Pepperdine People Magazine

Pepperdine People Magazine Spring 2008

Big Dreams

At Pepperdine University we dream big dreams.

Our campus echoes with the footsteps of past visionaries like George Pepperdine, Blanche Seaver, George Graziadio, and Norvel and Helen Young, just to name a few. From buildings and facilities to student scholarships, learning tools, and faculty development, their touch permeates the wonderful dreams being realized at Pepperdine University.

In this issue of Pepperdine People magazine you'll meet some of the special dreamers who make up the Pepperdine community and those whose legacy lives on here. You'll read about Duane and Kelly Roberts, generous benefactors who restored the historic Mission Inn of Riverside, California. They invested and shared in our vision by endowing Pepperdine's first dean's chair.

Many members of the Pepperdine family devote their time, energy, and resources to pursuing the boldest of dreams. Dr. Stephen Davis, Pepperdine's acclaimed biologist and award-winning teacher, guides students to new and exciting discoveries, while cross country and track coach Robert Radnoti tirelessly improves the programs' strategic plans for excellence. Also in this issue, Rick Gibson, an MBA student at the Graziadio School as well as my valued colleague, recounts his experiences with a former gang member. Together they dreamed how to make a new life a reality.

Dreams are rarely finite things, wrapped up in a tidy and timely fashion. Instead they grow and blossom over time, laying the foundation for new and bigger possibilities. So we honor the ongoing work of the Associated Women for Pepperdine and the University's Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, on the occasion of their notable anniversaries. We also take a moment to celebrate my treasured friend and colleague Chancellor Emeritus Charles Runnels, who has dedicated more than 40 years of service to Pepperdine University.

In another special story, you'll read about the brave Pepperdine public safety officers who put their lives on the line to protect our community and campus from the wildfires that impacted Southern California so deeply last fall. We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of these officers, who helped safeguard the people and places we cherish most.

The stories in this magazine—moreover, the people who are featured in these stories—inspire me greatly. We owe a debt of gratitude to the dreamers whose vision will ensure this institution lives up to their, and our own, high expectations.

Andrew K. Benton
President