair was established in 2010, and the Pat Lucas Center for Teacher Preparation was fully funded in 2013.

With a variety of services and resources, the Lucas Center provides everything from workshops on current teaching topics and technologies, to guidance on lesson plans and everyday teaching tools.

A robust partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation resulted in a permanent endowment to ensure the continuation of our mental health treatment program for homeless men and women in Downtown Los Angeles.

Expanding our outreach capabilities to marginalized populations in Greater Los Angeles, the Hilton Fellowship enables our work at the Union Rescue Mission and facilitates our goal to prepare mental health care professionals for effective service in diverse urban communities.

The University’s Pat and Shirley Boone Center for the Family, endowed during the campaign, fortifies the building block of our society through a full calendar of annual seminars, conferences, and interactive courses.

We are grateful to all of our devoted supporters who have enriched our programs and reaffirmed our mission to educate lives for purpose, service, and leadership.

School of Public Policy

Those who create, shape, and communicate public policy today are confronted by challenges of unprecedented magnitude. As the School of Public Policy approaches two decades of training the next generation of ethical leaders, the Campaign for Pepperdine has ensured the school’s ability to equip students with the skills that will empower them to approach, analyze, and solve today’s most complex policy issues.

Support for student scholarships and fellowships was among the School of Public Policy’s biggest fundraising successes, counting more than $13 million in new resources. With 90 percent of public policy students awarded scholarships, new endowed funding from benefactors like Flora Thornton and Allen and Marilyn Puckett ensures a diverse and highly qualified cohort of students each year.

The school also benefited from significant foundation support, including major grants from the Smith Richardson Foundation, Good Ventures, and the Koret Foundation. These funds are supporting public policy professor Angela Hawken’s research on drugs, crime, corruption, incarceration, and the development of evidencebased policy.

Finally, thanks to the funding of new student fellowships, more students are participating in transformative summer internship experiences between their first and second years. Opportunities range from think tanks and political offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to nonprofits, NGOs, and financial institutions in India, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Israel.

In an era of partisan divide and economic uncertainty, the field of public policy needs more than ever the clarity found in the moral, ethical, and spiritual paradigm offered uniquely by Pepperdine. Your campaign support continues to advance this mission.

Athletics

At Pepperdine, we have high expectations for our student-athletes. They are expected to perform with excellence on the playing field and in the classroom, and serve as leaders, both on their respective teams and in the campus community. The success of our athletics campaign is a valuable reminder of the University’s commitment to our student-athletes as they represent Pepperdine, compete with purpose, realize their dreams, and exceed our expectations.

Increased annual support through Waves booster clubs, Athletics Associates memberships, and generous unrestricted commitments from some of our most loyal fans have provided additional aid for our program’s yearly operational needs and priorities.

The growth of our endowment has allowed us to amplify scholarship rewards and recruit more competitively within our division. The Marv Dunphy Endowed Volleyball Fund, the Terry Schroeder Endowed Water Polo Fund, and the Schley Family Baseball Endowed Scholarship are just three of the many new lifechanging investments that were made during the campaign.

Among our notable achievements, the campaign years included a milestone celebration of the newly named Charles B. Runnels Sports and Recreation Village, and the dedication of the Shannon and Lewana Pirozzi Springboard Diving Platform, honoring a generous commitment to the swimming and diving program.

Much-needed refurbishments to Helen Field Heritage Hall’s Jones Trophy Room and first-floor weight room, as well as upgrades to the Firestone Fieldhouse lobby have contributed to the renewed look and feel of Pepperdine athletics. In addition, the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool underwent some much-needed repairs to improve infrastructure and accessibility, and the more than 20-year-old courtyards and plazas surrounding Firestone Fieldhouse were updated with new landscaping and shaded seating areas.

With the promise of a state-of-the-art events center on the horizon, we are making positive strides toward our goal of raising the reputation and caliber of our Pepperdine Waves programs. The campaign has energized our teams, our coaches, and our growing community of Waves fans, providing a unifying catalyst for our future aspirations.

University Libraries

Aspiring to transform the University’s intellectual centerpiece into a 21st-century library of the future, an energetic committee of volunteers and staff proceeded to become the “library engine that could,” and did!

Embracing a $22 million renovation goal for Payson Library, one of the oldest facilities on the main Malibu campus, the committee sought to raise funds not just for the transformation of study spaces, book stacks, and reading rooms, but for archival and special collection displays and student gathering niches. With nearly $13 million in gifts and pledges tallied, including major support from the Fletcher Jones, Parsons, and Rose Hills foundations, the University expects to launch the project in the next 12-18 months.

Ahead of the “dust and rubble” renovation to come, several dramatic assets were added during the campaign. Commemorating Pepperdine’s 75th anniversary in 2012, a cadre of donors and the library committee funded the acquisition of the globally acclaimed Saint John’s Bible, the first illuminated, handwritten Bible created in more than five centuries.

Gifts totaling $1.5 million, including anchor support from Eff and Patty Martin and Jay and Judy Welker, will also enable a permanent exhibit alcove for the Saint John’s Bible’s seven volumes when the renovation is completed.

Payson Library also was enriched mid-campaign with resources from longtime friends. University Libraries committee chair Robert Barbera funded the Barbera Information Gateway—the main portal through which students and library patrons enter the facility and navigate its halls. Pepperdine parents Celeste and John Plueger—a University regent—made possible the Dr. Aaron L. Plueger Reading Room as a legacy to John’s late father, an author, minister, and George Pepperdine College alumnus. And the Americanism Educational Leaders organization transferred its endowment to Pepperdine Libraries, sustaining AEL’s tradition of inspiring patriotism among young people.

CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES We gratefully acknowledge the volunteer leaders of the campaign for their unwavering dedication and commitment to the mission of Pepperdine. Your confidence in Pepperdine University and steadfast support of our students and faculty is enabling us to change lives, for the better, every single day.

OFFICE OF THE CHAIR

GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Randy E. Clark, EdD ‘05

Chair Stevan R. Calvillo

Carolyn M. Harrison, MBA ‘94

Marylyn M. Warren, ‘58 Vice Chair Timothy C. Phillips, ‘87

Honorary Members Christos M. Cotsakos, MBA ‘83

Farzin Madjidi, MBA ‘88, EdD ‘91

Chairs Glen A. Holden

G. Louis Graziadio III SEAVER COLLEGE Co-chairs John T. Lewis, ‘83 Harold R. Smethills, Sr. Members Belinda Chrysiliou Louis W. Drobnick, MBA ‘91 Sara Young Jackson, ‘74 Kimberly J. Lindley Rick R. Marrs Lucie H. Moore

T. Kendall Hunt, MBA ‘79 Richard G. Newman Members Jack M. Area III

James B. Douglass Kyewon Ko Claudette S. McLinn, MS ‘83, EdD ‘06 Michael D. O’Sullivan, MS ‘74, EdD ‘87 Richard Sherman Earnestine Thomas-Robertson, ‘69, MA ‘73, EdD ‘03

UNIVERSITY EVENTS CENTER AND ATHLETICS Co-chairs B. Joseph Rokus, ‘76 Tari Frahm Rokus, ‘76 Honorary Member Virginia Braun, In Memoriam Members Nabil Barsoum Robert Beaman

Margaret J. Weber

Louis Colombano

Mary Lou Area

Helen Easterling Williams

Robert J. Katch, ‘84, MBA ‘91

Cindy U. Ayloush, BSM ‘80, MBA ‘13

Marilyn S. Wright, MA ‘89, PsyD ‘95

Samuel Carl Lagana

A. Ronald Berryman, ‘62, MBA ‘67

Wendie Z. Young, ‘85

John F. Monroe, ‘79

Christine Q. Bishop

Ziegfred G. Young, MS ‘83, EdD ‘88

Loretta T. Monroe, ‘78

Alida Calvillo

Farshid V. Zanjani, EdD ‘14

Chad Mooney

Bruce N. Calvin, ‘83

Deanell Reece Tacha

Ted O. Porter, ‘59, MBA ‘75

Jose A. Collazo, MBA ‘77

Steven T. Potts, JD ‘82

Manuel M. Del Arroz

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

John R. Rettberg, ‘59

Louis W. Drobnick, MBA ‘91

Chair Joseph A. Czyzyk

Charles B. Runnels John G. Watson, ‘72, MA ‘75

William L. MacDonald

Honorary Members Pat Boone

Faye W. McClure, ‘78

Virginia Braun, In Memoriam

Todd Mikles Mark J. Miller, MBA ‘04

Members Ernie Maldonado, BSPM ‘76, MPA ‘80

Mark O. Hiepler, JD ‘88

Kay Rosen

Stephen E. Olson, MBA ‘73

Barbara A. Jones, JD ‘89

David R. Wells, MBA ‘88

Ronald Plotkin

Dawn R. Pettersen, ‘88 Paul H. Reim, ‘83 Jay S. Welker Robyn B. Zimmet SCHOOL OF LAW Co-chairs Terry M. Giles, JD ‘74

Members David J. Barrett, JD ‘91 Thomas G. Bost Stephanie C. Buckley Stephen G. Butler Charles R. Eskridge III, JD ‘90 Thomas A. Fessler, JD ‘83 Janet Kerr, ‘75, JD ‘78 John W. Knapp, JD ‘78, In Memoriam Michele L. Maryott, JD ‘97 Ronald F. Phillips

Brett M. Johnson, MBA ‘05 Kenneth L. Knas, MBA ‘85

G. Tyler Runnels, ‘78, MBA ‘80 Judy Zierick UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES Chair Robert J. Barbera

Gary Polson

Honorary Members Michael Reagan

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY

Marilyn Puckett

John W. Payson, ‘66

Russell L. Ray, Jr.

Chair Betty Rengifo Uribe, MBA ‘00, EdD ‘12

William E. Simon, Jr.

