Pepperdine University Launches For Greater Purpose: the Campaign for Pepperdine

 The University’s historic $1 billion campaign to transform the future of Christian higher education through investments in students, faculty, scholarship, and global impact.

Pepperdine University launched its comprehensive campaign—For Greater Purpose—at a gala on Saturday, June 6, 2026, marking the next ambitious chapter in Pepperdine's 89-year story. The $1 billion campaign will mobilize a movement that values students as whole persons and equips them to uncover their God-given callings so they are fully prepared to make lasting impacts in their lives thereafter. 

President Jim Gash

“We are gathered here tonight at an inflection point,” said Jim Gash (JD ’93), president of Pepperdine University. “What an incredible privilege we’ve been given to write a new chapter—a catalytic, transformative chapter that will shape the future of higher education and steepen the already vertical trajectory of Pepperdine’s global moral leadership. . . . The world needs Pepperdine, and we stand ready to lead. We’ve been called, prepared, and equipped for such a time as this.”  

Community members, alumni, benefactors, faculty, and friends of the University gathered in Firestone Fieldhouse—completely reimagined as a setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where Pepperdine leaders presented a compelling vision for the future of Christian higher education. It is Pepperdine’s responsibility, they said, to invest resources into cultivating deep thinkers and moral leaders—recognizing each student as carrying infinite worth, stewarding their greater purpose. 

Dee Anna Smith

“What is your greater purpose? It is a question that sounds easy enough, but it has a way of going right to the heart,” said Dee Anna Smith (’86), Board of Regents and campaign chair. “[Purpose] is the calling underneath our work—the thread that connects our gifts, our opportunities, our relationships, and our responsibilities to something larger than ourselves. . . . At Pepperdine, we believe every person is made in the image of God and that every person is created for greater purpose. And that’s worth investing in.” 

Honoring Pepperdine’s commitment to academic rigor, this new campaign will be the vehicle to fund valuable initiatives across the University. From breakthrough scientific research and thought leadership on ethical AI innovation to expansion of the Great Books program and training the next generation of healthcare professionals at the College of Health Science, the campaign will further Pepperdine’s ability to implement its vision for the best higher education has to offer.

The campaign will also create opportunities for endowed chairs and professorships, ensuring that faculty continue to shape future generations of students in relentless pursuit of truth. It also will support spaces for experiential learning and community building such as the University’s Château d’Hauteville campus and the Mountain at Mullin Park in Malibu, among many others. 

Gash with Pat Boone, musician and co-chair of the University Board

“The ambition expressed in this campaign is a reflection of the beliefs, courage, optimism, and faith in God that President Gash possesses,” said Lauren Cosentino ('97, MBA '12), vice president for advancement and chief development officer. “So many in this room tonight have given their careers to this work, entrusted their own legacies to this work and the future of this place.” 

Throughout the evening, members of the University reflected on founder George Pepperdine’s declared purpose for Christian higher education. The Kansas native and visionary wrote in a 1957 essay,  “The private Christian college can give the student something in addition to first class academic training; something which is very important in the lives of young people: That is, religious and moral training . . . We want to teach the student how to live, as well as how to make a living.” 

“We are proud of Pepperdine’s legacy and trajectory,” added Jay Brewster, the University’s provost. “We have navigated 89 years of institutional and societal change without losing sight of our deep commitment to mission, and we are a truly unique institution in American higher education. . . .  May this University echo the declaration of God’s creation, celebrating his glory, and may we step confidently into the opportunities that lie before us. We gather talented students and faculty together with a clear purpose—to serve a world in need.” 

In March of 2026, Pepperdine launched the For Greater Purpose brand campaign, which illuminated its faith-inspired mission and student-centered educational curriculum through storytelling across social media platforms, institutional websites, and branded promotional content. Now, the University invites its community to move from inspiration to participation—joining a shared effort to invest in the next generation of moral leaders and tenacious scholars marked by God-given purpose, virtuous character, and enduring service. 

Please visit the For Greater Purpose: The Campaign for Pepperdine website to learn more and to give.