PeppGraphic

06/11/2025

: Connie Horton, vice president for Student Affairs, has been appointed Vice Chancellor for the RISE Institute, according to a June 11 email from President Jim Gash. Dean of Students Sharon Beard is replacing Horton as Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. Until recently, Beard’s husband, Alan Beard, sat on the Board of Regents, but his name has since been removed from the University’s website.

“In Pepperdine University’s ongoing commitment to fostering well-being and resilience, I am pleased to announce the launch of the RISE Institute, an expansion of the University’s existing Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) program, which empowers students with wellness skills to promote life-long resilience in the face of life’s challenges,” Gash wrote.

Horton has been working at Pepperdine since 2005, where she held multiple positions until she became the Vice President for Student Affairs in 2017. In her new role, it will be her responsibility to continue overseeing the RISE program at Pepperdine and lead efforts to expand the reach and impact of the RISE framework to support resilience development in a multitude of environments.

“What began as a campus-based initiative is now evolving into a national model, with plans to expand into global communities seeking resilience-focused education and support,” Gash wrote. “RISE has already been implemented in a number of other colleges and universities, K–12 schools, and churches. “

Sharon Beard became Dean of Students in April, 2022 after being the Associate Dean of Students within the Office of Community Standards since 2003. She has also held roles within Student Activities, where she directed New Student Orientation and advised student organizations.

Until recently, Alan Beard served as vice chair of the Faith and Heritage Committee on the Board of Regents, which oversees and manages all Pepperdine practices and policies of in regard to religion and spiritual life.

05/29/2025

The California Board of Registered Nursing approved two of Pepperdine's initial nursing programs Wednesday, according to a May 28 email sent by Michael Feltner, founding dean of the College of Health Science. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Entry Level Master's in Nursing, Clinical Nurse Leader (ELM-CNL) programs are set to welcome their inaugural classes in August.

The decision was the final step in gaining accreditation for Pepperdine's first two nursing degree programs, first announced in March 2024. The four-year Bachelor's program will combine classroom learning with clinical experience, with undergraduates completing their latter two years on Pepperdine's Calabasas campus. The seven-semester Master's program, taught fully in Calabasas, will prepare and make graduate students eligible for the NCLEX-RN and CNL certification exams and meet the requirements for a public health nurse certification.

Photo by Mary Elisabeth

05/24/2025

Pacific Coast Highway reopened to the public, Friday, May 23. Two lanes in each direction are open, with a 25 mph speed limit in active work zones, according to KTLA.

Traffic signals at Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Big Rock Drive, La Costa Beach Club and Carbon Canyon Road will be flashing red and should be approached as all-way stops, according to city of Malibu. The right lane on southbound PCH will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and stopping in the burn area is prohibited.

PCH originally closed in early January due to the Palisades Fire.

Photos by Jon Jimenez

04/29/2025

The Pepperdine Step Team is in contact with Pepperdine authorities after an alleged racially motivated incident with two players on the Women’s Tennis team Thursday, March 27. The incident is bringing to light a possible flaw within Pepperdine’s Code of Conduct, according to members of the Step Team.

The Step Team was practicing for Psi Upsilon’s yearly philanthropy event, Psi U Think You Can Dance (PUTYCD), at around 8 p.m., on the Ralph-Straus tennis courts when the incident occurred, junior Step Team Captain Mia Adu-gyamfi said.

“It was dark, so we couldn't really see anything at this time, and I had the girls running a drill,” Adu-gyamfi said. “Everybody was on the floor.�I had their eyes closed because I wanted them to listen to each other.”

The Pepperdine Step Team is accusing two members of the Women's Tennis Team of a racially motivated incident that occurred March 27. Pepperdine's Code of Conduct does not mention Title VI as protection against racial discrimination.

04/24/2025

University Church of Christ Malibu (UCC) had been Pepperdine University’s sole on-campus Church of Christ for over 53 years, but that changed when Waves Church began in Fall 2023.

The announcement of Waves Church’s establishment was made during a Sunday morning worship service at University Church in June of 2023. Waves Church officially opened about two months later Aug. 20, 2023. Although University Church maintains its identity as an intergenerational congregation and Waves Church mostly targets college students, the question of what Pepperdine's church is remains.

And the answer is complicated.

“We're all on this campus, we are all worshiping the same God and believe in the same savior and are doing the work,” said Alan Beard, a founding member of Waves Church. “We have two different approaches, and I think part of the benefit of the Church of Christ tradition, and of Waves Church at Pepperdine and UCC, is that it allows two different groups of people to try to accomplish the goals using different approaches.”