Members Maureen Duffy-Lewis

Eric L. Small

Mark Wayne Dundee, EdD ‘00

Vice Chair Susan F. Rice, EdD ‘86

Augustus Tagliaferri, MBA ‘74

Laurel Karabian, In Memoriam

Bonnie B. Thomas

Ken LaZebnik

Honorary Members Pat Boone

George E. Thomas

John D. Miller

Robert A. Virtue

Lani A. Netter

Beti Ward

Claudia Arnold Preston

Michael Y. Warder

Mark Roosa

James R. Wilburn, MBA ‘82

Amy Jo Runnels, ‘00

Barry L. Wolfe

Norman Sarafian

Mireille Wolfe

Lisa Smith Wengler

Shirley Boone Rosalyn S. Heyman Allie Evans Tegner, ‘47, MA ‘68 Helen M. Young, ‘39 Members Yolanda Aguerrebere, MS ‘83, EdD ‘09

Darryl L. Tippens

Fereshteh Amin, EdD ‘06

Ellen Weitman

Sheila K. Bost

Jeanette C. Woodburn

Jenna M. Burkey, ‘08, MBA ‘10, MA ‘13

Deborah Yamada

Kerri R. M. Cissna-Heath, EdD ‘12

Patti Yomantas

FEATURE

Pepperdine students use their education to help real-world enterprise.

By Sophia Fischer

Every Thursday at noon, first-year law student Corey Miller and homeless shelter resident Greg Williams, 47, meet on the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu to talk business.

Through the Pepperdine Microenterprise Program, in partnership with Banc of California, Miller and other students are helping Williams launch his company, Queenie’s Creole Pie. “I spend most of my days in class or studying, so to have this human experience and help someone is valuable,” Miller says. “Working with Greg has taught me so many things.”

Through the program, undergraduate and graduate students from multiple disciplines University-wide mentor disadvantaged entrepreneurs in establishing microbusinesses or finding employment.

The student-client teams meet over lunch to build clients’ confidence, focus their business ideas, create business plans, and carry them out.

To propel their fledgling businesses forward, clients complete weekly assignments, including researching target markets and conducting industry and competition analysis.

“To be able to impact people’s lives is a game changer for students and for how they live their lives after they graduate,” says Doug Pak, program board member and CEO of BLD Brands in Orange County.

A Pepperdine shuttle picks clients up at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles each week to bring them to campus. Clients review homework with student teams and are assigned new goals. After students leave, clients attend classes to learn basic principles of financial management, business planning, and accountability, led by faculty and Pepperdine alumni.

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The cohort program begins in August and concludes with April graduation.

During the summer, program leaders meet with shelter caseworkers to identify new candidates who have shown an ability or desire to move forward in their lives, and are interested in entrepreneurship. There is a lengthy application and interview process, run by director Larry Cox, Pepperdine associate professor of entrepreneurship at the Graziadio School of Business and Management, and by Keith Obilana (MBA ’13), Microenterprise Program manager. “We are trying to help people who don’t have access to resources,” says Obilana. “Many are just out of drug and alcohol rehab. Some have criminal backgrounds, so jobs are hard to obtain.

Having students bring insight and wisdom is helping these people rebuild their broken lives.”

Financial support has come from the University and board members.

A Seaver capstone project involving business students is exploring crowdfunding as a revenue source to help provide funding for clients to rent business space or purchase equipment. Banc of California recently made a multiyear financial commitment to the program for administrative costs like client transportation to campus, lunch, and supplies.

The endeavor was established in 2010 by Pepperdine law professors and students inspired by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who pioneered microfinancing—the provision of collateral-free loans of modest amounts to help the poor in developing countries establish or grow small businesses. The Microenterprise Program was initially run through the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law at the School of Law. “We realized that microfinancing in a developing country and microfinancing in a developed country are very different. In a developing country, $200 can finance an entire company but in a place like the U.S., it will barely get you through licenses and legal requirements,” Obilana explains.

Successes include the launch of a full-time auto detailing company, as well as part-time ventures in film production, welding, catering, and transportation. “We encourage clients to look at their backgrounds and think about what skill set they have in coming up with a business idea,” Obilana says.

Program leaders hope to make the endeavor a national model for other universities. “We’ve gotten calls from schools and organizations all over the U.S. trying to replicate our program,” says Janet Kerr, program founder and Pepperdine Professor of Law Emeritus. Kerr serves on the board along with Pak, Howard Spunt, cofounder of Landmark Reality and owner of P32 Gallery, and Greg Ellena, former CEO of First National Bank of Santa Fe.

THREE DREAMS IN PROGRESS

î Queenie’s Creole Pie The idea for Greg Williams’ pie business came to him as he slept in his jail cell in 2009. In the dream, he was a child back in Louisiana by his mother’s side, helping her cook traditional Creole recipes, including her beloved sweet potato pie. When he awoke, he wrote down what he remembered of the recipe. “I didn’t have a parole date yet. This was just an idea, but it was something I should have been doing a long time ago instead of the life decisions and choices I made,” Williams says.

After his 2013 prison release, Williams began recreating his mother’s pie. “My mom had a very peculiar, secret blend of spices,” Williams explains. “The pie reminds me of being a little kid at Christmas with no worries.”

He heard about the Microenterprise Program from a friend in church.

“The program made me see my potential and how the seed of an idea could grow with a little dedication, hard work, and sacrifice,” Williams says.

Williams’ Microenterprise team is considering initially marketing directly to consumers through farmers markets and street fairs, and then as the business grows, selling wholesale to grocery stores or

clockwise from top: Students Matt Bryson and Corey Miller flank client Greg Williams; student Whitney Merritt with client Sandra Carrington; program manager Keith Obilana

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FEATURE

bakeries. Pricing strategies are being discussed with attention paid to overhead costs.

“I’ve taken marketing classes but now I’m actually doing something real-world,” says Matt Bryson, a Seaver College first-year majoring in international business working with Williams. “It’s been a great experience, really eye-opening, and a lot of work.”

Williams baked several pies for a prototype and brought them to class. They were quickly consumed and at Obilana’s request, Williams will bake a dozen pies for the Microenterprise Program graduation where potential investors will be in attendance.

I’ve taken marketing classes but now I’m actually doing something real-world. It’s been a great experience, really eye-opening, and a lot of work.

—Matt Bryson

Seaver College first-year student, international business major

î Open Doors Full-time MBA student Whitney Merritt is helping single mom Sandra Carrington, 47, who escaped an abusive relationship and recently moved with her teenage daughter into lowincome housing. Carrington’s business idea, Open Doors, helps military veterans find housing. Carrington, a veteran herself, came to the program with multiple ideas. The team helped her narrow her focus to a realistic business plan that could eventually expand in other directions. Merritt is finding great value in partnering with two law students to help clients. “Law students are coming from a different perspective, so I am learning as well,” Merritt explains.

Through the team’s guidance, Carrington registered her business, conducted a competitive analysis, and created a logo and brochure. “Sandra has taken her background and found a niche,” Merritt explains.

Carrington recently found rental homes for two veterans and their families. “The students motivate me a lot. I’m really learning how to make the business run,” Carrington explains.

“The homework we have is the research we need to do for the business.”

Carrington’s ultimate goal is to build a homeless shelter to help others like her.

Eager to share her successes, Carrington smiles and says,“I’m going to write a book.

I want my student team to be available to tell about this story. Instead of it being painful, I want this experience to help others.”

Hear directly from the Microenterprise teams about their collaboration: pepperdinemicroenterprise.com

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î One One 80 Tomasa Pereira, 35, immigrated from El Salvador when she was 19 to join her mother who had immigrated to the U.S. when Pereira was 6 years old. Pereira has struggled financially trying to pursue a career in the fashion industry. Her Microenterprise team is helping her launch a 10-to-15-piece line of women’s clothing for summer that includes dresses, tops, bottoms, and accessories in soft, plant-based fabrics using trendy seasonal colors and comfortable fits. Her business name, One One 80, is her birthday.

“Friends and family kept asking me to make special pieces for them, so I created my own logo and labels,” Pereira explains. “I have the talent to make the product, but not the knowledge to create a business. This program is guiding me in making it happen.”

Tess Sadowsky, a first-year law student, is helping Pereira create a business plan, resume, cover letter, and website to showcase the designs. One of the biggest challenges the team is working on is tracking the time required to design, market, and sell a line of clothing in order to set realistic, measurable goals. Other goals include a photo shoot, an online store, and crafting of a presentation of Pereira’s designs to bring to boutiques.

Sadowsky believes that Pereira has the product and drive to be successful.

Pereira was raised by strong immigrant matriarchs and infuses that confidence into her brand of clothing. “I’m really impressed by Tomasa’s ability to explain her product using her personal experience and her passion for what she loves about fashion,” Sadowsky says. “That will help make her business successful.”

Sadowsky especially enjoys how the intensity of her law studies complement her support for Pereira. “When I heard about this program during my first week of law school, I couldn’t believe it,” Sadowsky says.

“Being able to share our resources with the outside world is such a great opportunity to learn.”

Pepperdine closed out its historic Campaign for Pepperdine: Changing Lives with the sold-out Pepperdine Associates Dinner held in January. President Andrew K. Benton offered congratulations and commendations to donors and staff.

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A team of Seaver College physics students travels to a remote wilderness to further their research. —By Sophia Fischer Standing on the frozen ground in a desolate valley in Norway, six student members of a Pepperdine research team witnessed the mysterious, ethereal aurora borealis rise up from the horizon behind the mountains and enlarge across the sky above them. Like the bottom of a waving curtain, the expanding light moved and shimmered.

A reindeer sat in the snow nearby watching the excited students take it all in.

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“It was magical,” senior physics major Megan Rawie describes. “They say that it’s dancing, and it really is like dancing lights in the sky. Orange, aqua, magenta … the colors get intense, like they’re catching on fire. Words can’t describe it.

It’s like Fourth of July fireworks painted across the sky.”

Rawie, her peers, and their professor, Gerard Fasel, stayed up until 5:30 that morning sharing their elation over witnessing, firsthand, the natural wonder they have studied for the past three years on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus.

The group spent a week over winter break near the North Pole in Svalbard, Norway (population

The students have been studying the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere in order to better understand space weather and its effects. At Pepperdine, Fasel and the students spend countless hours analyzing data dating back to the 1990s, collected via NASA satellite, and from ground instruments used by the Norway observatory and accessed online. Their collaboration with NASA has led to summer internships with the space agency and annual presentations at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall conference held in San Francisco, California, which attracts as many as 25,000 scientists. The Pepperdine team has earned positive feedback for its work.

