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Pepperdine Hosts First Nonprofit Summer Institute

Pepperdine University will host its first-ever Nonprofit Summer Institute from Thursday, June 25 to Friday, June 26, on the Malibu campus. This special two-day Institute was developed especially for nonprofit partners associated with Seaver College’s nonprofit management minor, American Humanics program and Nonprofit Professional Education Program.

The Institute’s agenda aims to develop important leadership and decision-making skills while addressing practical real-time problems nonprofit managers face on the job. The institute will also feature two notable speakers: Noel Tichy, a nationally recognized authority on organizational change, will facilitate a workshop titled, "Judgment: The Essence of Leadership in Challenging Times." Ed Truschke, former CEO of Alzheimer's Association of America and a nonprofit consultant, will address specific management priorities for both the board and staff.

"Tichy has facilitated leadership training with the Boys and Girls Club of America, Habitat for Humanity International and the Peter F. Drucker Foundation as well as corporations such as GE and Best Buy," says Regan Schaffer, assistant professor of management and organizational behavior at Seaver College. "He has designed a practical interactive workshop that will show you how to handle the overlapping domains of people, strategy, and crisis management as you seek to lead your organization."

Truschke, Schaffer notes, has over 30 years of corporate, foundation and nonprofit senior executive experience. He served as president of the Xerox Foundation and senior vice president of social policy and president of the BankAmerica Foundation before serving with the Alzheimer's Association. He continues to consult and has taught in Pepperdine's nonprofit program.

Schaffer developed Pepperdine's nonprofit professional education project to helping bridge the gap between higher education and the professional world. Through the program, she invites prominent nonprofit professionals to enroll in the University's nonprofit management courses free of charge. In exchange, they mentor students, offer real-life case studies, host students at their organizations, and conduct service-learning projects with the students. Through this program, Seaver students have partnered with over 200 different nonprofit organizations throughout Ventura and Los Angeles.

The two-day event is another way that Schaffer is reaching out to nonprofit managers who contribute to the Seaver College program. "We will have formal workshops, informal discussion groups and networking and renewal time," she says. "The Institute promises to be a highly engaging two-days where managers will leave with a plan, resources, and renewed vision for their organization.

Schaffer plans to continue to grow this institute to become an annual part of Pepperdine’s nonprofit initiatives. "Our goal is to have about 40 people in attendance this year and then to double our size at next year’s Institute," she says. "Our mission calls us to prepare our students for lives of purpose, service and leadership and the nonprofit sector provides an excellent venue for students to develop themselves in these areas. We believe that knowledge does call for a life of service and we want our students to experience this by applying their knowledge to societal problems in partnership with our community."

To learn more about the nonprofit initiatives at Pepperdine, contact Regan Schaffer, or click here.