Pepperdine has two on-campus churches: University Church of Christ Malibu and Waves Church, the latter of which started in 2023. Their histories illustrate a changing university.

04/23/2025

Through a pandemic and a restructuring of on-campus spiritual life, students leading Veritas have needed to balance different visions for what the club is and what it could be.

From its conception, Veritas functioned uniquely among clubs, with an advisory council and a large endowment. But over the years, the way the university managed Veritas changed structurally, giving students the keys to shape it to be what they wanted.

But after the COVID-19 pandemic, students and staff differed on the purpose of the club. Within these differences, conflicts emerged that fundamentally impacted the direction of the club.

Regardless, a range of people at Pepperdine, from current students to alumni, to staff, said they value the club.

“Veritas — it offers a unique perspective that other campus ministries don’t,” Chancellor of Pepperdine Sara Jackson said. “I think it has a very unique niche, and I think a lot of people don’t understand that.”

Since 2009, Pepperdine has hosted a Veritas Forum. But through its tenure, the club's identity and purpose have evolved, guided by student and University interests.

04/23/2025

The Graphic asked seniors to reflect on their time at Pepperdine by answering the prompt: During your time at Pepperdine, how have you experienced Pepperdine change culturally, academically or otherwise? What is your opinion about these changes? Do you have faith in the future of Pepperdine?

The Graphic asked seven seniors from across Seaver College to reflect upon how Pepperdine's community and culture has changed during their four years. They share concerns, hopes and observations about faith communities on campus, the President's Speaker Series, perseverance through tragedy and much....

04/23/2025

For several years, Seaver College faculty have voiced their concerns about shared governance at Pepperdine.

The Seaver Faculty Senate (SFS) serves as a way for professors to voice their opinions and spark change, said Colin Storm, SFS Communication Division representative and assistant professor of Communication. SFS committee members use the senate as a way to voice their opinions on academic, administrative and professional matters, according to the SFS constitution.

“I think in that way, Seaver Faculty Senate serves as sort of a melting pot of voices from around campus,” Storm said.

The Seaver Faculty Senate serves as a space for faculty on campus to voice their opinions in hopes of sparking change. Representative of all faculty on campus, SFS is a way to connect Pepperdine faculty to administration.

04/22/2025

On Monday, March 4, 2019, former Caruso associate dean Jim Gash stepped into a crowded Elkins Auditorium, a room full of expectancy and standards, and officially commenced his time as President.

Gash is now wrapping up his fifth year as President of Pepperdine University. Throughout his tenure, he has faced the global pandemic, multiple wildfires, tragedy and victories.

“My goal in taking the baton was doing what my predecessors had done,” Gash said. “And the idea is each time a president gets the baton from his, or her someday, a predecessor, then the goal is to continue to climb the mountain.”

When President Jim Gash first came to Pepperdine, three of his major goals included increasing fundraising, enhancing the faith aspect on campus and improving the academics. Throughout his tenure as president, Gash has had to endure a global pandemic, wildfires and other tragedies.

04/22/2025

In essence, what is Pepperdine like five years into Jim Gash’s presidency? What has happened in those five years?

Those questions are too complicated and weighty, however, to leave them in the hands of editorials. Instead, what is necessary is reporting on the stories in as clear and informative a way as possible.

So here is the labor from talented reporters and stories concerning what it is like for the administration, faculty, students and churches five years into Jim Gash’s tenure. Alongside several reflections from the senior class members on how Pepperdine has changed during their time as students, these stories will hopefully clarify something necessary about leadership that an editorial from some egotistical senior would fail to show.

To complete an exploration of Pepperdine's mission statement, editorials needed to be left behind. Special Edition Editor Eliot Cox recounts how The Leadership Edition came to be and why he finds it important.

04/21/2025

The Spring 2025 Special Edition — The Leadership Edition — has arrived!!📰💫

Read about Gash’s presidency five years in, the Seaver Faculty Senate, senior reflections and more!

Read the Leadership Edition from the link in our bio or on our website.

https://pepperdine-graphic.com/special-edition-5-years-in/

04/19/2025

The President's Office hosted the conservative public intellectual Jordan Peterson in Firestone Fieldhouse on April 7.

The event, part of the ongoing President's Speaker Series initiated during President Jim Gash's administration, drew around 2,600 attendees. Peterson's appearance consisted of a 30-minute lecture on Christian morality and a 45-minute conversation with Gash.

“It’s quite something to be at a friendly university,” Peterson said, after walking on stage.

President Jim Gash gave a warm welcome to conservative public intellectual Jordan Peterson at the April 7 event, which nearly filled Firestone Fieldhouse. Peterson discussed morality, self-improvement and masculinity through a psychological interpretation of biblical stories.