Boundless HorizonsOPPORTUNITIES for the FUTURE of

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

“The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.”

Maya Angelou

INTRODUCTION

It is in the nature of humans to

seek new vistas, new horizons, and take

on new challenges as each generation

strives to improve upon its inherited

legacies. The same is true at this univer-

sity which is always changing, always

advancing, and where the planning

for “what could be” never really stops.

There are moments, however, when a

convergence of issues calls for reflection

and a fresh examination of direction and

purpose.

At the beginning of this new decade,

Pepperdine approaches its 75th year,

and we will celebrate that milestone

with many reflective activities, each

marking the strengths of the institution.

This season of review finds several of

our schools and programs completing

or undergoing reaccreditation of one

kind or another; in fact, University-wide

reaccreditation will be underway over

the next two years. We are also in the

“quiet phase” of a large fund-raising

campaign which certainly will make

its own statement about our hopes and

dreams, and a number of global initia-

tives are enhancing the University’s

outreach and reputation. We are a uni-

versity confidently contemplating the

future; indeed, we “lean forward.” We

are brimming with opportunities and

among our greatest challenges will be

choosing among the “steps of change”

with wisdom and insight.

The choices we make must be

decided according to how closely they

match our intent and our plans for

the future. Specifically, Pepperdine,

this community of faculty and staff,

accepts the premise that we are here to

positively change the life of each stu-

dent in ways that are deep, wide, and

everlasting.

The last decade witnessed many

changes and much growth. A separate

report, available contemporaneously

with this document, will outline the

many blessings we have experienced.

Our governing board, faculty, staff, and

administration own this record as a

consequence of their hard work, while

understanding, humbly, that we owe

our success to God’s providence and

the unique founding characteristics of

Pepperdine University.

A new season is upon us, and it is

time to think, once again, about “reach-

ing deep and reaching far.”1 Not unlike

the early years of this past decade, the

American economy is once again a

source of concern; yet, within days of the

rapid declines on Wall Street in 2008,

the University grasped the challenge,

marshaled the support of the campus

community, both here and abroad, and

made the decisions necessary not only

to survive, but to thrive in these times

of uncertainty. We did so by placing stu-

dents first, and we were rewarded with

their presence, their confidence, and

their infectious enthusiasm within all

five of our schools. It would be a mistake to fail to express gratitude to a patient faculty and an understanding staff as we prepared for things we could not then see. In many respects, however, plan-ning for the future is still burdened with a lack of national economic progress.

Now, nearing the end of 2010, financial markets remain uncertain. This reality is sobering and must be taken into account; still, we press for-ward with a sense of confidence. We can even see some of the mountain peaks we will scale through the haze of this global economic circumstance.

The purpose of this statement about the future is to offer markers for our upward pathway, and to inspire those who will make our journey—and our success—possible.

PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY

Perilous times tempt many to call

for maintenance, even, status quo, but

that is not our practice, and it is not

consistent with any sense of destiny or

calling. Across America a conversation

continues about college accessibility

and cost, sustainability, competition

with “for profit” entities, assessment and

changing accreditation expectations,

uncertainty in the number of students

applying to college, and on and on.

Awareness of these issues is important,

and we will be thorough as we respond

and as we prepare and position the

University. It would be naïve to ignore

the signposts or to assume that this next

decade will be without challenge.

There are, indeed, a number of

complexities we must address with

determination and confidence, but at

the end of it all is our commitment

to students and those who teach and

mentor them. Oliver Wendell Holmes

is reported to have said, “I would not

give a fig for the simplicity this side of

complexity, but I would give my life

for the simplicity on the other side of

complexity.”2 An important job, then,

for those who will chart the pathway

for the next several years will be to

address the complexity carefully, but to

hold to “simplicity on the other side of

complexity” where we find the student,

full of hopes, dreams, and promise.

