Letter from the Editor

Introducing Pepperdine Magazine

At this time of year, you hear a lot of talk about spring cleaning—letting go of what you don’t need to make room for what you do. But in Southern California we don’t know much about seasons, so we adopt a slightly different approach. At Pepperdine we like to take a close look at what we do well, and envision ways to do it better.

We surveyed you, our readers, in our periodicals last year to see what you liked and wanted to see in Pepperdine magazines. We conducted research to find out what we could learn from our friends. And we convened an advisory board with representatives from across the University to help us learn more about the amazing stories of Pepperdine University.

After lots of hard thinking, creative brainstorming, and a fair amount of caffeine, we’re proud to introduce Pepperdine Magazine. We’ve brought together the best features ofPepperdine Voice andPepperdine People to create a new magazine that tells the story of Pepperdine University, its community, and the issues of relevance to you.

We set some rules for ourselves. In each issue we commit to providing fresh and honest reporting from a variety of voices and perspectives. We aim to give you the opportunity to learn something new, feel moved by something special, and have a little fun along the way. (Read our mission statement on the next page for more of what we have in mind.)

We know that the magic of Pepperdine lies in its community—multifaceted people of spiritual, intellectual, and expressive depth. So in each issue we’ll take time to honor the believers, scholars, athletes, and artists among us.

You’ll get to hear from them in their own voices, as guest contributors impart wisdom, guidance, or humor while “In Focus,” and address topical issues through a unique lens in “Perspectives.”

You’ll also read the opinions of your fellow readers in our new “Letters to the Editor” section. To see your thoughts in print, go to magazine.pepperdine.edu and write us a note. Comment on individual stories, different approaches, or our new look. Love it or hate it, we want to know what you think.

While you’re on the Web site, log in to PAN Online to change your address, submit a class note, and read updates from old friends and classmates. Check out our Web exclusives as well as podcasts and videos.

We think you deserve the very best we have to offer you. And heeding the advice of our mothers, we promise to call more often. Keep an eye out for multiple issues of Pepperdine Magazine each year, and visit the Web site between issues to see what’s new.

While putting the finishing touches on this inaugural issue we realized a theme had emerged, one we hadn’t intentionally pursued. That theme is freedom: academic, emotional, religious, creative, and intellectual. All of us involved in Pepperdine Magazine are experiencing the thrill of freedom as well, charting a new course in sharing the very best of Pepperdine with you.

Spring cleaning feels pretty liberating.

Megan Huard
Editor