It really is like dancing lights in the sky.

Orange, aqua, magenta … the colors get intense, like they’re catching on fire.

Words can’t describe it. It’s like Fourth of July fireworks painted across the sky.”

—Megan Rawie, student

2,000), an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The harsh, frigid environment is home to the Kjell Henricksen Observatory, an international facility that opened in 2008, and is used by scientists and researchers from multiple institutions worldwide. It is one of the only places in the world where the aurora can be seen in winter during all hours due to the 24-hour darkness.

There, the team had direct access to highly sophisticated cameras and other equipment that examine and record the various aurora colors.

The visit allowed the students to make huge strides in their research.

“One thing that was especially significant about seeing the auroras in this context was that we understood more of what was happening with the bands of light, because of the research we had done prior to the trip,” says junior physics major Ashley Rothballer.

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“The annual conference has been such a great experience because it’s thrown me out into the magnetospheric physics community and has taught me how to present research,” says senior physics and organizational communications major Sarah Bender, who has demonstrated the group’s findings at the meeting for the past three years.

In addition to Rawie, Rothballer, and Bender, the student researchers include Alexandra Angelo, Julia Flicker, and Mashaer Alyami.

The team’s work is very specific and involves examining the consequences of the sun’s energy hitting the Earth and its effect on the variations of brightness, color, size, and movement of the aurora. The group watches for patterns, formulates explanations, and shares unusual activity. The data they analyze covers only the months of December and January each year, as that is when the aurora is most active and when

Spring 2015

the sky is darkest, revealing the phenomenon day and night. The research is labor intensive.

“At the end of the semester when you put all the information together, answer a question, and come to a conclusion, it’s significant,” says Flicker, a senior physics major. “Not many people are studying the aurora. They look at solar weather, but not the aurora, so we know we are answering a question that is relevant to the field.”

The aurora occurs when solar wind sends millions of electrically charged particles toward the Earth’s magnetic field that are pushed up and down to the poles. The energy from these powerful impacts creates particles of light that appear as arcs, streaks, swirls, or waves.

The aurora is not dangerous, but it is a tool to understand space activity. Large solar flares have caused disruptions in television, radio, and satellite power in the past and may have an environmental effect as well. Its intensity and movement provide researchers with a tool to understand space activity.

“This solar/terrestrial interaction is important for us to understand climate change, and is sometimes overlooked by climatologists. But it’s all connected,” Fasel explains. “We are trying to study and understand.”

Fasel has been exploring this subject for two decades. In 1995 he relocated from Alaska to Norway to earn his PhD at the University of Oslo and to further his research. Over the years, Fasel has published multiple papers on the solar-terrestrial interactions. He has also presented decisive evidence demonstrating that poleward-moving auroral forms (PMAFs) are a result of magnetic reconnection, which is the primary mechanism for the transfer of energy from the sun to the Earth’s magnetic field. He discovered that PMAFs, parts of the aurora that seem to break off and head toward the pole, rebrighten and may be a consquence of multiple reconnection. Fasel’s students have continued his research, analyzing data from clear days when PMAF’s can be seen.

“The data we had access to before gave us only a small part of the sky. The new data we obtained in Norway allowed us to observe the whole sky and helps us to paint a better picture,” Fasel says. “Studying solar-terrestrial reconnection helps us understand a process that occurs throughout the universe.”

The students credit Fasel with instructing them in how to explore and discover on their own, and for giving them opportunities that are primarily reserved for graduate students at other universities. Most of the students sign on to the team at the end of their freshman year or at the beginning of their sophomore year and remain with it until they graduate. The team meets at the beginning of each semester to review the status of the project, discuss their theories, and then see if the data support their ideas. Each member works independently on investigating the theory, sharing findings with one another, and receiving support from Fasel when needed.

Far from their sunny Malibu campus, the research team bundled up to face the frigid Norwegian climate.

Another instrument the team has regular use of is the meridian-scanning photometer, which scans a narrow slice of the sky, changing view every four seconds. Having access to the Norway observatory allowed the students to utilize the all-sky camera, as well as 25 other high-tech optical instruments, and obtain complete views of the aurora.

“We were able to see the aurora almost every night. Whenever we were inside, we would have several all-sky cams up on our computers monitoring the aurora activity.

And we made sure to keep each other updated whenever we thought there might be activity,” Rothballer recalls.

The experience of living in a polar environment and seeing the aurora brought the close group even closer. Just getting to the observatory was an experience in itself. Located 10 miles from Longyearbyen, the nearest town, in an isolated glacial region with one of the largest concentrations of polar bears in the world, the facility is accessible only by military vehicle during the winter months. Wilderness training was required in order for students to understand how to protect themselves from polar bears, and from the treacherous, minus-20-degree cold. The constant darkness meant a lot of time spent indoors together researching, analyzing, discussing, cooking, watching a Christmas movie marathon, and enjoying a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner. In one outdoor excursion, the group experienced the beauty of the polar region

through dogsledding. The team also benefited from meeting and sharing information with local scientists doing related work.

The trip was made possible by the support of the University President’s Office. “This endeavor is one example of the many significant scientific research projects taking place on campus that are providing our students with valuable handson experiences they would not have elsewhere, and that are striving to make a positive difference in all of our lives,” President Benton says.

“Dr. Fasel loves what he does so much, that you can’t help but get excited about it when you talk to him,” Rothballer enthuses. “He also has a real passion for the students and takes a real interest in getting to know us.”

Since their return, the researchers have been busy studying the new data they brought back with them from Norway in order to better understand magnetic reconnection. For all of the students, the lessons learned from the aurora project will remain with them long after graduation.

“This research has taught us to be problem solvers and how to accomplish a goal for ourselves,” Rawie remarks. “The knowledge we have developed has helped prepare us for grad school and for our careers.”

left to right: Julia Flicker, Megan Rawie, Mashaer Alyami, Sarah Bender, and Alexandra Angelo prepare for their presentation at the annual American Geophysical Union conference held last fall in San Francisco, California.

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FEATURE

WHEN LEARNING

YOUR FAITH Seaver College faculty members provide insight into their personal journeys with intellectual doubt.

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Spring 2015

Why bring up the problem of intellectual doubt?

Because it’s our mission as a university.

It can be tempting for Christian colleges to make some topics off-limits or to discourage certain kinds of questions out of a fear that they will shake students’ faith. We can find ourselves in the position of trying to defend or protect God. But if we are true to our mission as a university, we have to be honest not only about what we know, but also about what we don’t know. That’s what it means for Pepperdine to affirm “that truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should be pursued relentlessly in every discipline.”

Talking honestly about intellectual doubt is also crucial for helping our students understand what faith is—that it’s so much more than intellectual assent, that it is also a decision we make, something we practice and work at. One challenge university students often face is encountering knowledge that seems to contradict the beliefs they grew up with. Many feel a sense of crisis as they struggle to hold on to faith in the face of intellectual challenges. We want to equip them to be faithful in the midst of those challenges and uncertainties, both the ones they face now and those they will face throughout their lives. We don’t do them any favors when we try, as one person put it, to “reduce the leap of faith to a pedestrian hop.”

For so many of us, what made the difference in our own faith was having someone we could look to who had faced those same challenges and uncertainties and yet who seemed to be okay. As faculty members, we are at our best when we model that rare blend of intellectual honesty and deep faith, living before our students as fellow strugglers who have embraced doubt and who still remain convinced.

GARY SELBY director of the Center for Faith and Learning, which hosted a panel discussion on this topic at Pepperdine last fall

On the next page, three Seaver College faculty members share tales of their personal journeys with intellectual doubt and what they hope others, especially students, take away from their experiences.

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FEATURE

Stephen Davis Distinguished Professor of Biology

tudents at the time of graduation will always have challenges. Issues of today, such as global terrorism, climate change, and economic lows have many analogies, and seeing how others have coped and relied on God’s presence and his will working in their lives may be helpful.

In my case, upon graduation, I was faced with an unpopular war (Vietnam) and the likelihood of being drafted (which I was) and being interrupted midstream from a PhD program (which happened) and being separated from my new wife (which occurred). My circumstances seemed disastrous, but the opposite was the case. The apparent disaster taught me some of the most valuable lessons in life, including working through intellectual doubt and coming to realize purpose and meaning in life through God’s presence.

Being sent to Vietnam gave me a new perspective on life and God’s calling. I soon learned the things I deemed important while a student, prior to the Vietnam experience, were minor. What was major were human relationships, respect of others, and meeting the needs of the human suffering that are immediate, surrounding all of us, and in all forms.

The intellectual doubts I had prior to Vietnam were tested in a foreign land, isolated from home, family, friends, church, and university professors. I was on my own, alone, for the first time to ponder, pray, read, and think. Thus, the book Your God Is Too Small by J. B. Phillips and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl became reality with powerful lessons for survival and perspective on living. Was my God big enough to extend across the Pacific Ocean or was my God insular and restricted to the U.S., my church back home, my parents’ faith, my family relationships, my wife’s faith, or the faith-based institutions from which I had graduated? Working through the process of “why me?” to realizing God’s call and the search for meaning and purpose was a major breakthrough. My faith was greatly strengthened in the process, I felt needed in a very challenging situation, and I felt that my life had purpose and meaning because of God’s presence. My initial doubt was answered by a powerful firsthand experience, a testing.

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Kelle Marshall

Assistant Professor of French

I grew up in a Christian home—actually, before I was born, my father was a pastor and had been working on his master’s at a theological seminary. Our family dinners often revolved around theological discussions in which my parents encouraged my brother and me to ask questions and to think deeply. Even still, at a certain point, I knew I had to discern which views were my family’s and which were my own, and so I purposefully chose to expose myself to ideas that I had not yet encountered in my fairly conservative upbringing.

What challenged me the most in my beliefs during my undergraduate studies, however, were certain French thinkers and their works.