Our past is both foundation and

prologue, and we continue our jour-

ney with resolve. A document entitled

Envisioning a Bold Future, shared with

the campus community in 2001, has

proven helpful in our planning and

progress. Its five themes are easily sum-

marized: Resources; Diversity; Heritage;

Community; and, Scholarship. Now,

10 years later, most would say that

those simple themes have proven to be

useful rallying points and guideposts.

We do not now abandon them, but we

do understand our responsibility at a

deeper level, and we should respond

accordingly.

Comparing these five themes to

this unique time and its opportunities,

and expanding them for even greater

impact and inspiration is our chal-

lenge. When mapped to current higher

education themes, and combined with

immutable elements of our University

mission, these themes become:

Advancing Learning, Knowledge and

Scholarship; Developing Resources;

Building Community; Respecting

Diversity and Promoting Global

Understanding; and, Honoring God

and Heritage. A brief commentary on

each of the five is appropriate.

ADVANCING LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE, AND SCHOLARSHIP

With gratitude to our heritage of

leadership, beginning in 1937, and

extending to faculty who today contrib-

ute greatly to the academy through their

extraordinary teaching and scholarship,

and students and alumni who truly live

lives of “purpose, service, and leader-

ship,” Pepperdine claims a presence

on the national and international dais.

To continue to do so requires that we

keep our promises; that our market

positioning be accurate and honest; that

we assess and monitor success indica-

tors; and, that we expect performance

at the highest levels throughout the

institution.

By addressing life’s deepest ques-

tions presented through the study of

arts, business, education, law, literature,

public policy, the sciences, and scripture,

Pepperdine will be known as a leader in

the education of students with the imagi-

nation, intelligence, capacity, character,

and will to address the world’s greatest

challenges.

Our aim then is to ensure that

students receive a transformative educa-

tion. While the primacy of teaching at

Pepperdine is widely understood, schol-

arship in support of excellence must be

encouraged, underwritten, and endowed.

Failure to support strong, nationally

recognized scholarship is simply unac-

ceptable, and it will limit our future. But

we believe research at Pepperdine will not

be carried out at the expense of student

learning. On the contrary, our faculty will

engage students in original research and

the discovery of new knowledge, thus

enhancing the experience of both faculty

and students. Research and discovery

will be the watchwords for students and

faculty alike.

Our efforts must also include a clar-

ion call for lifelong learning and service

that is unmistakably present among our

alumni. In many cases the “call” will be

heard first in our classrooms and in our

cocurricular activities.

One has only to observe the debate

in Congress or read the headlines of our

newspapers to understand that a national

crisis exists in the matter of accessibility

for students. More specifically, our prog-

ress in attracting minority students and

others for whom a Pepperdine educa-

tion seems out of reach must continue

unabated. Commensurate effort in the

hiring and support of faculty to men-

tor and serve those students is critically

important.

Another critical element of the

academic infrastructure should be

noted here: but for the dedicated

work of those who enable the cocur-

ricular activities which flourish on our

campuses, the beauty of our physical

plant maintained by selfless, caring,

and hard-working men and women,

and those who serve as financial,

technological, marketing, fundraising,

and support personnel throughout the

organization, nothing would happen.

A powerful engine would stall and sit

silent. The staff and administration of

this university each contribute to the

University’s ascent in their own way,

and they lead this place of higher learn-

ing confidently into the future.

DEVELOPING RESOURCES

The notion of “competition” in

higher education is unseemly unless

the measurement is objectively valu-

able and useful to improving the

student experience. Pepperdine’s third

president, M. Norvel Young, often

commented, “There is no competition

among lighthouses.” The challenge,

nevertheless, must be presented to

deans and their respective faculty

colleagues, in close concert with the

provost, to decide what excellence

will look like at Pepperdine, in each

program, and then we must work, with

alacrity, to that end.

In all manifestations, excellence at

Pepperdine must have as its aim the

singular commitment that commends

us to change lives. Those who know

the University and its schools best

must decide and lead toward appropri-

ate aspirations, but the aim should be

high and the outcome must be measur-

able. Accreditation standards should be

mere minimums. Using agreed upon,

objective benchmarks, Pepperdine as a

university, and each of its five schools,

should articulate plans for how they

will reach the top tier of America’s lead-

ing institutions of higher learning in

the next decade. Let the conversation

begin and may the University scale the

highest of peaks of learning, service,

and scholarship.

