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Monthly Recap

October 2009

  • Over Halloween weekend, the Pepperdine University Chaplain's Office and the Center for Faith and Learning sponsored 35 Seaver College juniors and seniors to attend a spiritual discernment retreat in Santa Barbara, California. The theme of the fall retreat was "Why Work? Discerning Your Place in God's Plan to Mend the Universe."
  • As part of the Department of Intercultural Affairs' convocations series, Seaver College students attended an exploration of immigration with retired Federal Immigration Judge Bruce Einhorn in late October. The event, titled "Would Jesus Deport the Illegals?" offered a theological perspective on the complicated immigration questions facing the United States.
  • The Seaver College Natural Science Division presented a lecture by Timothy Close, professor of genetics at UC Riverside. In his lecture, "Genomics of Crop Plants," Close gave an overview of his research on the plants that feed the world—grasses and legumes—on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Keck Science Center on the Malibu campus.
  • The Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law hosted a lecture with Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, CEO of Opportunity International, on the topic of Microfinance: Giving the Poor a Working Chance, on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
  • The Pepperdine University School of Public Policy welcomed Richard Rahn, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and former chief economist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who gave a lecture titled, "Washington and the Economy: Abating or Abetting?" on Tuesday, Oct. 27 in the Drescher Graduate Campus auditorium in Malibu.
  • The Seaver College Dean's Office presented "An Evening of Poetry with Pulitzer Prize-winner W.S. Merwin," on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Elkins Theatre in Malibu. Merwin was the second speaker in the 2009-10 W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series.
  • On Monday, Oct. 26, Beatles biographer Steve Turner tracked the spiritual journeys of the legendary foursome, from their Christian upbringings through
 their journeys into Transcendental Meditation. His presentation, The Gospel According to the Beatles, took place in Elkins Auditorium, Malibu.
  • Shannon Meehan, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and Roger Thompson, associate professor of English and fine arts at Virginia Military Institute, co-authored Beyond Duty: Life on the Frontline in Iraq, and spoke on writing, publishing, and the consequences of war in a lecture on Monday, Oct. 26 at Payson Library, Malibu.
  • Third-year law students Jonathan Matthews and Aaron Echols were named international champions at the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Moot Competition in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 24. Pepperdine took top honors and the Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Trophy. The Pepperdine team competed against 19 international teams.
  • The pioneering adventures of beloved author Laura Ingalls Wilder came to Pepperdine University on Saturday, Oct. 24, as the Center for the Arts presented an original musical production, Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie, at Smothers Theatre, Malibu.
  • The Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) held its annual Celebration of Excellence event on Thursday, Oct. 22, in recognition of the 2009-10 student scholarship recipients and in appreciation of donors and friends of GSEP. The event, hosted at the Ayres Hotel in Manhattan Beach, included an evening reception, program, and dinner.
  • The Graduate School of Education at Pepperdine University has established the Pat Lucas Center for Teacher Preparation to honor the memory of the late Lucas, who served as director of student teaching at GSEP for more than 20 years. A dedication for the center took place on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the West Los Angeles Graduate Campus.
  • For the past several years, NCAA women's volleyball programs across the country have done their part in the battle against breast cancer. Pepperdine raised more than $800 with its "Dig Pink" match on Thursday, Oct. 22 against San Francisco in Firestone Fieldhouse.
  • Lee Kats, the Frank R. Seaver Chair in Natural Science, presented "Understanding Amphibian Decline" as part of the Seaver Faculty Colloquium series on Thursday, Oct. 22. The lecture included contributions by students.
  • The Seaver College Natural Science Division presented a lecture by David Strong, associate professor of mathematics at Pepperdine University. In his October 21 lecture, "Creating and Using a Comprehensive Java Applet for Calculus," Strong discussed educational software that he created while on sabbatical.
  • The Office of Intercultural Affairs (ICA) at Pepperdine University welcomed civil rights leader Joseph Lowery on Tuesday, Oct. 20, for a lecture in Malibu's Smothers Theatre. Lowery helped lead the Montgomery bus boycott and headed the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, an organization devoted to the desegregation of buses and public places.
  • The Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics at Pepperdine University hosted noted author and scholar Os Guinness on Wednesday, Oct. 21,in the Mendenhall Appellate Courtroom at the School of Law. Guinness spoke on "Survival of the Fastest – Living Sanely in the Craziness of Modern Fast-Life."
  • The Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University reconvened the Dean's Executive Leadership Series with managing director of Korn/Ferry International, Caroline W. Nahas. Nahas presented her lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Marina del Rey Marriott, in Marina del Rey.
  • Peter T. Wendel, professor of law, recently published rDeconstructing Legal Analysis: A 1L Primer (Aspen, October 2009). The book presents first-year law students with time-tested techniques for learning how to think like a lawyer.
  • The Nonprofit Leadership Program Speaker Series continued on Monday, Oct. 19, with Marshall Howard, author of Let's Have Lunch Together, on the Malibu campus.
  • The School of Public Policy and the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation presented Randall Holcombe, professor of economics at Florida State University, in his lecture "The Bush-Obama Stimulus Programs and the Future of American Capitalism," on Monday, Oct. 19.