Molière’s Tartuffe and Voltaire’s Candide, coupled with courses in cultural anthropology, caused me to think about social practices and customs in American Christianity, and led me to reflect on the true essentials of the faith. I began to question to what extent my wouldbe faith was just an affiliation with a certain cultural group: evangelical Christians. It was André Gide’s views in La symphonie pastorale, however, that shook me the most. Gide’s view, at least as it was presented to me, was that

It’s important to realize that God gives us doubt, too. It’s part of the destiny we live as humans. Doubt is there for our conversion—our conversion to a greater understanding of the truth. We Christians must become much better at realizing that doubt is part of any healthy human growth. Without doubt we would never shed, amend, or change any of our beliefs.

If a person is honestly seeking truth, they will have to engage with views that are not their own—views that they might never affirm.

It can be difficult, however, to be at peace when you perceive God as silent in your life. Many of my students worry that God is not manifest in great and blinding signs.

This leads to the concern that God is abstract and has nothing to do with their immediate lives.

—Kelle Marshall Christians would do well to focus on Jesus’ teachings and ignore Paul’s altogether. I didn’t feel like I could engage with my professor on the topic outside of the classroom, so I was left to wrestle with the text on my own.

I finished my undergraduate studies with many questions, but with few people outside of my family whom I could discuss them with. Regrettably, I didn’t feel like my tough questions had a place among other Christians I knew. Finally, while I was doing my doctoral work, I came across the Graduate Christian Fellowship on campus, where, once a month, graduate students heard from Christian faculty members about their time in academia. I also found a graduate student Bible study that was committed to offering students “a community of thinking faith.” It helped a lot to talk with other Christians who were not only willing but also eager to discuss tough issues.

I have found that having interlocutors to discuss difficult issues with is key, even if they happen to be people who hold the opposing viewpoint. If a person is honestly seeking truth, they will have to engage with views that are not their own— views that they might never affirm.

It has long been my aim to demonstrate through my work and through my witness that being a Christian intellectual is not an oxymoron.

I believe that it’s important to think deeply about hard questions, and I want to encourage our students not to be afraid to do the same.

I also want to let students know that if they have questions they’re wrestling with, they are welcome to come discuss them with me. I would have loved to have had Christian faculty members during my undergraduate studies whom I could have engaged with on a deeper level outside of the classroom.

Jason Blakely Assistant Professor of Social Science

The theologian Herbert McCabe was reputed to always begin his debates with atheists by allowing them to list their objections first. After patiently listening McCabe would invariably add: “I don’t believe in that God, either.” Our conception of God can be too small, too trite, too familiar, too cramped. Intellectual doubt is part of a process of expansion beyond humanity’s inevitable tendency to belittle God.

We must all learn to see God concretely within the circumstances of our everyday life. This does not mean simply counting blessings or looking on the sunny side of life. This means seeing how Christ is a concrete presence within the hour-to-hour and day-to-day reality of my existence.

Doubt is like a growing pain— it prepares space and room for a more mature, developed understanding of the truth.

—Jason Blakely

My personal journey with doubt began as an ardent atheist, and my conversion to Christianity came when I began to doubt my atheism. Many people think doubt is a special affliction of religious believers, but this is not so. Atheists, too, suffer bouts of doubt.

We must learn to see Christ again as an integral feature of reality. What does Christ have to do with my commute down the Pacific Coast Highway every morning?

What does he have to do with my successes and failures in the classroom?

We begin to doubt when our conceptions of How is he given to me within the people truth and reality are no longer adequate to our I meet everyday on the street, at work, in experience. Properly understood, this is not something to be feared. Doubt is like a growing my family, and friends? Where am I willing to see the face of Christ? pain—it prepares space and room for a more mature, developed understanding of the truth. If I had never doubted, I never would have come to faith.

Read more faculty testimonials: And yet many Christians fear doubt. They think doubt is something to be repressed or evaded.

magazine.pepperdine.edu/doubt

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FEATURE

A Star is

At age 73, Jim White (’64) is in the spotlight for his quiet work in McFarland, California.

By Sophia Fischer

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Born

For the past several months, Jim White (’64) traveled around the country to sit in theatres, churches, and schools to watch a hit Disney film about himself called McFarland, USA. No matter where he screened the movie, whether in Florida, Tennessee, Texas, California, or elsewhere, it was surreal to see actor Kevin Costner portray him, and actress Maria Bello play his wife Cheryl.

“We’ve seen it 14 times. And every time we heard clapping and cheering, we thought maybe it’s because they know we’re there. The audiences are really responding to us, they really love it,” White says. “I’ve heard some of them say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go and see that again.’ It’s a wonderful experience for us, a wonderful feeling.”

McFarland, USA, which debuted in theatres nationwide in February, is set in 1987 and depicts how White, a public school athletic coach and physical education teacher, changed the lives of his disadvantaged students, their families, and their low-income, predominantly Hispanic community, which in turn transformed his own life as well.

With nine state championships earned, White is one of the most successful cross country coaches ever in California. During the 25 years that he coached McFarland High School’s team, athletes earned multiple league and Central Valley championships, as well as international competitions in China, Germany, Singapore, and Taiwan. What makes this particular comefrom-behind sports story special is the love that developed between White and his Latino students whose lives in the Central Valley agricultural town of McFarland, California, were so different from anything White had experienced.

Coach Jim White rides alongside the current McFarland High School cross country team, as well as his former athletes in McFarland, USA.

The film movingly captures the tremendous challenges the coach and athletes experienced in overcoming cultural differences, and how they came to understand and respect one another.

White learned to grasp the difficult lives of

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FEATURE

I always wanted to live in a small community where I could hopefully have a positive effect on people, to better their lives and my own.

JIM WHITE (above with Kevin Costner)

his athletes who worked to help support their families in the surrounding agricultural fields, rising daily at 4 AM to pick crops before school, returning to work in the fields after school, then attending running practice followed by dinner, chores, and homework. The students learned that White believed in them and wanted to see them succeed, and affectionately called him “Blanco,” Spanish for the color white, a play on his last name and skin color.

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media outlets covered the McFarland cross country achievements. Hollywood came calling with several studios attempting to make a movie, but inadequate funding and poor scripts presented challenges. Then Disney became interested in the story a few years ago.

“We had a small team and we became really close. A family relationship developed,” White recalls. “Our success came because of our positive attitude, a lot of hard work, and having a desire to be as good as we could be.”

McFarland, USA producer Gordon Gray was moved by many aspects of the story. “These movies are never really only about sports—the sport is just the canvas on which to tell the journey of the characters,” says Gray. “This is really about a man trying to find a home for himself and his family, and he found it in McFarland. It’s also an opportunity to tell this inspiring story about his bond with this team.”

The idea for a film emerged after a slew of publicity about the team and its success. The Los Angeles Times featured White and his champion athletes on the front page; ESPN and the BBC aired stories about the group’s wins; and other

Filming took place in McFarland over three weeks, and included actors raised in and near the town. The film’s director, Niki Caro, who directed Whale Rider and North Country, stayed with the Whites for a few days to learn

PEPPERDINE MAGAZINE

Spring 2015

firsthand about the relationships between the coach and community. “Niki Caro did a good job. There are some real things in the film that touched my heart,” White recalls.

The coach is quick to point out several key inaccuracies in Disney’s portrayal. He was never fired; he and Cheryl actually have three daughters, not two; and White established the team in 1980, seven years before a state championship was created in 1987, the year McFarland High School won and the year the film highlights.

Three members of that 1987 team depicted in the film are David, Damacio, and Danny Diaz.

Three other Diaz siblings were also on White’s team. All graduated from college and remain in the McFarland area. Following White’s example, nearly all went into education.

The Whites moved to McFarland and stayed for the next 40 years as White taught science and physical education classes at both the local elementary and middle school. McFarland is the only place he ever taught.

“We were not just part of Mr. White’s team and family, but we all were inspired by his example to become mini Mr. Whites,” says Danny Diaz, now a guidance counselor at McFarland High School.

“Mr. White was like a second father to us. I don’t know where we would be today if he had not come to McFarland.”

One of the biggest challenges for White was the Diaz parents who at first did not support their children’s participation in cross country. “Sports were not important to our parents,” Danny says.

“Number one was God; number two was family; and number three was education; and in between numbers two and three we had to squeeze in work. Luckily, Mr. White came and talked to them.”

White remains close with the Diazes, as well as many of his former runners, attending milestone celebrations and weekly gatherings. Although he retired a decade ago, White continues to help coach McFarland High’s cross country team, riding his bicycle alongside runners, which include children of the original athletes.

When White graduated from George Pepperdine College with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, he knew he wanted to be a public school athletic coach. He and his wife lived in an apartment on campus for two years, and while there welcomed their first daughter. White applied to jobs with school districts statewide. The first response came from McFarland Elementary.

“The principal called and offered me the job on the phone,” White recalls.

“I always wanted to live in a small community where I could hopefully have a positive effect on people, to better their lives and my own.”

White tried to convince the McFarland school superintendent to hang the cross country team’s championship banners in the school gym. The superintendent worried that the school’s other athletic teams would feel badly that they were not as successful as the cross country team.

“I said, ‘It might inspire other programs,’” White explains. “A new superintendent came in around 1996 and put all nine up.”

The team’s achievements and the film’s success have brought new prosperity to the town.

Disney donated $80,000 for the construction of a playground that 250 community volunteers built.

Every road coming into McFarland now sports a new city logo sign that states “Welcome to the City of McFarland,” and features a picture of a runner and the words “Tradition, Unity, Excellence,” a reflection of White and his team’s achievements.

In fact, the film has put McFarland on the map, literally. Travelers from around the country have come to the off-the-beaten-path town just north of Bakersfield. “A couple recently came in from Texas with their five kids on spring break because they had seen the movie. They visited our school, my parents’ house, spent three hours with my mom, came to a school soccer game, then met us all for pizza and met Mr. White,” Danny says.

After screenings, White often speaks to audiences about the philosophy he imparted to his athletes. “I probably talk more about attitude because how you feel about things is so important. You can’t control a lot of things, but you can control your attitude,” White explains.

To this day, every McFarland cross country team shirt is emblazoned with White’s motto: It’s all in the attitude. “Attitude really does define a champion, not just in sports, but also in life,” Danny says.

White’s coaching method was influenced by his own experiences as a high school baseball player. He remembers not being treated well by the coach. “I always wanted to take time to listen to students and give them a chance,” recalls White.