In all of this, funding will be cru-

cial. The Campaign for Pepperdine will

be successful. Its approach will provide

funds for endowment, capital projects,

faculty scholarship, and teaching, and

it will respond to ever-growing and

crucial support for student scholar-

ships. Without a doubt, the next

decade will depend upon the selfless

giving of those who believe in all that is

Pepperdine and, of course, classrooms

full of talented and engaged students.

In the recent economic downturn,

the University has weathered the brisk

and unpredictable winds with calm

confidence. This is true, for the most

part, because we are student-centered

and the reward for that commitment

includes strong enrollments. We not

only want to continue to recruit the best

and the brightest, but we want them to

be able to graduate on time and with

pride in their program of study.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

As much as any other theme artic-

ulated in the 2001 Envisioning a Bold

Future document, the word “commu-

nity” has found its way into the lexicon

of daily interaction. It is a word that is

both descriptive and aspirational. The

addition of the Mullin Town Square

project on the Malibu campus, and

new space for social engagement in our

Los Angeles graduate campuses and

in our facilities abroad, are physical

examples of our focus on the devel-

opment of social capital; but more

importantly the attention to discourse

on important issues, the greater use

of faculty and staff in the deliberative

process and the expansion of commit-

tees and advisory groups are part of

inviting broad ownership of the future

of this university.

The University hopes to inspire

our students to active civic and

global engagement, and leadership

in the marketplace of ideas. The rise

of altruism and outreach to others as

an avenue of academic inquiry, the

attention given to globalism and cross-

cultural outreach, and other examples

serve as hallmarks for others to follow.

The next, and final, two areas on

which we place attention and focus

are of particular importance, yet they

could become lost in the quest for tan-

gible proof of the mountains we hope

to ascend. To stay with that metaphor,

of all the things we might leave behind

to lighten our load, these must stay

with us on the climb. The first, relating

to diversity and the global community

of which we are a part, is much more

than just a popular trend: it is critical to

the very nature and service of this uni-

versity. The final point, which speaks

to honoring God and our Heritage of

Faith, is determinative, finally, as to

whether or not we have been successful

in our journey together.

RESPECTING DIVERSITY AND PROMOTING GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING

It is unwise and irresponsible to

ignore the demographic shifts taking

place in America. The University must

reach out even more to people of color

and to invest deeply and broadly in

encouraging their enrollment and par-

ticipation in our programs. Pepperdine

must remain relevant to the Greater

Los Angeles and California community

from which we draw more than 50 per-

cent of our student population. Faculty

hiring must mirror these trends,

although the competition is keen.

Growing quietly, but with dramatic

effect is the work being done in the

global community, in Rwanda and

Uganda, as but two examples. The

University is playing a significant role

in matters related to implementing

the “rule of law” in countries formerly

ruled by fiat and tyranny. The School

of Law is providing remarkable leader-

ship in this endeavor. Seaver College

efforts such as those during Project

Serve, open the hearts of students who

will return again and again to the ser-

vice of others. The Graziadio School,

the Graduate School of Education and

Psychology and the School of Public

Policy also serve with distinction. The

stories are many and deeply touching.

Pepperdine is increasingly find-

ing itself drawn to care for the “least

of these”3 and finding a home for the

work of the mind, arms, and legs, but

moreover, the heart. Each of the five

schools should set aside space within

the curriculum for “head and heart”

engagement. For when we are suc-

cessful in achieving our mission and

truly strengthen lives for “purpose,

service, and leadership,” the transfor-

mative nature of our work comes to

life. Joseph Campbell noted: “When

we quit thinking primarily about our-

selves and our own self preservation,

we undergo a truly heroic transforma-

tion of consciousness.”4 If we are to be

an institution that changes lives, then

we can settle for nothing less than

bringing about authentic and heroic

transformations.