  • Students, faculty, alumni, parents, and friends of Pepperdine University gathered Friday, Oct. 16, for the eighth annual Blue and Orange Madness. The spirited event, held in conjunction with the Seaver College Family Weekend, took place on the Malibu campus.
  • Keion Bell's amazing dunk over five of his teammates on the Pepperdine men's basketball team has gone viral, with several major internet blogs and publications picking it up as well as ESPN's popular television show SportsCenter, which featured it as a "Top Play." The dunk capped off Pepperdine's annual Blue & Orange Madness event to open the college basketball season on Oct. 16. Watch the clip here.
  • The Seaver College Natural Science Division continued with a lecture by Francis Edward Su, professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, on October 14. In his lecture, "Voting in Agreeable Societies," Su explained how combinatorics and game theory are used to study voting trends.
  • Professor of English James Thomas' latest book, Repotting Harry Potter, turned the scholarly spotlight on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The focus turned to Repotting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, with a panel discussion in the Kresge Reading Room of Malibu's Payson Library.
  • A Spanish-English bilingual worship service was held on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in honor of Latino Heritage Month. The time of prayer and worship reflected on Pepperdine University as a community of diverse cultural heritage and shared faith. University Chaplain David Lemley opened the service, which featured reflections and scripture readings from students and staff.
  • BookEnds founder and executive director Robin Keefe opened the new Nonprofit Leadership Program Speaker Series at Pepperdine University on Monday, Oct. 12. Keefe presented, "From Idea to Impact: Building a Successful Nonprofit."
  • Roger McGuinn performed a rare Southland solo concert at Pepperdine University on Friday, Oct. 9. The Center for the Arts hosted the folk-rock legend, and frontman of The Byrds, at Smothers Theatre on the Malibu campus.
  • GrooveLily, the inventive trio which has developed a cult following with its musical-theatre-meets-rock-concert hybrids, performs a concert at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8.
  • One of America’s most provocative public intellectuals, Cornel West opened the 2009-2010 W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 8.
  • The Seaver College Natural Science Division continued its weekly lunchtime seminar series with a lecture by Sarah Dunn, MD. In her lecture, "Effects of Exercise and Dietary Intervention on Metabolic Syndrome Markers of Inactive Premenopausal Women," Dunn explained the results of her doctoral research on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
  • The Greek playwright Aeschylus dramatized the Battles of Salamis in his 472 BC play The Persians, just eight years after the Greeks defeated the Persians in 480 BC. The Pepperdine Fine Arts Division brought the story back to life 2500 years later on the stage of the Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre in Malibu, from Tuesday-Saturday, October 6-10.
  • Ranked No. 8 nationally in the young 2009 season, Pepperdine men's water polo team opened its home season with an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 2, and a conference contest on Saturday, Oct. 3 against Long Beach State.
  • Leonard Allen, director of the Abilene Christian University Press and Leafwood Publishing, presented "The Bicentennial of an American Christian Classic" at Pepperdine's 30th annual William M. Green Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture, on Monday, Oct. 5.
  • The Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management's Entrepreneurship Society, NetImpact, Graziadio Alumni Network, and the Green Team came together in sponsorship of a lunchtime talk with Rick Woodbury, founder and CEO of Commuter Cars, and inventor of the Tango two-seat electric car. Woodbury shared his entrepreneurial journey with Pepperdine MBAs Monday, Oct. 5, at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu.
  • Mental illness is experienced not only by individuals, but by their families as well. The Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) Clinical Connections workshop series hosted a family affected by schizophrenia on Friday, Oct. 2, to share and explore new ways of thinking about the mental illness.
  • Jazz violinist Regina Carter, whose sound is marked by eclectic virtuosity, heart, and a stunning fusion of classical and modern styles, perfored with her combo on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Malibu's Smothers Theatre.
  • Fall 2009 marked the 200th anniversary of Thomas Campbell's "Declaration and Address," a statement of faith that is significant for the Church of Christ. To commemorate the event, the Pepperdine University Church of Christ hosted a celebration called the "Great Communion" on Sunday, Oct. 4, in Elkins Auditorium on the Malibu campus.
  • The 2009 recipients of the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence were announced Friday, Oct. 2, during the University Faculty Conference. The award, named in honor of Pepperdine's fifth president who served the University as teacher and administrator for almost 30 years, is given to full-time faculty members each year in recognition of their distinguished record of teaching excellence.
  • The Pepperdine University Orchestra performed a fall concert featuring a diverse array of pieces, including a student guitar solo, on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Smothers Theatre.
  • Jon Johnston, professor of sociology, pronounces the spiritual and philanthropic benefits of helping those in need in his latest book Signed, Anonymous: Shedding the Need for Acknowledgment (Beacon Hill Press, 2009). The work explores the purpose and impact of anonymous giving and service as a guide to shining "from the shadows."
  • Newsweek magazine named Rabbi David Wolpe America's number one pulpit rabbi. On Thursday, Oct. 1, he came to Pepperdine University to discuss his latest book, Why Faith Matters (2008).