MSN_032218

16 | March 22, 2018 | Malibu surfside news News
malibusurfsidenews.com
Pepperdine president since 2000 to step down next year
Submitted by Pepperdine
University
Pepperdine University
President and Chief Executive
Officer Andrew
K. Benton has announced
his intent to conclude his
presidency at the end of the
2018–2019 academic year.
In a prepared
statement to the
university community,
Benton
said he and
his wife have
decided it is a
good time for a
Benton
change and that he has asked
the Board of Regents to begin
the process for selecting
a new president.
“This is a significant
change that, while difficult,
we believe comes at just the
right time — for Pepperdine,
for our students, and
for us,” Benton said. “As
president, I have always
tried to make the hardest
institutional decisions
from a position of strength,
and because of the talent
and passion of our people
throughout the last several
decades, I can confidently
say that Pepperdine has
never been stronger academically,
spiritually, and
financially.”
As he anticipates his final
year of service as president,
Benton plans to stay
focused on the strategic
priorities he believes will
add value to the student experience
and Pepperdine’s
reputation among elite universities.
These initiatives
include the completion
of the new Seaside Residence
Hall and School of
Law renovation, plans for
a revitalized Washington,
D.C. program and facility,
and securing funds for a
new student recreation and
events center.
“Our aspirations for Andy’s
success have been realized
beyond our dreams,
and he has become one of
our nation’s truly great university
presidents,” said
Board of Regents Chairman
Ed Biggers.
Benton has committed
to serving as president until
his successor is found
and will continue to serve
as president emeritus following
the conclusion of
his presidency. At the end
of his presidential tenure,
Benton will be the longestserving
president in Pepperdine’s
80-year history.
Benton was announced
as the seventh president
of Pepperdine on Dec. 7,
1999, and inaugurated in
September 2000. He led
Pepperdine to prominence
among the nation’s top universities,
overseeing key
initiatives including construction
of the Drescher
Graduate Campus and
identifying headquarters
for the Pepperdine Graziadio
Business School and
Graduate School of Education
and Psychology at
a new campus in West Los
Angeles. Progress during
his tenure is also marked
by the opening of new campuses
in Lausanne, Shanghai,
and Washington, D.C.;
the launch of Waves of Innovation;
the dedication of
the Keck Science Center,
Mullin Town Square, and
the Runnels Sports and
Recreation Village; and the
endowment and creation of
more than a dozen centers
and institutes across the institution.
Total university assets
increased by more than $1
billion during the Benton
administration, and undergraduate
applications
at Seaver College have
doubled, with more than
12,000 prospective students
applying in fall 2018.
The university also made
prolific advances in online
education, strengthened by
strategic partnerships with
leading education technology
companies like 2U,
and last year the campus
community celebrated the
reopening of a fully modernized
Payson Library following
an expansive renovation
that transformed the
space into a library for the
information age.
Benton has also presided
over a partnership with
sports and live entertainment
company Anschutz
Entertainment Group.
Launched in 2017, the
agreement names Pepperdine
as the exclusive education
partner of STAPLES
Center, L.A. LIVE, and
the LA Kings while working
with AEG to create a
world-class sports and entertainment
management
educational program. Applying
a distinctive portfolio
of shared attributes in
business and education, the
initiative has led to a series
of cutting-edge academic
offerings, including the
debut of a state-of-the-art
Pepperdine classroom in
STAPLES Center.
One of Benton’s signature
achievements was the
successful completion of
the Campaign for Pepperdine,
raising $470.8 million
from more than 49,000 donors.
Persevering through
the economic challenges of
the recession of 2008 and
highlighted by the university’s
75th anniversary in
2012, the campaign created
more than 200 scholarships
and a host of other academic
and student-serving
assets for the university.
Benton’s term has also
celebrated national championships
in men’s volleyball,
men’s tennis, women’s
sand volleyball and numerous
conference victories
in multiple sports. Often
called “the students’ president,”
Benton regularly
teaches courses within the
university and is deeply
involved in the lives of students.
Benton joined Pepperdine’s
central administration
team in 1984, serving
in executive leadership
roles including assistant
vice president, vice president
for administration,
vice president for university
affairs, and executive
vice president. Over the
years, he played a role in
Please see Pepperdine, 17
Honoring a gifted trio
Optimist Club crowns
3 MHS students as
essay contest winners
Submitted by The Malibu
Optimist Club
The Malibu Optimist Club
recently held its annual essay
contest for high school students
and honored the winners at its
March 8 breakfast meeting.
The essay topic was “Can
Society Function Without Respect?”
All three winners were from
Malibu High School.
The first place winner was Alexandra
Galvan, who received
the gold medal and $300. In
second place was Dell Zuckerman,
who received the silver
medal and $200. Wrapping up
third place was Bradley Sides,
who received the bronze medal
along with $100.
RIGHT: Malibu Optimists
Frank Brady (far left) and Tony
Lardas (far right) pose with
Malibu High School students
(left to right) Bradley Sides,
Alexandra Galvan and Dell
Zuckerman at the Malibu
Optimist Club’s March 8
breakfast meeting.
Photo Submitted