HONORING GOD AND HERITAGE

Of all the areas articulated a decade

ago, this final theme may present the

greatest challenge. Anyone caring

about faith-based institutions cannot

help but be touched by James Tunstead

Burtchaell’s book, The Dying of the

Light.5 In it he chronicles the academic

rise and spiritual demise of many of

this nation’s finest institutions of higher

learning. As we press toward academic

excellence, how can we avoid the fail-

ings of so many who have gone before

with undoubtedly virtuous intentions?

Pepperdine is a Christian univer-

sity with an established relationship

to Churches of Christ. America is

fortunate that many schools claim a

faith-based heritage. Our unique con-

tribution was born of the 19th-century

Restoration Movement. This relation-

ship is an indelible part of our identity

and must be nurtured.

There are many “can do” elements

outlined in this paper, but maintaining

fidelity to our founders’ (Pepperdine’s,

Seaver’s, and Graziadio’s) hopes and

dreams is very important; it is a matter

of honor, a “must do” in our planning.

Making this more difficult are

external forces that extend far beyond

the purview of this paper. Those chal-

lenges, however, have little to do with

our aspirations and are mere distrac-

tions. As long as our efforts remain

sincere and attentive to the found-

ing heritage of George Pepperdine

College, now Pepperdine University,

and the Frank Roger Seaver College

of Arts, Letters and Sciences, and the

George L. Graziadio School of Business

and Management, our two named

schools, as well as the School of Law,

the Graduate School of Education and

Psychology and the School of Public

Policy, we will make the progress we

all desire, we will honor the wishes of

our founders, and we will keep faith

with our promises. This is nothing less

than a labor of love and a matter of

determination.

SPECIFIC AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY

This paper is not an attempt to

usurp the important, inclusive work

of the University Planning Committee,

the University Faculty Council, the

several schools, the Alumni Leadership

Council, and so forth. It is a plea, how-

ever, for engagement and productive

ownership. Perhaps it offers an oppor-

tunity to refocus and steel ourselves for

the climb we have already begun. This

is a new season, one nearing a 75th anni-

versary, rich with promise and limited

only by our imagination and, perhaps,

such mundane things as funding and

the economy. Henry David Thoreau

once said, “If you have built castles in

the air, your work need not be lost;

that is where they should be. Now put

foundations under them.” Our dreams

are large and bold and we owe each of

them a firm foothold, or “foundation,”

as we continue the climb. A few particu-

lar promontory points beckon

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND PRESENCE

A serious conversation must take

place among faculty, alumni, and the

governing board as it pertains to the

matter of where Pepperdine should

seek to place itself in the pantheon of

America’s colleges and universities.

With our faith-heritage as a given,

exactly what does success in this par-

ticular endeavor look like? The list of

leading, national universities with a

serious faith mission is remarkably

short. This is as one observer noted

largely “unoccupied space”6 in higher

education. It is a promontory we should

and will occupy, and we will demon-

strate the fact that faith and academic

prowess are compatible aspirations.

Many at faith-based institutions

of higher learning have decided that

their mission and the accompany-

ing Christian or Jewish values, for

example, do not fully apply to graduate

and professional programs. Such com-

mitments are either seen as impractical

or irrelevant to the graduate enterprise

and their unique market pressures.

At this university, we start with the

assumption that each student, graduate

or undergraduate, comes to us at some

point on the continuum of their per-

sonal spiritual journey. It is our desire

to participate as encouragers and part-

ners, or “scholars and witnesses,” as

articulated by Provost Darryl Tippens,

in the course of that journey. We affirm

that each student is endowed with eter-

nal value and should be treated with

care as a spiritual being.

Moving to another crucial area, one

of significant value to students, alumni,

and the whole of our community,

Pepperdine must return to national

prominence in athletics. The Campaign

for Pepperdine will address some of the

present physical impediments, but the

commitment must be made today that

each fully funded sport will be posi-

tioned to compete in the top 25 in the

nation or, in several instances, at a much

higher level. Pepperdine has a tradi-

tion of competing against much larger

schools with great success, and we

should aspire to excellence and student

academic success across all programs.