The Whites’ daughters also became teachers and, over the years, Cheryl was equally involved with the students, organizing fundraisers to help purchase shoes and books, and listening when they needed someone to talk to.

“Everything that’s happened has been far beyond what we could ever imagine. It’s a beautiful story,” Cheryl says. “When you have God in your life, you give him all of the glory. When you bless, you get blessed doubly.”

White hopes that moviegoers come away from the film understanding the importance of supporting one another, among other themes. “I know they’ll see the hard work these kids have to go through to survive. That’s not Hollywood,” White says. “It’s not just a running movie. It’s about inspiration, and trying to make a better life out of what you’re doing.”

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ALUMNI

Malibu Dreaming Pepperdine’s favorite summer program returns for an exciting third year!

ORANGE SESSION Wednesday, July 29– Sunday, August 2, 2015 Regardless of how you define family—grandparents, roommates from college or grad school, nieces and nephews, or your best friends— Pepperdine Family Camp is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with the ones you love.

BLUE SESSION Wednesday, August 5– Sunday, August 9, 2015

Surf lessons Paddleboarding Guided hikes Campfires

What to Expect

Beach parties Museum tours Kids camp and teen activities Fun in the Malibu sun and more!

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A week of memories to last a lifetime!

Contact us for more information or to register today!

310.506.6602 familycamp@pepperdine.edu pepperdine.edu/familycamp

Help One Wave: HIRE Pepperdine Personally impact the career outcomes of Pepperdine graduates by joining alumni, donors, parents, faculty, and staff in the HIRE Pepperdine Campaign! The goal: if everyone in the community “helps just one Wave” we can make a dramatic difference in the lives of our students and alumni. pepperdine.edu/hire

Pepperdine Career Network Give the next generation of Waves the professional advice and wisdom they need to succeed! Sign up to offer career conversations, resume reviews, or mock interviews in your area of professional expertise through the new Pepperdine Career Network.

Register today at pepperdine.evisors.com.

Events for Alumni, Parents, Students, and Friends Connect with the local Pepperdine group near you! Socialize with old friends, network with new business contacts, and serve your community by joining your regional Pepperdine chapter or affinity group. Visit pepperdine.edu/alumni/chapters for more information.

alumni@pepperdine.edu • pepperdine.edu/alumni

photos courtesy of Dana Fineman

Don’t see events in your area? If you would like to have Pepperdine come to your neighborhood, please e-mail us at alumni@pepperdine.edu.

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C OM M U NIT Y | SCHOLARSHIP

SEARCHING FOR

Pepperdine problem solvers are working hard to revolutionize plastic.

By Sophia Fischer

The next time you pick up a plastic water bottle, know that as you are drinking, research is going on at Pepperdine to develop a less toxic material to contain your water. An undergraduate chemistry team is conducting highlevel experiments in their quest to develop a more environmentally friendly plastic for everyday uses like product packaging, disposable cups, medical sutures, and your water bottle.

“This is a real-world problem and we are doing something to try and solve it, or at least pave the way for it to be solved,” says Angela Longo, a senior chemistry major.

With the mentorship of Pepperdine chemistry professor Joe Fritsch, the group’s research involves experimenting with various metals to develop molecules that generate a biodegradable material called polylactic acid (PLA), a polyester derived from renewable raw materials. Most plastic today is petroleum-based; PLA is primarily corn-based, and is versatile in that it can be made to degrade quickly or last for years.

The team of students, along with Fritsch, is conducting a number of tests involving mixing compounds, developing new molecules, testing theories, and collecting and analyzing data. It’s not easy work. It can take a long time to accomplish one goal, and the outcome sometimes yields unexpected, but constructive results. But for Longo and her fellow researchers, Alexandria McCollum, Logan Schmitz, and Reile Slattery, the rewards that come after the long exploratory process are worthwhile.

“You can theorize and plan your experiments to the moon and back, but there’s always a result that catches you off guard and it’s always a lot of fun to work out what’s really going on,” says Schmitz.

What makes this research challenging is the fragility of the molecules, which are killed by oxygen and water. Research must be conducted in a protective antechamber or glove box, a sealed clear container in which users access the interior by inserting their hands and arms into gloves attached to the chamber that allow access to the inside. Fritsch explains that it can be vexing to create something that lasts for only a short time.

“It’s a grinding discipline that you have to be willing to go back into every day,” Fritsch says. “We’re engaged in discovery research. The universe doesn’t give out its secrets without a fight.”

It took Fritsch and former student researcher Courtney Roberts (’11) three years to learn how to make polylactic acid. On the day they discovered they had finally succeeded, both cried happy tears.

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SUSTA IN A BIL I T Y “I will always remember that day as when I knew I would be a research scientist for the rest of my life,” recalls Roberts, now a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nearly 20 students have come through the lab in the past eight years that Fritsch has led this research. A large percentage of the students go on to graduate school, while nearly half pursue medical school. Several graduates have been integral to the team’s accomplishments and are spreading the knowledge they developed at Pepperdine.

Roberts was the first to make PLA at Pepperdine and was awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Nomaan Rezayee (’12) is in a chemistry graduate school at the University of Michigan. He demonstrated that the speed of making PLA can be adjusted faster or slower. Kim Gerling (’14), a U.S. Army officer and medical school student at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, demonstrated that second-generation catalysts with zinc were possible. They both completed honors theses related to their respective research topics.

The accomplishments continue with the current team. Last year, through Pepperdine’s inaugural Waves of Innovation program, Fritsch and his students won a nearly $70,000 grant to expand their research to include additional metals and polymers.

“This project is a perfect example of how our faculty and students can contribute to problem solving and to the scientific community,” says biology professor Lee Kats, Waves of Innovation chair and vice provost for research and strategic initiatives. “Joe views his students as cocreators of information and as colleagues, and together they are working on solving a problem that has real societal implications.”

All four current students have presented their findings before thousands of chemists and researchers at the annual American Chemical Society (ACS) national conference and shared information with scientists worldwide. Their accomplishments have been published in multiple scholarly journals nationally and internationally.

“We are making progress in the lab faster than I can write,” Fritsch enthuses.

In addition to discovering new compounds and molecules, Slattery, a senior chemistry major, says other benefits she has realized from working on the project include learning to think critically and propel new ideas forward. McCollum has gained technical and motor skills, a deeper understanding and appreciation for various aspects of chemistry, and developed close friendships.

“The most incredible thing that I have learned over the course of my research is how exciting it is to make a molecule that no one has made before,” says McCollum, a senior who is pursuing a double major in chemistry and English literature.

“It really helps one to appreciate the incredible number of discoveries that have not even been dreamed of yet.”

This is a realworld problem and we are doing something to try and solve it, or at least pave the way for it to be solved.

— Angela Longo senior chemistry major

Researchers Alexandria McCollum, left, and Logan Schmitz, top, conduct research in the protective glove box. Professor Joe Fritsch and student Kim Gerling review data.

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C OM M U NIT Y | SCHOLARSHIP

JUSTICE FOR ALL At the Department of Homeland Security, School of Law alumnus Ehsan Zaffar (JD ’07) champions civil rights close to home and beyond. By Gareen Darakjian n certain remote, rural regions of the Middle East, there lives a small population of individuals who identify as Sabian Mandaeans. Roughly 1,000 Mandaeans live in Iraq today and there remain, at most, 20,000 practicing members in the world. Only seven people in the world can speak the Mandaean liturgical language, an eastern dialect of Aramaic. In 2003, the strictly pacifist Mandaean population began facing persecution during the Iraq war and was unable, by philosophy, to defend against it. By the end of the war, an estimated 90 percent of Iraqi Mandaeans had either been killed or had fled.

“People’s houses were being burned, there was a lot of sexual assault, and kids were being shot, but due to their beliefs, many felt they could not fight back,” says Ehsan Zaffar, senior advisor at the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Washington, D.C. At DHS, Zaffar leads both domestic and international efforts to implement UNHRC Resolution 16/18 to combat intolerance and violence against persons on the basis of religion or belief.

His primary purpose is to advise the DHS on policy based on what he has learned through his personal outreach and travel to affected sites.

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“One of the reasons why I feel fulfilled and enjoy my work is because I am able to pierce a lot of those barriers and get to people who have no voice,” says Zaffar. “Sometimes they are forgotten and have no voice in government. I try to get them to a place so their voice can be heard.”

A graduate of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the School of Law, Zaffar often engages internationally with communities and foreign governments in order to facilitate the sharing of best practices to enable religious freedom and increased respect for human rights.

“Sometimes, communities fear engaging with the government, because they fear retaliation,” Zaffar explains. “I encourage them to propose their own ideas about laws and policy changes, so they may hold government officials accountable for facilitating progress.”

With the Mandaeans in Iraq, Zaffar martialed efforts to grant a group of them refugee status and was successful in helping to relocate them to different parts of the United States. “That felt awesome,” he says. “They were ecstatic that their kids were finally safe. For that one moment, it was worth all of the work I did in the year.”

The concept of civil and human rights has always fascinated Zaffar. The concept of rights as they relate to security is a more specific passion that has helped shape his career, especially domestically.

Though he often works internationally, his primary role is to engage communities, organizations, state and local governments, and other government agencies within the U.S. to discuss issues specific to their needs, from empowering groups to be resilient to violent extremism to assisting the orthodox Jewish community’s travel through the airport while wearing religious garb.

“One of the missions of the DHS is to build resilient communities, so that they can bounce back from natural disasters and counter things like terrorism with their own positive narratives.”

Zaffar’s passion first blossomed in his second year at the School of Law, when he partnered with Oxfam and Team Duke Katrina and traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi, to volunteer in a region that had been severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

I always want to be in positions where I can be empowered to deliver broad and deep change.

As a director and relief worker with the two organizations, he and a team assisted hurricane victims with short-term legal needs, advocating on behalf of individuals involved in suits related to the natural disaster. When he returned to Los Angeles, he was struck by the ways his work in the post-disaster environment could be applied closer to home.

“Many people in Los Angeles can’t afford a lawyer,” Zaffar explains, “and most of those people live far away from inexpensive or free legal services. I found L.A. to be, in many ways, a post-disaster/post-conflict environment, where people were not getting any legal care and did not have access to a lot of services.”

