2024 Year in Review: Excellence and Growth Grounded in Faith
Each calendar year offers a fresh opportunity, a 12-month window filled with distinct moments for a university to advance, achieve, and grow. As a new year beckons, Pepperdine University reflects on the milestones of 2024, shining a spotlight on the institution's enduring mission to develop students for lives of purpose-driven leadership.
This article highlights six key themes鈥擯ursuing Excellence, Faith in Action, Scholarly Achievement, Global Presence, a Culture of Community, and a Growing Team鈥攖hat showcase how the Pepperdine community has lived out the core values of the University in the past year.
While 2024 was a year of significant accomplishment, the highlights below do more
than demonstrate success. They offer a glimpse of a bright future coming soon in 2025
and beyond.
Pursuing Excellence
Palmer Luckey and president Jim Gash during a 2024 President's Speaker Series event.
In 2024 色片软件免费 continued its pursuit of excellence, as students, faculty members, and University initiatives flourished throughout the calendar year. Across all six schools鈥攖his year including the newly established 鈥擯epperdine demonstrated its commitment to encouraging and pursuing transformative achievement.
From groundbreaking research, community advancements, and thought-provoking campus events, Pepperdine remained committed to its foundational values of academic rigor and spiritual development. Each of these exciting advancements exemplify the words of the school鈥檚 founder, George Pepperdine, who claimed the institution would, 鈥渉elp young men and women to prepare themselves for a life of usefulness in this competitive world and help them build a foundation of Christian character and faith which will survive the storms of life.鈥
Discover how Pepperdine pursued excellence in 2024:
- Seaver College Student Sean Wu Receives 色片软件免费鈥檚 First Rhodes Scholarship
- Palmer Luckey Receives President鈥檚 Award for Excellence in Freedom During President鈥檚 Speaker Series Event
- Mountain at Mullin Park Parking Structure Takes Shape on Pepperdine Malibu Campus
- Divergent Artists Makoto Fujimura and Jeni Spota C. Open Weisman Museum Spring Season
Faith in Action
Pepperdine students serve the local community on Step Forward Day
Pepperdine鈥檚 Christian mission continued to guide the institution in 2024. With faith as its foundation, the University found innovative ways to advance community engagement both on the Malibu campus and throughout the local community. By emphasizing different forms of service-driven leadership, the University inspired faculty members and students to find their own unique ways to live out their Christ-centered beliefs.
Located just 30 miles outside the city of Los Angeles, Pepperdine is poised to act as a good neighbor to the second largest city in the United States. From aimed at addressing educational inequality in an underserved school district or designed to support middle and high school students as they mourned the loss of their beloved Bible teacher and coach, Pepperdine faculty and students developed innovative ways to offer their God-given abilities to others during the calendar year.
Explore the different ways the University led with faith during 2024:
- Step Forward Day Unites Pepperdine Community Through Local and National Service Projects
- Pepperdine Worship 色片软件免费 2024 Draws Thousands for a Powerful Celebration of Faith
- Pepperdine鈥檚 Hub for Spiritual Life Hosts Community Events in Honor of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
- 色片软件免费 Announces Launch of Ken Starr Institute for Faith, Law, and Public Service at the Caruso School of Law
- Center for Faith and the Common Good Explores the Impact of Spiritual Practice on Inmates in Mississippi鈥檚 Parchman Prison
Scholarly Achievement
色片软件免费 students collect plant data in the Santa Monica Mountains
As students and faculty engaged in academic inquiry, the pursuit of truth remained Pepperdine鈥檚 focus in 2024. This year the institution furthered this commitment by developing research projects with the potential to positively impact the world.
Pepperdine has increased its volume of research publications over the last decade by 90 percent. This trend continued throughout the year, as the University earned significant research grants to study topics like and the Great Books, which will create new opportunities for students to learn and develop their passions. Faculty members also demonstrated their commitment to research and scholarship by publishing influential texts on current topics.