What we choose to do we will do well,

and our student-athletes, institution-

wide student morale, and our public

profile will be the beneficiaries.

Pepperdine has the opportunity

to lead in a number of ways; indeed,

there are “mountains” we can and

should climb and, even, claim. For

example, Pepperdine should stand

proudly for freedom of thought and civil discourse; especially this is true in light of our Christian heritage. Another example will be found in our steadfast student-centeredness, not only in how decisions are made, but in meaningful undergraduate and graduate research and scholarly development. At many institutions, the student is not the primary focus, but it should and must be different at Pepperdine. Our doors must be open. Our administrative preferences must yield whenever there is a demonstrated need for change. The allocation of our resources—of all kinds—must add value to the teaching and learning environment, or some-thing is terribly wrong.

Our commitment to international programs and global learning must continue and thrive. We must also give attention to how those experiences influence, shape and improve student lives and careers. Our programs abroad must result in a truly value-added dimension to the participant’s educa-tion in addition to service for the sake of service.

ALUMNI LEADERSHIP AND INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP

Many college presidents bemoan the lack of support from alumni, but Pepperdine is doing something about

it. Increasingly, the emphasis at the

University and within each school is

to call alumni “home” in every sense,

and our alumni are responding eagerly.

More than buildings, endowments,

scholarships, and national recogni-

tion, alumni ownership of all that is

Pepperdine will ensure the future. The

Alumni Leadership Council is joining

us on the upward climb, and already

the load is lighter.

In 20 years, we should have an

army of alumni advocates and support-

ers to rival any school our size. Done

right, an energized, vibrant, and pro-

ductive alumni base will fuel our most

ambitious dreams that today seem out

of reach without them; in fact, perhaps

our alumni, in the midst of their lives of

purpose, service, and leadership, will

become job creators and establish the

tradition of Waves hiring Waves.

A University-wide initiative will

require a holistic approach to engaging

recruitment, academics, cocurricular

student experiences, career planning,

and all of our alumni support programs.

This is not a soft target: we must decode

the mystery of alumni apathy present

in most colleges and universities across

America, and engage our alumni deeply

in the future of Pepperdine. We must

foster a University-wide environment

that will yield reliable and loyal alumni

advocacy and ownership.

Of particular encouragement are

the stories we are receiving from alumni

around the world who are truly living lives of profound service and impact. The Pepperdine story is one of both blessings and responsibilities. When alumni give of themselves, reflecting our motto, “Freely ye received, freely give”8

the pairing—blessings and responsibili-ties—is complete.

Within our Seaver College resi-dential community, two initiatives will be helpful in our desire to strengthen undergraduate alumni engagement: focus on the sophomore experience and plans to construct a residence hall for juniors. Succinctly, we must ensure the experience of the middle portion of the undergraduate experience. We must provide a fulfilling experience for all sophomores, those who go abroad and those who remain in Malibu, and a focused effort on creating strong class identity among juniors if we hope to enjoy the full benefit of a lasting rela-tionship with those who will emerge from our undergraduate population.

THE LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE

Almost more than any other physi-cal element of the academic journey ahead, we must be successful in creating the library of the future. All the pieces are in place: we have already set aside enough space to respond to the dreams we will fashion; a strong level of support

exists in the upcoming Campaign for

Pepperdine; we have a central, physical

Malibu presence as well as a distributed

network at our graduate and professional

campuses and international locations;

and, finally, we have the will to make

this a centerpiece, and to declare boldly

that a university cannot rise higher than

the quality of its libraries.

The final product will be surprising.

Today’s learner and scholar has different

requirements than even 10 years ago.

