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News & Events Recaps

April 2005

  • Pepperdine’s chapter of Alpha Phi hosted its Second Annual Silent Auction on Apr. 2 to raise funds for cardiac care. The money raised was donated to the Alpha Phi Foundation, an organization that funds heart research and cardiac awareness. The chapter made the contribution in memory of Pepperdine’s physical education professor, Patti Bright.
  • Director of the Institute for the Study of Archaeology and Religion, John F. Wilson, discussed his authoritative book Ceasarea Philippi: Banias, The Lost City of Pan, on Apr. 4. The book explores the continuous history of the city of Banias, which has seen almost every age of history pass through it: from Canaanite times, via the Romans and the Crusades, to its eventual destruction in the 1967 Six Days War.  Herod, Vespasian, Saladin and even Mark Twain have all left their mark on the city of Pan.
  • Michael W. Casey, the Carl P. Miller Chair of Communication, published “Come Let us Reason Together: The Heritage of the Churches of Christ as a Source for Rhetorical Invention” in Rhetoric and Public Affairs, Vol. 7 (Winter 2004).  Several leading rhetorical scholars published essays in this issue.
  • Pepperdine’s Institute on Law, Religion and Ethics hosted two seminars. Samuel Ericcson, the founder and director of Advocates International, discussed the state of religious freedom in the world in the first lecture. Advocates International works in more than 100 countries where they assist local lawyers who handle religious freedom cases, often at risk to their lives. The second seminar was titled “Erasing the Tension Between Career and Mission: Law as the Practical Application of Deeply Held Values.” Rabbi Daniel Lapin is the founder and president of Toward Tradition. His address helped lawyers and law students of all faiths to see connections between their faith and the practice of law. 
  • Students Ekta Sem ('06), Jashan Grewal ('06), Ibukun Abidoye ('05) and Brian Reed ('08) went to Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, from Mar. 16 to 21 and helped repair damage caused by the devastating tsunamis which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in December. The group helped clean, repair and lift broken pieces of houses, shops and hotels.
  • The Graziadio School of Business and Management hosted its Dean's Executive Leadership Series featuring Los Angeles City Controller, Laura Chick on Apr. 6.  She held a discussion on the role of ethics in government and business and how politics as usual is no longer an excuse in today’s new world of accountability.
  • On Apr. 7, Susan Binkley discussed “The French Revolution and the Individual” as part of the World Languages and Literatures Lecture Series which is drawn from current faculty research.
  • Several Pepperdine GSEP (psychology) faculty including Drs. Louis Cozolino, Pamela Harmell, Edward Shafranske, and Duncan Wigg, lectured and conducted workshops on various topics in clinical psychology ranging from ethics, to religion in clinical work, to family issues at the California Psychological Associations (CPA) 59th Annual Convention. The convention on health, development and multiculturalism gave students and professionals the opportunity to network and learn from colleagues in the field, as well as to earn continuing education credits necessary for licensure.
  • Two School of Law appellate advocacy teams scored major wins at the Federal Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C.  Thirty teams competed, and Pepperdine team made up of Elliot Anderson and Joshua Hill, student-coached by Nick Firetag, won the competition by beating the University of Connecticut in the final round. Anderson earned Best Advocate awards in both the preliminary and final rounds. The team of Nori Horton and Kelly Craven, student-coached by Connie Chuang, were awarded Best Brief.
  • David Davenport, distinguished professor of public policy, and Jeffery M. Jones, a graduate student at the School of Public Policy, published an article in the latest edition of Policy Review titled “The Politics of Literacy” about the move in recent years to bring child literacy to the forefront of national political debate, specifically with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002.
  • The 2005 Seaver Dean’s Lecture Series hosted its final lecture of the school year with an address by Dr. Nancey Murphy, professor of Christian Philosophy from Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Murphy presented “Neuroscience and the Soul” in Smothers Theatre.
  • Tim Russert, moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press was the keynote speaker at Pepperdine University’s 29th annual Pepperdine Associates Dinner. The black-tie event honored the University's extended family of friends, alumni and benefactors on Apr. 12 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.  Pepperdine’s acclaimed Concert Choir performed under the direction of Professor Milt Pullen.
  • The School of Law hosted guest speaker, John Malcolm, director of World-Wide Anti-Piracy Operations for the Motion Picture Association.  He discussed illegal downloading and its effect on the entertainment industry.
  • Students from Pepperdine, Duke, Georgetown and the University of Missouri at Columbia showcased their skills as “grillers” at the “The Next Grilleration: George Foreman’s College Grill-off” staged for a nationally televised contest. The competition took place on the Malibu campus in Adamson Plaza and the program was recorded for the Food Network as a one-hour special.  Mr. Foreman attended the event. 
  • The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art presented a senior student art exhibition titled Overload Apr. 14 through 30.