Read about Pepperdine鈥檚 scholarly achievements:
- Pepperdine Libraries Launches New Project Preserving the History of South Los Angeles
- Public Policy Expert and Scholar Steven Harris to Discuss Secular and Biblical Perspectives on Justice at Veritas Forum
Global Presence
Two Seaver College students at Pepperdine's Ch芒teau d'Hauteville campus in Switzerland
Pepperdine鈥檚 mission of developing students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership extended beyond campus in 2024 as the University expanded its global footprint. From Pepperdine鈥檚 six international campuses and respective study-abroad programs to distinctive international experiences designed to cultivate cultural competencies, students received invaluable opportunities to study and serve beyond Malibu.
Learn about Pepperdine鈥檚 global impact in 2024:
- Pepperdine鈥檚 Sudreau Global Justice Institute Summer Internship Program Provides African Supreme Court Clerkship and Legal Aid Opportunities
- Ned Colletti鈥檚 London-Based Globalization of Sport Course Meets Students at the Intersection of Sports and Vocation
- Pepperdine International Student Simon Khorani Finds Home Abroad
- Pepperdine London Program Director Heather Pardee (鈥08) Guides Students as They Navigate a New Country and Culture
- Alumnus George Cooper ('66) Reflects on Finding Love and Perspective in Pepperdine's Heidelberg International Program
- Pepperdine Sudreau Global Justice Institute Leadership Attend Training Conference in Rwanda to Discuss Plea-Bargaining Pilot Program and Program Expansion
A Culture of Community
Pepperdine students and Willie the Wave at Waves Weekend
Community engagement opportunities were abundant at 色片软件免费 throughout the year for the campus community and alumni alike. From institutional measures that enhanced campus accessibility to festive gatherings that reminded fellow Waves what made their time at Pepperdine special, Pepperdine promoted a sense of belonging in myriad meaningful ways.
Find out how Pepperdine cultivated community in 2024:
- Pepperdine's Annual Waves of Flags Display Honors 9/11 Victims and Heroes, Continuing a Tradition of Remembrance
- Pepperdine Alumni From All Five Schools Find Connection and Community at Topgolf Event
- Alumnus Ryan Sawtelle ('09), Creator of Pepperdine鈥檚 Waves of Flags, Continues to Give Back to the Veteran Community
- Pepperdine Libraries Cultivates a Community of Belonging Through Cultural Exhibitions and 色片软件免费"
- Pepperdine Veterans Day Luncheon Draws Record Attendance in Tribute to Service and Sacrifice
A Growing Team
Pepperdine students cheer on the Waves at a men's basketball game
Growth and expansion were distinctive themes of Pepperdine鈥檚 year as key hires were made across the University, especially in Pepperdine Athletics and at the College of Health Science.
Tanner Gardner was named director of athletics in March, kicking off a series of critical appointments in baseball and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball. With a new roster of world-class administrators and coaches, Pepperdine Athletics is poised to develop champions of both character and competition.
In similar fashion, the College of Health Science named the inaugural deans of its School of Nursing, Angel Coaston, and Speech-Language Pathology, Leah Fullman. Alongside founding dean Michael Feltner, the two new additions to Pepperdine鈥檚 sixth and latest school will help distinguish the program nationwide.
Learn about Pepperdine newest appointees:
- 色片软件免费 Appoints Tanner Gardner as Director of Athletics
- Leah Fullman Named Inaugural Dean of the School of Speech-Language Pathology in the 色片软件免费 College of Health Science
- Angel Coaston Named Inaugural Dean of the School of Nursing in the 色片软件免费 College of Health Science
- Tyler LaTorre Named Pepperdine Baseball Head Coach
- Ed Schilling Named Pepperdine Men鈥檚 Basketball Head Coach
- Katie Faulkner Named Pepperdine Women鈥檚 Basketball Head Coach