In response, Zaffar founded the Los Angeles Mobile Legal Aid Clinic, a self-sustaining service that provided preventive legal care to lowincome individuals. The clinic partnered with organizations around town, such as churches and medical clinics accessible to local communities.

The endeavor, which Zaffar departed from in 2010, was in line with his desires to promote civil rights and influence deep change.

“My work with the clinic was deep but narrow change,” he explains. “Important but limited, and affecting one person at a time.”

An article he wrote in the Pepperdine Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship, and the Law in 2009 demonstrating the need for a mobile legal clinic in urban centers gave him the opportunity to effect

wider change. It caught the attention of the Rule of Law Project at the American Bar Association and Zaffar was tasked with advising the Haiti Rule of Law Initiative on the implementation of legal clinics following the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010.

“Many of the judges and lawyers had died in the earthquake, courts had been destroyed, and records had been lost,” says Zaffar.

“Property lines were difficult to locate–people couldn’t tell where their house ended and their neighbors’ began. Crime was rampant and there wasn’t much legal infrastructure to prosecute criminals.”

Today, between his duties at the DHS, he serves as adjunct faculty at George Mason University and George Washington University, where he teaches courses on surveillance, privacy, and homeland security law and policy, and is a panel member and mediator at the Agency for Dispute Resolution. His forthcoming textbook, Understanding Homeland Security: Foundations of Security Policy, features interviews with renowned experts in the fields of homeland security and national security.

“I always want to be in positions where I can be empowered to deliver broad and deep change,” says Zaffar. “Whether that’s through entrepreneurship and taking risks, or whether I do that through my role in government.”

“I also want to do work based on who I am, not what I do,” he continues. “And to always be of service.”

Learn more about the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the School of Law, U.S. News & World Report’s number one dispute resolution program for an unprecedented 11 years in a row: law.pepperdine.edu/straus

magazine.pepperdine.edu

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C OM M U NIT Y | SPIRITUAL LIFE

Dominican Republic

Ileana Abreu (‘05) strives towards hope.

By Sophia Fischer

Ten years ago, then Seaver College senior Ileana Abreu headed to the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic as a Project Serve volunteer for what would be a life-changing spring break. She worked with The Good Samaritan (TGS), a grassroots nonprofit in the town of Esperanza, that provides educational and social services to impoverished children and adults.

“I felt very connected, culturally, to the Dominican Republic because my parents are from Cuba,” recalls Abreu, who is fluent in Spanish. “I fell in love with service learning and the idea of Christ-like service for personal and social development. I saw that it helped everybody.”

In the ensuing years, Abreu traveled, then worked as a project manager for the Hispanic Communications Network in Washington, D.C., overseeing multi-million dollar federal grants for new media technology to benefit vulnerable Latin American populations. She represented Pepperdine and testified before Congress at a Department of Health and Human Services subcommittee hearing on the need for increased funding for higher education. Abreu earned a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Stanford University, and completed a fellowship in conflict resolution and negotiation from Stanford Law School. Then, she received an unexpected phone call from the Dominican Republic.

Ileana Abreu with husband Henry Batista and their daughter, Isolina

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Spring 2015

Henry Batista was on the line. Abreu recalled meeting Batista when he had been a TGS project administrator. Batista had grown up at the center after being abandoned there by his parents at age 6. He was now president of TGS, which was struggling to recruit volunteers and raise funding. Abreu agreed to volunteer for a month.

“There was a part of me that was fearful and excited, but also peaceful because I would be working to serve others,” Abreu recalls.

In additional phone conversations with Batista about his community’s needs and his vision, the pair developed a relationship.

Abreu kept lengthening her time commitment from a month to six months, to a year, then to marriage.

Usually when you go on a mission trip, you’d like to think that you are going to change the world and serve the impoverished, but in my experience, I have come to learn that these trips have changed my world.

– Marissa Yoshizawa senior psychology major

“We had a very deep, spiritual connection, as if he had never been absent from my life,” Abreu recalls. “He represented the people who can make the most magic in the world because they were the orphans, the people on the other side of the fence. That was probably the most inspiring thing for me, what I admired most.”

The inital year was challenging as they sought support. Their first benefactors were the parents of Abreu’s friend, Pepperdine alumna Lauren Avezzie (‘05), who passed away in a 2006 flash flood while traveling with friends in Central America. Her parents created the Lauren E. Avezzie Foundation and did not hesitate to support Abreu in her mission in the Dominican Republic. “Lauren had an amazing love for humanity that was unbridled and a faith so powerful. I continue to be inspired by the talks we had,” Abreu says.

Abreu, who has traveled through 28 countries, realized that similar grassroots groups worldwide needed support like TGS. In 2012 she founded Esperanza Means Hope, an independent, United States-based nonprofit that creates international service-learning programs and funds salaries for resident staff.

“Esperanza Means Hope is a Pepperdineinspired social enterprise that empowers local communities to transform themselves and the students that they host,” Abreu explains. “Many of these groups are historically important and central to the well-being of the community, but are fragile because of limited resources.”

The organization has supported programs in Ghana, Cuba, Central America, and Thailand and works with Project Serve groups from Pepperdine, which sent 12 students abroad during spring break this year. Other Christian

A Project Serve volunteer read to students at The Good Samaritan in the

Dominican Republic. universities, including Abilene Christian University and Baylor University, stay connected Marissa Yoshizawa, a senior psychology major, to Abreu, and have also sent led this year’s Project Serve team to TGS where students to serve abroad through Esperanza they coached local children in the English Means Hope.” language—teaching songs, colors, animals, “Ileana is an ideal partner with her knowledge of the alphabet, and foods—and led after-school students and how to engage and connect them activities like baseball, kite flying, and games. to the work and needs of the community,” says “Usually when you go on a mission trip, you’d Peter Thompson, Pepperdine Volunteer Center like to think that you are going to change the director. “She talks to students about the impact world and serve the impoverished, but in my of what this one week can do in their lives.” experience, I have come to learn that these trips Kendra Fellows (’13) and Gustavo Tiffer (’13) have changed my world,” Yoshizawa says. were the leaders of the Project Serve group that volunteered at TGS during their senior year. The couple splits their time between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, as Abreu is working They helped to create an on-site library, and toward a doctoral degree in education and taught English to residents. Fellows recalls the organizational leadership at Pepperdine, and close relationship the group quickly developed with Abreu, Batista, and the community, sharing is currently in the dissertation stage. She and Batista are raising their children and continuing to experiences during daily meals together. develop and strengthen Esperanza Means Hope “There is a great sense of family and community and organizations that can benefit TGS and others in Esperanza because people rely on each other like it. to survive,” Tiffer says. “Ileana and Henry do a wonderful job hosting and making sure students “We feel like we’re living our dream,” says Abreu, learn and understand how to use their talents to “that this is the mark we want to leave on the help others.” world, whatever it takes.”

See Esperanza residents and Pepperdine volunteers in action as filmed by alumnus David Chang (’13): magazine.pepperdine.edu/esperanza

The WAVES OF SERVICE movement celebrates, supports, and connects Pepperdine alumni committed to volunteerism and careers of service worldwide. Learn more about how you can get involved: pepperdine.edu/wavesofservice

magazine.pepperdine.edu

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C OM M U NIT Y | SPIRITUAL LIFE

The Spirit of Community

A new program at Pepperdine aims to develop the leadership skills and enrich the souls of early-career pastors. By Gareen Darakjian hen 16 Los Angelesbased pastors in their first five-to-10 years of practice gathered on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus this January, they came together to begin exploring different ways to better engage their faith communities.

Some were searching for practical tools to impact their communities in great ways. Others were looking to better understand ministry in the 21st century in order to break from certain outdated models. And some were simply interested in networking with local pastors to build a community of peers.

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Nurturing these diverse goals was precisely what the Lilly Endowment had in mind when they approached Pepperdine in 2013 with a new initiative focusing on the needs of early-career pastors and the unique challenges that they face, such as navigating the transition into a new stage of leadership. The program, named the COMMUNITAS Pastoral Leadership Program

by Pepperdine, was designed to enhance their leadership skills; deepen their engagement with significant issues facing their communities; build networks with local civic, business, and political leaders; and develop a strong community of support with each other.

“The Lilly Endowment’s invitation inspired our thinking about an underserved community of church leaders,” says Rick Gibson, vice president of public affairs and church relations at Pepperdine and a COMMUNITAS advisor.

Spring 2015

“As a Christian university, Pepperdine has a vital role to play in the overall well-being and health of the local church,” Gibson continues.

“We have many resources to offer that can strengthen and encourage the church and its mission.”

Pepperdine, as well as a small group of universities, colleges, seminaries, and affiliated organizations around the country, accepted the Lilly Endowment’s invitation to participate in this initiative, and each institution was encouraged to define their own program differently.

John Barton, associate director of Pepperdine’s Center for Faith and Learning, and Stephanie Cupp, program coordinator, were inspired by the University’s proximity to the Greater Los Angeles area and determined the program’s focus to be on serving, resourcing, networking, and lifting the imaginations of local ministers.

Another priority was to identify some of the

As a Christian university, Pepperdine has a vital role to play in the overall wellbeing and health of the local church.

— Rick Gibson key social issues that are especially relevant to local ministries and determine how they can benefit from the areas of expertise that are available at Pepperdine.

“Pepperdine aims to be a resource to Christian leaders around the country and the world, but especially starting at home,” explains Barton.

“COMMUNITAS helps us more intentionally play a role of leadership in Christian communities, outreaches, and efforts in the Greater Los Angeles area.”

Each session is designed to utilize Pepperdine faculty and staff who have particular expertise related to the topic under discussion and/or a relationship with the selected business and community leaders from Southern California to engage in direct conversation with the cohort of young leaders.

The first session held earlier this year was led by Gary Mangiofico, associate dean of executive programs and executive professor of leadership and management at the Graziadio School of Business and Management. Cohort One explored servant leadership principles, the role of emotional intelligence in leading others, identifying and leading change in one’s congregation, and strategies for affirmative leadership. Mangiofico applied his years of executive and academic experience to assist the participants in further developing the skills to better lead and manage their churches.

