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Pepperdine Recognized in Several Leading National Surveys

Nationally recognized independent rankings bodies and current college students named Pepperdine University in several leading national surveys that are widely distributed throughout the country. 

Princeton Review’s annual reference guide to the nation’s "Best 373 Colleges and Universities" cited Pepperdine as having the seventh most popular study abroad program, the 16th most beautiful campus, and placed Pepperdine at number 15 for having the most "religious students."

U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings of law schools listed Pepperdine’s School of Law as the nation’s fastest rising law school and its Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution was for the sixth consecutive year "the number one dispute resolution program in the nation."

The nation’s leading business school surveys published by Business Week, U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal continue to give high marks to the Graziadio School of Business and Management. Distinction has been achieved in numerous categories including "global business," "leadership development," "dedication to social and environmental issues," "return on investment," "best graduate business programs," "best business schools for women MBAs," and "top business schools for working executives."

In the 2010 U.S. News and World Report rankings of America's Best Colleges and Universities Pepperdine was once again placed in the top tier among leading "National Universities" at number 53, besting last year's number 58 position. Pepperdine has been in the top tier of the U.S. News and World Report survey for more than a decade. The "National Universities" category includes such prestigious schools as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Notre Dame, UC Berkeley, UCLA and USC to name a few.

"Pepperdine’s focus has always been on delivering exceptional student experiences while providing academic excellence within a Christian environment," noted Rick Gibson, associate vice president for Public Affairs. "Third-party endorsement of what we do each and every day is appreciated and gratifying."

National media exposure earned by Pepperdine faculty brings heightened awareness of Pepperdine on an on-going basis. Recently, Angela Hawken, associate professor of economics and policy analysis at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy, received significant coverage regarding a historic "Syria 2010 Public Opinion Survey," commissioned by the Democracy Council. The study presented findings of a survey of 1,046 Syrians taken over a three-week period and was the first scientific polling of Syrian attitudes according to James Prince, president of the Democracy Council.

Meanwhile, Seaver College faculty member Craig Detweiler was featured in a Focus on the Family online article examining faith, film, and culture. Detweiler is director of Pepperdine’s Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture.