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News & Events Recap

September 2009

  • The Seaver College Natural Science Division kicked off its lunchtime seminar series for the 2009-10 academic year with a lecture by Los Angeles-based dermatologist Payam Abrishami. Abrishami's lecture, "Diversifying a Career in Health Care: Dermatology as a Model" offered insight into the changing field of healthcare on September 30, in the Keck Science Center on the Malibu campus.
  • The Will and Company performance troupe brought to light the histories of six Latinos who have played a crucial role in helping to shape America on September 29. The two-person cast of Portraits: Latinos Shaping a Nation, took to the stage of Malibu's Smothers Theatre.
  • Praised by the New York Times for his "Lisztian thunder and deft fluidity," and the San Francisco Chronicle as "ferociously virtuosic," pianist Paul Barnes has electrified audiences with his intensely expressive playing and cutting-edge programming. On September 25, came to Pepperdine University to perform a guest artist recital in Raitt Recital Hall, Malibu.
  • Pepperdine’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law hosted "Taking it Upstream: Collaboration, Consensus Building, and Sustainable Development: A Green Leadership (Un)Conference" on September 25 at the Drescher Graduate Campus in Malibu, California.
  • The 2009-10 Clinical Connections series at the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) kicked off on September 25, as licensed marriage and family therapy expert Kent Toussaint presented, "The 1-2-3's for Treating Resistant Teens," at the Encino Graduate Campus.
  • Latin American literature scholar Raymond L. Williams came to Pepperdine University on September 24, to present a lecture titled, "From García Márquez to Bolaño: the New Latin American Novel." The event was held in the Kresge Reading Room of Malibu's Payson Library.
  • After holding a highly successful economic forecast conference, "What's Next LA," in late July, the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management co-sponsored a second conference, "What's Next? The Road to Economic Recovery 2009 Silicon Valley/San Jose/South Bay Economic Forecast Conference." The event was held on September 24, at the 4th Street Summit Center in San Jose, California.
  • The Pepperdine community filled Firestone Fieldhouse on September 23 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.
  • "Classy, edgy, jaw-dropping, and hilarious" are the words that the Los Angeles Times used to describe The Passing Zone, the two-man show of juggling, comedy, and daredevil stunts. Owen Morse and Jon Wee brought their world record-breaking antics to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre on September 20.
  • Highly acclaimed British jazz vocalist Cleo Laine returned to Pepperdine University with the John Dankworth Group on September 18, to kick off the 2009-10 star-studded lineup of artists, acrobats, musicians, and family fun at the Center for the Arts. The concert was held in Malibu's Smothers Theatre.
  • A reception to meet the artists of the "Elements of Nature" exhibition at Pepperdine University was held on September 18, at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum on the Malibu campus. "Elements of Nature" opened on August 22, and reflects on how the four ancient elements – earth, air, fire, and water - continue to have meaning in our lives.
  • The NCAA announced that Pepperdine University will serve as the host school for the West Regional of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, set to be held at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Pepperdine partnered with AEG/Staples Center and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission to earn the bid. The West Regional dates are March 28 and 30, 2013.
  • Award-winning inventor John G. Shearer, founder of Powercast Inc., a pioneer in wireless power transfer, was appointed Entrepreneur-in-Residence, joining the faculty at Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management. In the new academic position, Shearer will lead the school's goal to develop MBA student-founded, innovation-based businesses by identifying and locating cutting-edge technologies from other universities, national research laboratories, and within the private sector.
  • As part of the Pepperdine University Libraries monthly colloquium featuring exciting new research taking place within the University community, Alexander C. Diener, professor of social science and geography at Pepperdine's Seaver College, presented "One Homeland or Two? The Nationalization and Transnationalization of Mongolia's Kazakhs" on September 17. The Seaver Faculty Colloquium took place in the Kresge Reading Room of Payson Library on the Malibu campus.
  • The Davenport Institute at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy presented a lecture by Matt Mayer, visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Titled "Homeland Security and Federalism," the lecture was held on September 17 at the School of Public Policy.
  • In celebration of Constitution Day (September 17), Gordon Lloyd, professor of public policy, announced the launch of an interactive tool on his Web site Teachingamericanhistory.org, which visually demonstrates which delegates were present at each meeting of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The "Constitutional Convention Attendance Record" will allow students to determine, by looking at who was in attendance, how certain issues of the day were resolved or not resolved, due to the influence of who was and wasn’t there.
  • James Q. Wilson holds the position at Pepperdine University of the Ronald Reagan Professor of Public Policy, and on September 15, he returned to the former president's official library to present his annual lecture. Wilson explored "Genes and Free Will" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.