“Many of them know their faith and faith practices, and divinity school trains them to minister, but when you take on the responsibility of managing and leading a parish or church, that requires a set of professional skills that are not taught,” he explains.

“The opportunity to develop executive and leadership skills to effectively influence and

engage people, and then developing their abilities to lead change as the environment changes, is critical.”

Over the next few years, and throughout the next phases of the program, COMMUNITAS will tackle more culturally relevant issues, including domestic violence, education, sustainability, mental health, prison reform, and poverty, and plans to partner with nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles to broaden the participants’ imaginations. Cohort One will attend eight sessions over the course of the 21-month program, including an opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., where the group will have the opportunity to meet in between sessions.

“We live in an increasingly post-Christian world, and there are many challenges to the callings of Christian ministers and pastors,” explains Barton. “It is a critical time to make sure that they have broader visions of what Christian ministry can look like in their current cultural environments. COMMUNITAS provides them eye-opening experiences and exposure to certain issues to help them understand and imagine what their Christian witness and leadership can mean in their local context.”

The diversity of Cohort One surprised even the program coordinators and contributed to a variety of perspectives represented in the group. Some participants have been involved in ministries of different kinds for decades, but have only been in more formal pastoral roles in their denominations or congregations for a few years. Others have been out of seminary for four or five years and are just getting their start in ministry.

Cupp adds that the group was committed to exploring the resulting dynamic in ways that would further bring them together in their shared mission.

“One of the things we prayed about in our opening session was to enter into our differences with love and respect, to try and understand each other, and to try and benefit from each other’s different perspectives to see where that takes us,” she says.

Cohort One participant Naima Lett, copastor of Hope in the Hills in Beverly Hills, California, who is also an actress and author and cofounder of Lett’s Rise!

Productions, explains how the diversity of the group added to her overall experience at the first session.

“When we’re able to dialogue and hear different perspectives and share contrasting views based on our various backgrounds, we are all enriched,” she says. “As we learn more about our communities and can collaborate together, we should be able to work wonderfully together to love, serve, and advance God’s kingdom in our city.”

For Bryan Schackmann, preaching minister at Glendale Church of Christ in Glendale, California, COMMUNITAS has helped broaden his perspective of how his ministry can influence his community.

“In any job you can start to have tunnel vision and lose your imagination for the impact your work can have,” he says. “This is especially important to regain in ministry, because you need to enter into any situation with an imagination of what God can do.

COMMUNITAS has helped me already expand my vision for what God can do through me and my congregation.”

While most Christians think of their faith relative to the birth-life-death-resurrection of Christ, Mangiofico explains that Jesus started his ministry by forming a community—a mission that COMMUNITAS strives to live out.

“Christ called on individuals to become disciples,” he says. “There’s a meta-lesson in that great leadership recognizes the need for a community to carry out ministry.

COMMUNITAS is truly doing that.”

Learn more about COMMUNITAS from the program hosts and advisors: magazine.pepperdine.edu/communitas

magazine.pepperdine.edu

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C OM M U NIT Y | ATHLETICS

Lauren Gibbs (MBA ’14) puts a lucrative career on hold to pursue a new dream

By Sophia Fischer

photos: charlie Booker

Over the past year, Lauren Gibbs has learned how to best push a 400-pound bobsled for just a few seconds, then jump inside for an icy, one-minute thrill ride along a plunging, twisty, one-mile track at gripping speeds of up to 80 mph.

Lauren Gibbs pushes the bobsled during a recent competition in Austria.

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“You’re hurling yourself down a mountain at 80 miles per hour in a tin can and the back of the sled is not the smoothest ride. It’s cold, slippery, and you hear rattling,” Gibbs says. “There’s no other sensation like it. I describe it as really bad turbulence, like a turbulent rollercoaster.”

Gibbs is one of eight members of the United States National Women’s Bobsled Team and she brings the same drive and determination to the sport that she applied to earn her MBA last year. As the push athlete and brakeman, Gibbs helps power the sled at the start of the race using enormous strength. Her immediate goal is to be good enough to remain on the team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Gibbs must qualify annually. “I’m 30, so if there’s ever a time to make it to the Olympics, this is my chance,” she says. “If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to prioritize that goal.

Anything that’s worthwhile takes hard work.”

Team USA assistant bobsled coach Mike Kohn, a 2002 Olympic medalist, defines Gibbs as “a raw athlete with a lot of ability and has a great attitude.” Ashley Walden, the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation’s operations manager, says Gibbs is a “huge asset to the team.”

“When I met Lauren in Lake Placid for the preliminary push championships, she was completely new to the sport and faced a steep learning curve,” Walden explains. “This didn’t discourage her. In fact, it did the opposite—it challenged and motivated her. She brings enthusiasm and determination to the women’s bobsled team that is contagious. She is a true team player.”

The national team spent the winter months competing in the World Cup and Intercontinental Cup tours in the United States, Canada, Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Russia. Gibbs and her racing partner, Olympic Bronze Medalist Jamie Greubel Poser, earned two Bronze Medals in the season opening and closing World Cup races.

A Los Angeles native, Gibbs played soccer as a child, and volleyball in high school. In college, the 5’10” Gibbs served as volleyball captain and hitter for Brown University in

Rhode Island, where she was awarded with Academic All-Ivy League honors. After graduating in 2006 with a degree in public and private sector organizations, business, and entrepreneurship, Gibbs maintained her athleticism by becoming active in CrossFit. Bobsled was never even remotely on her radar. left to right: Cherelle Garrett, Lauren Gibbs, and Lauryn Williams

Gibbs was working out in a gym when a friend noticed her tremendous lifting strength and suggested she consider the sport of bobsled. “I didn’t take her seriously, because I’d never even seen a bobsled race,” Gibbs remarks.

Developments rapidly picked up speed. Gibbs attended a bobsled recruitment event in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in August, and did so well she was invited to a weeklong push camp at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York, in September where she finished the fastest of 10 women. In October she competed in the national push championships in Lake Placid against returning members of the national team, earning second place. In November she competed in the U.S. selection races in Park City, Utah, where she won a race with Elana Meyers Taylor, the 2014 Olympic Silver Medalist. That success secured Gibbs a spot on the eight-member USA Women’s National Bobsled Team.

“When I first started, I was anxious I wasn’t going to like it, or that I was going to be scared.

I’m not a huge fan of rollercoasters and going fast,” Gibbs says. “But I love how hard everybody works, the camaraderie, and jumping in the back of a bobsled and seeing what happens.”

Gibbs credits Pepperdine with encouraging her to be confident. Gibbs says she took a chance on the University after being accepted into a number of well-known schools for her master’s work. “Those programs were bigger than what I was looking for. I needed something that would fit me better and I liked that Pepperdine’s programs focused on presentations and papers.

You can’t fake your way through that,” Gibbs explains. “If it hadn’t been for Pepperdine, I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to take the risk and try bobsled.”

Regina Korossy (MBA ‘06), Pepperdine’s regional director of

I love how hard everybody works, the camaraderie, and jumping in the back of a bobsled and seeing what happens.

Lauren Gibbs executive programs at the Graziadio School of Business and Management, recruited Gibbs for the master’s program and served as the athlete’s class advisor. “Lauren excelled in her time at Brown, in her career, and was at the top of her MBA class,” Korossy explains. “Lauren is a team player in all aspects of her life, so it was no surprise that she was trying out for the bobsled team—if anyone could transition seamlessly into a completely different sport, Lauren would.”

After her bobsled gig ends, Gibbs plans to apply the lessons learned from the sport to her business career, which includes seven years of experience as a regional manager at several large companies and at a start-up firm. She is considering returning to management, or pursuing consumer satisfaction, life coaching, or public speaking.

“I’d like to work for a company where I can make a true impact in the operation, including consumer satisfaction,” Gibbs says. “I like to challenge myself to do things that most others haven’t so that maybe people will want to listen to what I have to say.”

Watch Gibbs in action: magazine.pepperdine.edu/lauren-gibbs

magazine.pepperdine.edu

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C OM M U NIT Y | ATHLETICS

Pepperdine baseball coach Steve Rodriguez (’01, MA ’03) has come full circle after making history on the field as a student-athlete.

By Gareen Darakjian

The year was 1992. The Waves had already overcome Wichita State and Texas at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, at the NCAA Baseball Championship tournament. In the second game against Texas, the Longhorns took a 4–1 lead in the top of the seventh, but junior Steve Rodriguez came in with a dramatic grand slam in the bottom half of the inning to propel the Waves to a 5–4 win and make Pepperdine history.

Soon after that legendary game, Rodriguez was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the draft and spent the next seven years playing pro ball, both in the minor leagues, as well as on the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers.

But the life of an athlete was no match for the one he had imagined as a father. In the days following his daughter’s first birthday, Rodriguez decided to hang up his bat and head back home to Corona, California, to tend to his growing family.

“It was a very scary moment, because you go to college for a while, and then you go play pro ball for seven years, and now you find yourself removed from a normal work environment and a normal everyday life,” Rodriguez recalls. “I put everything I could on that baseball field, but when I walked away, I had no regrets.”

The opportunity to return to a familiar place presented itself in 1999 when the assistant coaching job opened up on the Pepperdine baseball team.

Rodriguez commuted to the Malibu campus from home for 6 am workouts every day, which would take him between three to five hours each way. He was promoted to head coach in 2002 and continued the legacy that started when he was a student himself, but not without the lessons he learned in the big leagues.

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“No matter how well you do, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get everything you’re looking for,” he says. “You can have a great season, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be called to bat.

It’s very difficult to really understand the whole process and politics of the professional athletics world, because sometimes it’s really not in your hands.”

At Pepperdine Rodriguez applies those lessons to helping his players set realistic goals, manage their expectations, and play to their capabilities.

“I just want [the players] to be able to respect the game and to get the best out of what they’re capable of, because the next level is not easier,” he says. “It becomes cutthroat. It becomes a business. It doesn’t really matter who you’re playing for. It depends on what they think of you and what they want to do with you, and if they don’t like you, then they can release you at any time. It becomes a numbers game for a lot of teams.”

