Pepperdine to Open New Student Center at The Mountain at Mullin Park

Pepperdine University will mark a major milestone in the development of The Mountain at Mullin Park when its new 43,000-square-foot Student Center opens on August 20, 2026.

The highly anticipated three-story building is designed to serve as the central hub for student life and will feature a state-of-the-art fitness center, lounges for students, and rooms for resilience coaching, creating abundant opportunities for students to exercise, recharge, connect, and thrive.

“This new student center is going to be transformative for our students. Words cannot express the level of excitement I have for this project, and I cannot wait for each student to experience everything here, from the brand-new gym to spots for meeting together,” said Phil Philips ('88, JD '92), executive vice president, during a President’s Briefing on August 5. 

Upon entering the facility, students will be met with a high-performance gym spanning the entire first floor furnished with more than 30 pieces of cardio equipment as well as selectorized machines, a large number of plate-loaded equipment, lifting racks, and a torque multi-station gym.

Exercise rooms with a view of the Pacific Ocean and brand-new fitness equipment

“For so many of us, the gym is a place of therapy, community, discipline, friendship, strength, and even a way to honor God with our bodies,” says Seaver College student Mia DiTommaso, who is looking forward to using the Student Center’s gym come the fall semester. “Academics matter, but so does our well-being. We can’t live with purpose if we neglect our physical and mental health. Gyms are everywhere, but a place on campus filled with the people we do life with is more than just a gym. It’s a place I’d call home.” 

The second floor of the Student Center will feature all-new spin bikes, Les Mills group workout equipment, a functional training room and Pilates reformer machines, and exercise rooms with a 180-degree view overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Balconies for late-night study sessions, early-morning hangouts, and afternoon catch-ups will also be available for student use on the second floor. A large student lounge with a ping-pong table, pool table, and movie projector will be located on the third floor.

First floor gym equipment for use this August 20

"Our vision for the new Student Center was simple: to create a home where our entire campus community could come together,” says Ben Veenendaal (’02), vice president for Pepperdine’s department of Planning, Operations, and Construction. “From the open plaza to the intentional design of the classrooms, fitness areas, and lounges, every inch of this facility is purposefully dedicated to student and community connection, shared meals, and holistic growth—providing a place for student experiences and growth beyond the classroom.” 

Pepperdine’s Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Institute will also be housed on the center’s third floor. Fully furnished office spaces for RISE program staff will enable the RISE team to expand its mission of equipping students with practical wellness skills that promote lifelong resilience. 

 

RISE coaching will be available for students throughout the semester at this new location, where coaches partner with students to work through potential challenges, set meaningful goals, and create practical action plans to enhance their resilience. In addition to RISE events, workshops, and trainings, both the Waves 100 and RISE 101 courses will be offered at the new Student Center location.

The Mountain Student Center illuminated at night

“The Mountain’s Student Center will greatly enhance the student life experience,” says Connie Horton (’82), vice chancellor and executive director of the RISE Institute. “The inviting space will not only provide ideal space to teach resilience skills but will also encourage students to engage in the very practices we teach them in RISE that will help them to lead physically, socially and spiritually resilient lives.” 

In May of 2026, the Mountain at Mullin Park entered into its final stages of construction, with the 3,600-seat sports arena set for completion this December. Beyond supporting the campus’s daily activities, this approximately 285,000-square-foot facility, which houses a parking structure, will prove integral to the University’s future large-scale events such as the Worship Summit and exciting athletic competitions. The University will host inaugural men’s and women’s basketball games on December 5 and 6. 

Learn more about the Mountain at Mullin Park.