20th Anniversary
Since 1999 the Center for Faith and Learning (CFL) at Pepperdine has fostered a culture of reflection on vocational discernment and the University's Christian identity and academic mission. Over the past 20 years, thousands of faculty, staff, students, and administrators have participated in the CFL's "faith and learning" events including vocational retreats, academic workshops, and international pilgrimages. As such, CFL is the only formal entity that brings community members together from all five Pepperdine schools for such purposes.
Formal Celebration
In commemoration of its 20th anniversary, CFL is hosting a number of special activities spanning two years. The formal celebration is scheduled for Fall 2021 (NOTE: due to COVID-19, the original Fall 2020 schedule was revised). That FALL 2021 celebration will feature the following:
- An invitational anniversary luncheon that brings together former directors, donors, and friends of the CFL
- A plenary lecture open to the public and delivered by the distinguished Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury
- A reunion reception for alumni of all CFL events from the past 20 years
Guest Speaker: Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian, and noted poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from 2002 to 2012. Williams has held a number of faculty posts at universities including University of Cambridge and University of Oxford, was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1990, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2003, and of the Learned Society of Wales in 2010.
In 2005 Williams was invited to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury to attend a funeral of a Pope since the break under King Henry VIII. In 2013 Williams was admitted as the 35th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge (retired 2020), and was also appointed chancellor of the University of South Wales. In 2017 he was made an honorary Professor of Contemporary Christian Thought by the University of Cambridge.
He is a noted poet and translator of poetry, speaks or reads 10 different languages, and his writings span a wide range of theological, historical, and political themes. Williams holds a doctor of divinity degree from University of Oxford and has received numerous honorary doctorates.