The same year he bacame head coach, Rodriguez became interested in Pepperdine’s Online Master of Arts in Educational Technology (renamed the Master of Arts in Learning Technology), when he recognized the impact technology could have on his coaching and on the success of his players.

“I recognized that technology was improving and I knew that at some point, it was going to be a big part of what we were doing on the baseball field as well.”

The program also focused on coaching and learning styles, and Rodriguez quickly discovered the tools necessary to take his team to the next level.

“I realized that a lot of people can’t change how they learn,” he says. “Once you identify a specific learning style in a person, it’s just a matter of being able to coach to their needs.”

“We’re going to win some games, we’re going to lose some games, we’re going to have some injuries,” he says. “That’s just the way baseball is. But if we coach them the right way, they’re going to play the way they’re supposed to and we’re going to be fine.”

“I want to get the best out of them,” Rodriguez continues, “but at the same time, they have to really want to be on the baseball field. I’ve given them a lot of grace and a lot of opportunities to try to find who they are, and to use baseball as a tool to be able to do that.”

During his 12 seasons at the helm of Pepperdine’s baseball program, Rodriguez has led the Waves to three consecutive WCC titles, and his teams have made NCAA Championship appearances in seven of 11 seasons. With 640 games coached in a Pepperdine uniform, Rodriguez has led more games than any other Waves coach and he started the current season in second place on the program’s all-time wins list.*

1991, 1992 - Two-time All-American

The team reached new heights last year, winning the program’s fifth WCC title under Rodriguez, taking the WCC Tournament title to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and then advancing past the regional round for the first time since 1992.

2007 - Honored by the City of Malibu with the Jake Kuredjian Memorial Citizenship Award for his service to the community

While the team dynamic is constantly changing, Rodriguez stresses the importance of making mistakes and growing and learning from them.

FOLLOW THE WAVES BASEBALL SEASON ON

PEPPERDINESPORTS.COM

1992 - Named WCC Player of the Year 2001 - Named one of the West Coast Conference’s Top 50 Athletes of All Time

2014 - Named WCC Coach of the Year

* Due to NCAA sanctions against the University, Pepperdine later vacated all wins and NCAA Championship appearances in baseball between the 2008 and 2011 seasons. Pepperdine’s adjusted overall NCAA records for each season are 0-19 (2008), 0-23 (2009), 0-30 (2010) and 0-34 (2011). Steve Rodriguez’s official NCAA coaching record is now 184-227 (.448). magazine.pepperdine.edu

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C OM M U NIT Y | THE ARTS

AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE

Pepperdine Magazine talks art with Weisman Museum director Michael Zakian.

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By Gareen Darakjian

The most colorful presence at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art is not the ferocious, life-size Gwynn Murrill cougar sculpture that guards the entrance to the building, or the graphic, large-scale self-portraits of artist Chuck Close that scream from the gallery walls. It happens to be that of the museum’s director, Michael Zakian, himself.

A

Zakian-guided tour takes you on a journey through the life and mind of each artist on display, as he leads you from room to room, sharing his seemingly endless knowledge about modern and contemporary art.

Pepperdine Magazine sat down with Zakian, who celebrates 20 years at the University, to talk about the origins of his career, how he helped revitalize the reputation of a once-forgotten artist, and what he hopes visitors experience on a trip to the museum.

Take us through your art background. Where did it all begin?

I was a kid who could draw, but I grew up in a very blue collar neighborhood in New York. My parents encouraged art as a hobby, but none of us knew that you could have a job in the field as a professional. It wasn’t until I started college at Columbia that I realized there was a discipline called art history and with an art history degree, you could work in a museum or teach at a university or work at an auction house. It opened up a whole new avenue for me.

Was there a defining moment in the early days of your art career?

I think it was being surrounded by all the museums in New York as a child. In college we were able to take seminars that met at the museums and galleries. We would go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and look at works hanging in the gallery, as well as works in the

storage vaults, and discuss the differences in quality between them. It was that hands-on experience, being surrounded by great works of art, and seeing how professionals worked that made me aware very early on that being a curator was something real and something that I could aspire towards.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned early on?

Learing how to look. We use our eyes all the time, but often we really don’t see what is in front of us. In college a teacher made us stand and look at one painting for an hour. It is amazing what you can teach yourself to see.

My first job after graduate school was at the Palm Springs Art Museum. I learned a wide variety of museum skills including exhibition design, which they don’t teach you at most academic programs. I learned exhibition lighting and how to pack expensive works of art so they can travel with no damage.

There were a lot of very practical things that I learned, whereas, if I were at a larger institution where they had a bigger staff, they would have different departments for each.

What does it take to put together an exhibition?

Here at Pepperdine, my primary goal is education. I’m not just showing beautiful things to be admired for their own inherent beauty. I always emphasize that this art was made to convey certain ideas or make

a particular point. So one thing I do is be sure that the objects I gather tell that story.

Of course, I want to make sure that the exhibition looks good visually. There has to be a proper flow through the exhibition that leads the viewer from room to room. There has to be elements of surprise. When you peek through the door, I want you to suddenly see something that catches your eye that makes you want to go to the next room.

What is the greatest challenge of putting together an exhibition?

Because we are small, I don’t have the resources to do a multi-lender exhibition. The art in our exhibitions does not come from a variety of sources. My greatest challenge is that I have to look for single-collection exhibitions, either museums or individuals who have a large holding of art who might be interested in sharing it with us.

Another challenge I face is that, in Malibu, we’re slightly off the beaten track. By and large, most of the off-campus visitors are people who make a point of coming to see the exhibition. We function as a destination, and people will have to want to see the art to bother to come up here. The result is that if I do a fascinating exhibition of an incredible artist that no one has heard of, no one comes.

In order to maintain attendance I have to feature artists who have a certain amount of name recognition.

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C OM M U NIT Y | THE ARTS

Chuck Close and Personal Portrait artist Chuck Close’s largerthan-life prints were on display at the Weisman Museum this spring.

Right: Two Chuck Close self-portraits keep an eye on Michael Zakian Considered one of the most important artists working in America today, Chuck Close earned his reputation by experimenting with various techniques and mediums to produce massive-scale, hyperrealistic portraits of his subjects.

From January to April, over 70 of Close’s iconic prints were displayed at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art as part of the “Chuck Close: Face Forward” exhibition.

The collection offered a rich survey of his printmaking and range of traditional techniques, such as etchings, engravings, woodcuts, and lithographs, to more unusual materials, like tapestry and handmade paper pulp.

Many of his iconic self-portraits, as well as portraits of friends, such as contemporary composer Phillip Glass, family members, and fellow artists Alex Katz, John Chamberlain, and Lucas Samaras, are arranged in gridlike, geometric patterns, with each cell containing its own work of art.

Close, a big proponent of art education, grew up severely dyslexic and captured the attention of his teachers by expressing himself through his art. Weisman Museum director Michael Zakian says that Close used his art to convey what the world looks like through his eyes. “He said that art was the only thing that made him feel good about himself.

Art saved his life.”

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One thing that the arts do, and what I strive to do with my exhibitions, is to select art that tells us something about the world.

—Michael Zakian What is the impact of a museum on a university campus? What do you think the museum’s role is at Pepperdine?

It’s considerable. One thing that the arts do, and what I strive to do with my exhibitions, is exhibit art that tells us something about the world. A lot of people think art is just about art. Good art is really about something more.

Significant artists are significant, because they are dealing with important ideas and concepts.

The Chuck Close exhibit [see sidebar] was particularly inspiring here at the University.

Born severely dyslexic, Close used art to overcome his learning disabilities. We received enthusiastic responses to this exhibition from psychology and teacher education classes.

That was inspiring to see.

What has been your favorite exhibit at the Weisman thus far?

I think the most important exhibition was one that I did when I first came to Pepperdine. Her name was Agnes Pelton and she is considered California’s Georgia O’Keeffe. Her art was similar to O’Keeffe’s, but had a powerful Christian message. Before I organized her first retrospective, she had been completely forgotten by the art world. My exhibition revived her reputation. The curator from the

Whitney Museum of American Art came here to see the exhibit and eventually purchased a work for their museum. Now her art is in major collections across the country.

What goes through your mind when you look at a piece of art?

I’m a very big believer in something that Fred Weisman always used to say. He used to say that when people look at a work of art, particularly if it’s modern or contemporary art, they would often react negatively, and say, “I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Fred would take that same phrase and turn it around and respond enthusiastically, “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like that before!” The best way to look at works of art is to see each work as part of an individual artist’s worldview. What we really admire about Van Gogh’s paintings, besides the brush strokes or the color, is that there was something fascinating about the way he understood the world. He made those paintings to share his understanding with us.

I think that’s true of every artist and work of art. Each work of art is the gift of an individual and those works of art that society sees to be of great significance over time are those works that do make a very significant statement about the world we live in.

20 Questions for 20 Years: Hear Michael Zakian answer our rapid-fire questions magazine.pepperdine.edu/michael-zakian

Spring 2015

DANCE IN FLIGHT

BEHIND THE SCENES Backstage at Dance in Flight and Songfest, it is a flurry of action and a whirl of costumes, makeup, and props as multiple performers prepare for their turn in the spotlight. Students spend months rehearsing for two of Pepperdine’s annual arts traditions, sharing their talent and creativity, and finding fellowship throughout it all.

SONGFEST

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IN FOCUS

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5 A CLASS ACT

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FEARLESS FLIER

When I was little, I played “bank” instead of having tea parties with stuffed animals!

It reminds you how to live your life in the moment.

You can’t be worrying about your day. You have to just focus on what you’re doing or you will fall and break your neck.

Luisa Blanco

Judy Ho

Associate Professor of Economics

Assistant Professor of Psychology

MONEY MAVEN

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Spring 2015

PLANET PROTECTOR I’m now qualified as a docent, lead trail boss, and lead land steward.

John G. Mooney Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Information Systems and Technology Management 3

STRING KING When you hook a big fish, it’s like being attached to a freight train.

Christopher Parkening Distinguished Professor of Music, Chair of the Guitar Department 4

Theatre is such a creative release.

You become part of a community of diverse people that work together to achieve a goal —with a deadline that cannot be extended.

S ­ helley Ross Saxer Vice Dean and Laure Sudreau-Rippe Endowed Professor of Law 5

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