PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2025

Pepperdine’s Washington, DC, campus added a new vice chancellor and a new public policy program. A renowned faith and policy leader with a distinguished background in diplomacy and religious liberty, Johnnie Moore helms the University’s campus in Washington, DC, and serves as the managing director of Pepperdine’s new Master of Middle East Policy Studies program. Launched by the School of Public Policy in partnership with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the initial cohort of students in the program began its studies in the fall. The rigorous academic curriculum includes a multicountry Near-East study tour.

Pepperdine Graziadio Business School’s Cristina Gibson, University Professor and Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Management, was a significant contributor to the Global Flourishing Study. Gibson coauthored six publications for the study, the largest international research effort ever conducted on human flourishing. As a study co-investigator, Gibson’s work has focused, among other issues, on how individuals’ level of income relates to their sense of financial security and hope.

Pepperdine received an R2 designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, underscoring its commitment to scholarly excellence. Recipients of the designation spend more than $5 million in research and development each fiscal year and award a minimum of 20 research doctorates annually. The recognition demonstrated the resolve of Pepperdine faculty, students, and administrators to gain new knowledge in service to society.

The Pepperdine College of Health Science held its inaugural student dedication ceremony in September. At the event, each of the college’s first cohort of nursing and speech-language pathology students received a Bible and their white caps or coats. The college’s new 30,000-square-foot facility in the Calabasas campus is serving as both a state-of-the-art healthcare-education complex and a welcoming space for students to gather and study. In May the founding dean of the new School of Physician Assistant Studies, Amy Bronson, began her tenure with Pepperdine in preparation for the addition of a physician assistant program in the fall of 2026. Alongside a demonstrated heart for service, Bronson’s extensive experience includes practice as a physician assistant and the direction of three different academic physician assistant programs.

Thought leaders shared their experiences and insights at this year’s President’s Speaker Series. Distinguished guests included the former president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, who reflected on his transition from academia to government and examined Poland’s role in the international arena, particularly its relationships with Russia and the US; psychologist and author Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, who explored how biblical stories shape human conduct, impact the development of the social order, and illuminate the nature of human identity; and former secretary of the US Air Force Barbara Barrett, who described how her upbringing in rural Pennsylvania prepared her to serve as an advocate for women and to promote freedom as an attorney and a military leader.

Construction of the Mountain at Mullin Park, a state-of-the-art athletics, events, fitness, and wellness complex in the heart of our Malibu campus, is well underway. To the delight of the Malibu campus community, the new parking structure opened in January, followed by a topping-out ceremony in May celebrating the completion of the highest structural point of the new events center. The Mountain is on schedule to open in late 2026.

The Quattrone Wrongful Convictions Appellate Clinic at the Caruso School of Law was established to offer law students hands-on experience in appellate practice. With significant support from Frank Quattrone and Denise Foderaro, and under the auspices of the Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service, the clinic will oversee students’ work with seasoned attorneys in seeking justice for those wrongfully convicted. The clinic’s first annual conference, “The Science of Justice: Evidence, Error, and Exonerations,” held in October, featured scholars, attorneys, and advocates steeped in the practice of seeking justice for the innocent.

The successes of Pepperdine student-athletes were notable this year for their variety. In addition to the extraordinary postseason run by the men’s volleyball program, the excellent performance of the women’s teams garnered Pepperdine its seventh WCC Women’s All-Sports Award. Individually, women’s tennis standout Savannah Broadus earned All-American honors, underscoring the University’s strength at the highest levels of collegiate competition. These achievements were all the more impressive when noting that Pepperdine student-athletes earned a record 3.33 departmental GPA for the 2024–25 year—the highest in Pepperdine Athletics’ history.