News and Events
2008 Featured Stories
Pepperdine Graduates Awarded California Capital Fellowships
The prestigious California Capital Fellows Program accepts fewer than 20 fellows annually to its four programs, and this fall two of those spaces will be taken by Pepperdine graduates Andrea Lane and Grant Lea. Lane (MA '08, GSEP) will work with a California State Senator during her 11-month Senate Fellowship, while Lea (B '08, SC) has been selected for the Executive Fellowship. Fellows work full-time in public policy as members of a legislative, executive, or judicial branch office.
Business School Students Learn Lessons from the Classics
Four years ago business professors Samuel Seaman and Michael Williams put their heads together and envisioned an opportunity for Pepperdine students to look at business ethics from different perspectives. They discussed what a course might look like that used literature exclusively - an intriguing and innovative idea for a course that, to look at the required reading list, more closely resembles a Great Books class at Seaver College.
Alumnus Curt Thornton Gives Marketing a Whole New Dimension
Remember that classic Star Wars scene when R2-D2 projects a 3-D image of Princess Leia begging Obi-Wan for help? Thirty years later, that technology is no longer just a figment of movie magic. Through his company Provision Interactive, Inc., entrepreneur Curt Thornton is bringing this "wow-factor" technology into grocery stores, car dashboards, and even your living room.
School of Public Policy Grad Spearheads New Scholarly Journal
Not too many graduate students can honestly say that they've left an indelible mark on their institution. But Matt Piccolo, 2008 graduate of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, is not like many other graduate students. He pioneered the first-ever edition of the Pepperdine Policy Review, a student-run journal designed to spark conversation among public policy thinkers and showcase the best scholarly work of Pepperdine students.
Sherli Shamtoub Receives National Award for Women's Rights
"My mom didn't sleep for two months," says Sherli Shamtoub (JD '08, SOL) with a guilty giggle. Those were the two months that Shamtoub was in Chiang Mai, Thailand, working with women who had fallen into a life of prostitution and trafficking. In the end, however, Shamtoub knew that if she didn't pursue her passion for women's rights, she'd have a lifetime of sleepless nights ahead of her.
Alumnus Jerry Golphenee Brings Solace to Suffering Children in Kathmandu
Judy and Jerry Golphenee (B '62, GPC) planned to spend two years in Nepal on a dentistry assignment. Eleven years later, they remain living and working in the country, running a flourishing nonprofit agency called Children of Kathmandu. The organization sponsors 54 children, providing tuition, books, uniforms, food, lodging, medicine, clothing, and most importantly, love and support.
Back to the Future
For Jennifer Bañuelos' fifth grade students, college is just around the corner.
Born and raised in Inglewood, California, as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant family, she was the first in her family to attend college. She essentially "went it alone" in navigating the application and financial aid processes. Now more than halfway through her master's program at the Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Bañuelos takes the college talk to work — at her student teaching placement, Manzanita Elementary School in Newbury Park, California.
Fantastic Five: Meet Pepperdine's Recently Recognized Fulbright Scholars
A record number of Pepperdine students have been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student scholarship this year, leading five recent Seaver College graduates to teach or study overseas for the 2008 to 2009 academic year. Here's look at the five recipients.
Seaver College Graduates Teach for America
Of the 13 million American children growing up in poverty, about half will graduate from high school. They will perform, on average, at an eighth-grade level. Twelve graduates of the Seaver College Class of 2008 are doing something to change this through Teach for America, an organization dedicated to addressing educational inequality in the United States.
Alumnus Keith McFarland Authors Bestselling Business Book
Topping the bestseller lists recently is The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers, a new book by Pepperdine alumnus Keith McFarland. The author sat down to discuss the book with his longtime friend and colleague, Mark Mallinger, associate dean of full-time MBA programs at the Graziadio School of Business and Management.
A Pioneer in the Certified Organic Fair-trade Industry
Every great plan begins with the seed of an idea. In Jeremy Black's case, it all started with a berry. After becoming aware of an unknown Amazon superfruit called açaí in the late 1990s, Black (B '96, SC) left his job as a top-producing, registered investment advisor to cofound Sambazon, or Sustainable Management of the Brazilian Amazon.
The Chance to Excel
Dr. Graciela Italiano-Thomas Brings Education and Opportunity to Young Children
Dr. Graciela Italiano-Thomas (EdD '97, GSEP), president and CEO of Thrive by Five Washington, is passionate about children. A staunch advocate for improving childcare, she works to raise the quality of preschools, increase opportunities for parent education, and highlight other early learning opportunities.
Natural Connection: Adiyah Ali Brings a Personal Touch to Human Rights
"Dorm Mom." That's how Adiyah Ali (M '04, SPP) describes her former role as resident director assistant in the Pepperdine undergraduate dorms. Such responsibility might seem unpleasant at best for a busy graduate student, but this was not a just a job for Ali. It was her inspiration and source of energy. Today Ali channels this energy as a field organizer for Amnesty International's Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alumni Chris Detert and Guy Jordan Bring New Energy to the PR World
"I set up a tent in my backyard," remembers Chris Detert (SC '01), "and filled it with shoes. I'd take people to my car or meet them in an alley or parking lot - anything I could do to talk about those shoes." Detert tirelessly hit the streets to promote his first client Osiris Shoes. He set up a home office and saved capital for a business space. From these humble beginnings grew American Rebel PR.
Regan Schaffer Leads American Humanics Scholars
By the time Gabriella Neumann graduated from Seaver College, she had logged more than 900 hours of volunteer service and joined a thriving community dedicated to nonprofit management: the American Humanics Scholars. The national alliance of colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations is dedicated to preparing future generations of nonprofit leaders. Now in its 60th year, the organization partners with nearly 75 universities nationwide.
Pepperdine Biologist Receives Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching
Dr. Stephen D. Davis, Distinguished Professor of Biology at Pepperdine University, has been named by Baylor University as the 2008 recipient of the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, the only national teaching award - with the single largest monetary reward of $200,000 - presented by a college or university to an individual for exceptional teaching.