The core collection remains critical and

must be supported and, as necessary,

expanded; however, technology, online

resources, vast databases of informa-

tion, and powerful search engines hold

the future. The library of the future will

encourage and enable shared experi-

ences, group learning dynamics, and,

likely, will become the true “student

center” for both scholarly development

and the creation of social capital on our

campuses. We will study the current

practices, emulate the best, and invest

accordingly. But first, we dream, and

plot our course.

ENDOWMENT AND EXCELLENCE

Endowment support at Pepperdine

undergirds excellence; it does not merely

support operations. The difference was

witnessed in the recent economic down-

turn as our financial condition remained

strong, which allowed continued prog-

ress on virtually all fronts. Certainly, we

hope for sustained and growing endow-

ment earnings, but we will not budget in

a manner than relies upon endowment

to the point that operations rise or fall

with the financial markets.

We believe that donors will appre-

ciate the fact that endowment growth

enables excellence and allows us to do

more and to do it better. Our aspira-

tion remains: we must press forward to

a level of endowment that places us in

the top 50 in the nation. We have work

enough to do in the next several years

on our watch, but we owe those who

follow a firm foundation for the future

of Pepperdine University.

RIGHT-SIZING AND FINANCIAL STABILITY

One lesson learned during the cur-

rent economic downturn relates to the

importance of equilibrium and sustain-

able enrollment practices at each of our

schools. Too few or too many students

present a unique set of challenges. The

issue, then, is to charge each school with

establishing reliable levels of enrollment

upon which the schools can flourish

and the University can depend. We

intend to focus attention on this issue,

and to engage our schools in a broad

and productive discussion.

SCALING THE HEIGHTS

There are seven mountain peaks or summits coveted by all who climb into the clouds, who seek to do what few have accomplished. Tenzing Norgay, a storied mountain climber, wrote these words at 27,000 feet:

“We look up. For weeks, for months, that

is all we have done. Look up. And there it

is—the top of Everest. Only it is different

now; so near, so close, only a little more

than a thousand feet above us. It is no lon-

ger just a dream, a high dream in the sky,

but a real and solid thing, a thing made

of rock and snow, that men can climb. We

make ready. We will climb it. This time,

with God’s help, we will climb on to the

end.”

Norgay was joined by Sir Edmund Hillary and they, together, stood on the top of the world on May 28, 1953.

Our summits occur on com-mencement days—mountaintops of a different kind. Our heights are merely way stations, as the opportunities in higher education grow greater and greater in height and expectation. Still, we climb and sometimes even find paths of our own choosing, separate from those who climb alongside and with just as much determination.

As a university we are tied together through mission, through the com-mitments we make to our colleagues, and, especially, our students. We climb

together. We climb with and for each other because we aspire to higher and better things. We believe our horizons are boundless.

This statement about the next few years is meant to open the dialogue to choosing challenging goals, to finding the right paths, to making Pepperdine better not just in 2020, but in 2050 and beyond. Let the conversation begin, and may it be attended by prayer and a confidence worthy of our faith every step of the way.

ANDREW K. BENTON President September 15, 2010

1 A general reference to Frost, Robert. “Neither

Out Far Nor in Deep” and the title of my Inaugural

Address, September 23, 2000.

2 Lederach, J. P. (2005). The Moral Imagination: The

Art and Soul of Building Peace. New York, New York:

Oxford University Press. p.31

3 Matthew 25:40

4 Templeton, S. J. (2002). Wisdom from World

Religions: Pathways to Heaven on Earth. Radnor,

Pennsylvannia:

Templeton Foundation Press. p.323

5 Burtchaell, J. T. (1998). The Dying of the Light, The

Disengagement of Colleges and Universities from Their

Christian Churches. Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

6 Gibson, R. (2005, Fall). The Bold Promise of

Pepperdine. Pepperdine People. Malibu, California:

Pepperdine University. pp. 24-26. Noted theologian

and professor of philosophy Dallas Willard quoted by

provost Darryl Tippens.

7 Tippens, D. (2006). Scholars and Witnesses,

Defining the Pepperdine Difference. Faculty

Conference. Malibu, California: Pepperdine

University.