  • Michael Shires, associate professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, was elected the Secretary of the Committee of Institutional Representatives Committee (CIR) of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. The CIR is the organizational portion of APPAM that addresses issues raised by APPAM’s host of international institutional members.  It also organizes and sponsors the organization’s Annual Spring Conference. Professor Shires was tapped to serve a two-year term.
  • Ambassador Andrew Jacovides and Dr. Pieter Bekker presented a panel discussion on “International Law Responses to Terrorism.”  The session was held in the School of Law’s Appellate Courtroom and dealt with the international legal community's efforts since September 11 to develop stronger rules to combat international terrorism. The event was sponsored by the International Law Society.
  • April Marshall, assistant professor of Spanish in the International Studies and Languages Division, presented the paper “Portraying Plague in Puenzo's La Peste” at the National Popular Culture and American Culture Associations Conference in San Diego.
  • Dr. Carolyn Vos Strache, professor of physical education and director of the London International Program, published a paper entitled “The Female Physique: Motives Guiding Self-Evaluation.” Co-authored with students Alana Strong and Cheree Peterson, the article appeared in the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, Vol. 13 No.2, Fall, 2004. The work was supported by the Seaver College Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
  • Khalil E. Jahshan, executive director of the Washington, D.C., internship program, participated in two panels at an interfaith conference in Palm Beach, Florida, entitled, “Searching for Shared Values in a Divided World.” The conference was organized by The Aspen Institute, the Center for Workable Solutions and the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
  • The John Pizzarelli Trio, one of the world's hottest jazz ensembles, performed its inventive interpretations of classic American songs at Pepperdine’s Smothers Theatre on Apr. 21. The concert was co-sponsored by KKJZ-FM.
  • The School of Public Policy announced the establishment of the Forstmann Scholarships thanks to a generous gift of $1 million from its long-time friend, philanthropist Theodore J. Forstmann. Twenty-four students will receive significant scholarship assistance over the next two academic years. An additional 10 to 15 students will receive funding for applied research projects. The scholarships embrace Forstmann’s long-standing commitment to education and his personal interests in the social and spiritual benefits of free markets and traditional values.
  • The Graziadio School's Dean Executive Leadership Series featured bestselling author Dennis Bakke on April 25. As co-founder and former CEO of AES -- a worldwide energy company with revenues of $8.6 billion -- Mr. Bakke revealed how he helped create a company where every decision made at the top was lamented as a lost chance to delegate responsibility and where all employees were encouraged to take the “game-winning shot even when it wasn’t a slam-dunk.”
  • The Graziadio School of Business and Management hosted the first annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Forum on May 9. GSBM alumnus Dan Deeney served as the featured presenter. In addition to being a lecturer with the Wharton School’s Venture Capital program, he is also a partner with New Venture Partners, a venture capital firm with $400 million under management focused on communications and IT investments.
  • Pepperdine honored legendary baseball coach John Scolinos, an alumnus who coached the Waves from 1946 to 1960, on May 1. The Pepperdine Athletic Department unveiled and dedicated a plaque with the announcement of the John Scolinos Distinguished Player Award. The program included a tribute dinner and special program in Coach Scolinos' honor.
  • GSBM’s Management Partners presented “Entrepreneurs Revealed:  The Secrets of Their Success” on April 27.  A special networking reception was hosted by Management Partners with a panel of CEO entrepreneurs.
  • The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion, featured grand, full-stage magic, at Smothers Theatre on April. 23.
  • Pepperdine men's tennis team vanquished the West Coast Conference's second-seeded University of San Diego in the championship match on April 24. It represented the 15th consecutive conference trophy won by the men’s tennis team.
  • Pepperdine women's tennis team beat the University of San Diego at the West Coast Conference tournament in San Diego. The Waves won the championship trophy for the 14th time in 15 years.
  • Faculty, staff, students, friends and family of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) participated in the Revlon Run/Walk For Women on May 7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park. The Run/Walk was held for the fight against women's cancers.
  • On Apr. 28, in Washington, D.C., graduating senior Ileana Abreau, a Spanish and international studies major, testified in front of the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies in regard to the importance of federal student aid funding. She spoke on behalf of Pepperdine’s Student Aid Alliance and the American Council on Education.  On the same day, Pepperdine junior Trinity Thorpe testified before the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee, which focused on “Providing Quality Postsecondary Education: Access and Accountability.” Thorpe, a psychology and French major, was awarded full tuition to Pepperdine and the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
  • Pepperdine's Seaver College hosted the 2005 commencement ceremony on Saturday, Apr. 30 at Alumni Park.  Receiving the Honorary Doctorate was John Whitney Payson, a 1966 alumnus of Pepperdine University and one of the art world's leading ambassadors. Stephanie Riggs, news anchor for CBS 4 in Denver and Emmy winner, received a Distinguished Alumni award.