Skip Navigation

News and Events

news & events recaps

September 2008

 

  • Pepperdine Athletics announced that nine of its all-time greats will make up its newest class of Hall of Fame inductees. The nine athletes enshrined were: Dain Blanton; James Brinton; John Furlong; Jason Gore; Ginger Helgeson-Nielsen; George Roumain; Nicole (Sanderson) Hannan; Jeff Stork; and Robbie Weiss.
  • On October 2, Pepperdine University hosted a public meeting of the U.S. Department of Education in which interested parties presented their concerns and recommendations for the recently passed Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-315). Pepperdine is one of six sites around the country chosen to host one of these public meetings. The discussion helped shape the regulations of the new act, which aims to improve higher education affordability, access, and accountability.
  • Douglas W. Kmiec, the Caruso Family Chair in Constitutional Law, released a new book titled Can a Catholic Support Him? Asking the Big Question about Barack Obama, published by the Overlook Press on September 17. The book chronicles Kmiec's decision to endorse Senator Obama, beginning in early spring and culminating on April 18, when he was denied communion at a Catholic Mass for the endorsement.
  • Tomas E. Martinez, professor of psychology at Seaver College and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, shared his expertise on mental health in the Latino community at the 14th annual Latino Behavioral Health Conference, held September 15 to 18 in Los Angeles.
  • Recruitment 2008 concluded for the 11 Greek organizations of Pepperdine University. During the recruitment process, the four national fraternities and seven national sororities introduced prospective new members to the opportunities that exist for Greek life at Pepperdine University.
  • The Pepperdine community gathered September 17, 2008 for the University's annual Founder's Day celebration. Each year, this special event honors the vision of the University's founder, George Pepperdine; affirms Pepperdine's mission; and declares the opening of the new academic year.
  • Pepperdine President Andrew Benton gave the 2008 Founder's Day address to a packed audience at the Malibu campus Firestone Fieldhouse on September 17. He opened his address, saying, "The solemn celebration of this day should touch each of us in some tangible way, and I hope we all experience a measure of pride - pride in what we have chosen to do and the direction of our lives. Some of our best moments - perhaps especially the unexpected ones - yield deep insight and inspiration."
  • To develop ways of streamlining the process of healthcare technology for patients and providers, the Graziadio School of Business and Management sponsored the inaugural Biotech Supply Chain Academy (BioSCA) conference September 11 to 12 in San Francisco, California.
  • The Pepperdine University Alumni Association has gone global, announcing its first-ever international alumni chapter: the Pan-Asian Waves. The chapter held its first event in Tokyo, Japan on October 2, bringing together approximately 100 alumni, parents, and friends residing in Japan, and marking a major development in Pepperdine's international presence.
  • Susan Hall, associate professor of psychology at the Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology, has taken a deep look at the legal and psychological adjustments that can be made for child witnesses in her new book, Courtroom Modifications for Child Witnesses: Law and Science in Forensic Evaluations (American Psychological Association 2008).
  • After the success of last year's series, Bruce Herschensohn, senior fellow at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, once again conducted weekly U.S. foreign policy roundtable discussions focusing on current international events for all students and members of the community, beginning Sept. 11. Topics Herschensohn touched on: the power of the media on foreign policy; the continuing effect of the Vietnam experience on current policy; United Nations and other international organizations/alliances; and the quest for a world of democracies.
  • Pepperdine University president Andy Benton gains a new colleague this semester in Mark Robinson, vice chancellor of student development for the City College of San Francisco. Robinson will spend the fall semester at Pepperdine under Benton's mentorship as a fellow for the American Council on Education (ACE).
  • David Lemley has been appointed Pepperdine University chaplain after serving in a part-time capacity as associate chaplain last year. As an alumnus and grandson to the third president of the University, Lemley says he's grateful for the opportunity to fill the spiritual needs of Pepperdine University, where he too cultivated his own faith and character.
  • To commemorate the tragedy of September 11, 2001 on its seventh anniversary, Pepperdine University held several events to honor the lives lost and celebrate the heroes made from that ill-fated day. Nearly 3,000 American flags were displayed on Alumni Park, the expansive lawn below the Pepperdine University Theme Tower along Malibu Canyon Road.
  • Gary Selby, Blanche E. Seaver professor of communication and chair of graduate programs in communication, has taken on a new role at Pepperdine University as director of the Center for Faith and Learning.