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Gary Selby Named Director of Center for Faith and Learning

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. Chris Soper, professor of political science, had served in this role since 2006.

Listen to an interview with Selby about his new position.

Selby holds a master of theology degree from Harding University Graduate School of Religion and a Ph.D. in public communication from the University of Maryland, College Park. He came to Pepperdine in 2005, after teaching at the George Washington University for eight years between 1998 and 2004. He is the author of Martin Luther King and the Rhetoric of Freedom: The Exodus in America's Struggle with Civil Rights (Baylor University Press, 2008) and numerous articles, essays, and book chapters.

Provost Darryl Tippens and Soper are confident that the Center for Faith and Learning is in capable hands under Selby. "Gary brings a variety of gifts to the position, the most important of which are his vision for the integration of faith and learning, his passion for working and love of Pepperdine University, and his outstanding accomplishments in research and teaching," Soper says.

The Pepperdine University Center for Faith and Learning was established in 1999 to offer support for faculty in all five schools of the University as they seek to engage in cutting-edge, original scholarship and classroom teaching within a framework of Christian values and beliefs.

Tippens notes, "The profile of the Center has been enhanced in recent years through significant financial support by the Lilly Endowment, which funded the 'Voyage Project'—an initiative that has sponsored an array of forums, discussions, retreats, and service projects on campus and throughout the country."

Soper steps down as director to dedicate more time to teaching and research. Tippens speaks very highly of Soper's contributions to the center during his time as director. "He has organized very effective new faculty retreats each year in Florence, Italy, and he has encouraged a remarkable variety of enrichment experiences for students, staff, and faculty. We will miss him in this role," Tippens says.