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News and Events

News and Events Recap

November 2011

  • The Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture (EMC) hosted a number of screenings and filmmaker Q&A's throughout November. On November 10, the EMC screened the Sundance documentary Miss Representation, investigating how mainstream media contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America. On November 17, Robert E. Williams, associate professor of political science at Seaver College, spoke with writer/director Ted Braun about the issues explored in his documentary, Darfur Now.
  • The Pepperdine community was saddened to learn of the passing on November 21 of Robert Jackson, a 25-year member of the Board of Regents. He was 80 years old.
  • The Marketing Society at the Graziadio School of Business and Management hosted Matt Stefl, senior vice president and director of account planning at Los Angeles-based ad agency Dailey, on November 21, as the inaugural speaker of the Marketing Society Speaker Series.
  • Pepperdine's Chamber Ensembles performed a concert November 21, in Raitt Recital Hall, Malibu, coordinated by Sara Banta, visiting instructor of music, featuring works by classic composers such as Boccherini, Haydyn, Bouffil, and a movement from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, as well as compositions by more contemporary artists Eugene Bozza and Astor Piazzola.
  • The Office of the Chaplain presented an hour of worship and prayer at the University Thanksgiving Service, titled "Find Hope in the Lord," on November 21 in Stauffer Chapel, Malibu, featuring prayers, music, and Bible readings from students, faculty, and staff, including Joi Carr, assistant professor of English, who performed a song and N. Lincoln Hanks, who led worship hymns. Additionally, the Pepperdine Concert Choir performed a hymn.
  • The Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy hosted Steven Malanga, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the senior editor of City Journal, for a Davenport Discussion on November 17, for a lecture titled "Cali to Business: Get Out!" in which he discussed the key villains behind California's declining job market, including the state's senseless regulations and confiscatory taxes.
  • Edward J. Larson, University Professor and Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law, discussed his latest book, Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science, on November 15, dissecting his look at Antarctic exploration through the lens of science, telling the stories of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context.
  • Glenn Webb, Professor Emeritus at Pepperdine and former director of the Institute for the Study of Asian Cultures, was conferred the Order of the Rising Sun by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Akihito of Japan November 15 in Los Angeles. First presented in 1875 by Emperor Meiji, the decoration is the second most prestigious after the Order of the Chrysanthemum.
  • Professor Nancy Um, of SUNY Binghamton, presented a lecture titled, "The Legacy of Ottoman Architecture in Yemen: Strategies of Monumentality and Invisibility at the Southern Edge of the Empire," on November 14 in the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu, exploring a number of Ottoman building projects that were executed at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th.
  • The Humanities and Teacher Education Division at Seaver College hosted poet, teacher, and translator Keith Ekiss on November 14 for a reading from his recent collection of poems, Pima Road Notebook, and speak with students and faculty about the art of poetry.
  • Dan Caldwell, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Seaver College, presented a reading and discussion of his latest book, Vortex of Conflict: U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, on November 11, in Payson Library.
  • The Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies jumpstarted its series on Religion and Food with an interfaith panel on "Religious Responses to Hunger" November 10, featuring three panelists: the CEO of MAZON, a Jewish response to hunger; a representative of Bread for the World, a Christian nonprofit focused on hunger issues; and a representative from the ILM Foundation, a Muslim organization that started Humanitarian Day in Los Angeles.
  • The Graduate School of Education and Psychology hosted the chair and CEO of Sobini Films, Mark Amin, on November 10, for a film screening and discussion of his acclaimed film, Peaceful Warrior, about a young gymnast who has to overcome the hurdles in his mind holding him back from Olympic gold.
  • Touted by The New York Times as being "Heaven on wheels and in leg warmers," the highly acclaimed musical Xanadu took the stage at Smothers Theatre, from November 10 to 19, as the Fine Arts Division's fall musical.
  • The Counseling Center hosted a lecture exploring "The Caveman Cult: How the Myth of Male Weakness Hurts Everyone" November 9, examining the surprisingly recent roots of the "male myth," wherein pop culture and pop science tend to represent men as overgrown boys at the mercy of testosterone, Y-chromosomes, and other biological factors beyond their control. Hugo Schwyzer—a professor of history and gender studies at Pasadena City College and speaker on issues revolving around sexuality, masculinity, and transforming self-image—led the discussion.
  • Pepperdine alumna Lindsay Carron and Courtney Branch, founders of the nonprofit Board Well, continued the 2011-12 Nonprofit Leadership Speaker Series on November 8, discussing arts advocacy and Board Well, and gave practical advice on how to start a nonprofit.
  • For more than a decade, the Pepperdine Wave Classic Golf Tournament has provided support for student scholarships, academic enrichment, career preparation programs, and the men's and women's golf teams. The 2011 day of golf and fellowship, hosted by the Seaver Parents Council and the Seaver Board of Visitors, took place November 7, at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
  • Director of the University of Santa Barbara Autism Clinic's Lynn Koegel and Claire LaZebnik, coauthors of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum, discussed the issues affecting families with teens on the autism spectrum during a November 5 event, "Autism and Families," in Payson Library, Malibu.
  • The Women in Public Policy (WPP) graduate student organization hosted a November 5 discussion with gender equality advocate Madeline Di Nonno, the executive director of The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media—a resource for the entertainment industry, the next generation of content-creators, and the public to support equality in the media—and its programming arm SEE JANE.
  • The Associated Women for Pepperdine (AWP) hosted its 2011 Fall Festival November 4, as a fundraiser for the organization, which offers financial assistance and service for the Christian students at Pepperdine University. The annual event allows participants to browse various crafts and merchandise of local vendors while supporting student scholarships.
  • The Graziadio School of Business and Management hosted the second annual SEER Business Symposium November 4. Formerly the Magill Business Symposium, this year's event centered on Pepperdine University's premier SEER certificate program as it relates to social, ethical, and environmental responsibility.
  • The W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series reconvened at Seaver College on November 3, with astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, who has logged over 188 days in space. Caldwell Dyson has worked inside Mission Control as spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for both Space Shuttle and ISS operations, and has logged over 188 days in space.
  • The Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) Diversity Council hosted an evening with Sibongile Mkhabela, the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital scheduled to open in 2012, on November 3. The event, "Giving Voice and Dignity to the African Child," took place at the University's West Los Angeles Graduate Campus.
  • The School of Law hosted Chief Justice Myron T. Steele, of the Delaware Supreme Court, on November 3, for a discussion of current issues in corporate law. Steele is the 7th Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court and served as a Supreme Court Justice from 2000 to 2004 his appointment as Chief Justice.
  • Pepperdine Libraries hosted Michael Wyschogrod and Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, two of the foremost scholars in Jewish-Christian relations, on November 1, to discuss the contemporary landscape of interfaith dialogue.