  • Héctor Tobar kicked off Latino Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) celebrations at Pepperdine University, as he headlined the first event at the Malibu campus on September 15. His presentation about immigration issues was held in the Hahn Fireside Room. The son of Guatemalan immigrants, Tobar is a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for his work as part of the team covering the L.A. riots in 1992.
  • Chris Altrock, minister of the Memphis area Highland Church of Christ, presented a lecture titled, "Preaching at the Crossroads of Christ and Postmodern Culture," on September 14. The presentation runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Malibu's Hahn Fireside Room, and attendees are encouraged to bring a lunch with them.
  • At sunset on September 12, the 27th Annual Alumni Dinner and Show, dubbed Crescendo, took place in the beautiful surroundings of Malibu. The dinner culminated with a high-octane performance from Barrage, the internationally acclaimed fiddlers, in Smothers Theatre.
  • On September 12 the campus community dedicated the completion of 16-month-long central campus renovation project, which included major renovations to existing facilities and the addition of new classrooms and outdoor gathering areas.
  • Pepperdine alumni, parents, and friends took part in service projects around campus, across the nation, and around the world as part of the 21st annual Step Forward Day on September 12. What began as a single service project by two students has grown to engage generations of alumni, parents, and friends spanning the globe to live the mission of the University: Freely ye receive; freely give.
  • Buzz Patterson, a retired pilot for the United States Air Force and author of two New York Times bestsellers, came to Pepperdine University on Friday, Sept. 11, to present a lecture titled, "Remembering 9/11." The event was hosted by the University's College Republicans in the Caruso Auditorium at the School of Law. A reception to meet Patterson preceded the presentation.
  • Each year, Seaver College students travel to the far-flung reaches of our globe on study abroad programs, and this summer Gary Selby, the director of the Center for Faith and Learning, took 16 Pepperdine students to Uganda and Rwanda to learn just how different a culture can be, and how they could serve there.
  • Pepperdine women's volleyball coach Nina Matthies earned career win number 500 on September 11 as her 19th-ranked Waves defeated Seattle, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16, on the first night of the Pepperdine Asics Classic in Firestone Fieldhouse.
  • Pepperdine public policy students look forward to Thursday evenings for the weekly U.S. foreign policy roundtables hosted by Bruce Herschensohn, senior fellow at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy. Herschensohn reconvened the weekly discussions from 6 to 9 p.m. on September 10, at Drescher Graduate Campus.
  • As a new, diverse class of freshmen find their place among the student body at Pepperdine University, CultureFest brought the community together in a celebration of the university's cultural diversity. Hosted by the Office of Intercultural Affairs with the Student Programming Board and the Inter-Club Council, the event took place on September 9, at Malibu's Adamson Plaza.
  • Seaver College students who participated in the 2009 Heidelberg summer music program celebrated their return to campus with three concerts at the Raitt Recital Hall on the Malibu campus. They opened with opera performances on September 8 and 9, followed by a performance of chamber music later on Sept. 9.
  • The Pepperdine women's volleyball team took on Northern Arizona on September 3, in the Waves' first home game of the season. It was the first of two home games of a tournament co-hosted by Pepperdine and USC; the Waves also took on Florida Gulf Coast on September 5. Both matches took place in Firestone Fieldhouse on the Malibu campus.
  • In time for the start of the new academic year, Pepperdine University Libraries launched WorldCat Local, a resource retrieval service that allows users to access over 100 million unique resources worldwide including books, journals, media, government publications, maps, digital collections, and more.
  • Pepperdine University Provost Daryl Tippens formally announced that Jay L. Brewster, professor of biology, has accepted the role of associate provost. The associate provost position was created in 2003 to provide assistance to the many tasks within the provost's office and to provide administrative opportunities to outstanding Pepperdine faculty members.
  • Pepperdine student-athletes, coaches, staff, and faculty gathered on the morning of September 2, to take part in the unveiling of the new Athletic Performance Center, a strength and conditioning room that will be specific to the institution's varsity athletic teams.
  • The 2009 Pepperdine Cross Country season got underway on September 1 with a dual meet against Cal State Bakersfield for the women's squad, and against the alumni for the men's squad, as part of the annual Malibu Oceanside Open.
  • Pepperdine University's chapter of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, has been named an "Honor Chapter" for its outstanding activities in 2008-09.
  • Season tickets for the 2009-10 Pepperdine men's basketball campaign went on sale for a schedule that features 16 regular-season home games, including seven contests against postseason teams from a year ago, plus one exhibition.