Pepperdine Waves History

George Pepperdine, the founder of Western Auto Supply Company, established Pepperdine University in 1937. He envisioned a college with the highest academic standards guided by the spiritual and ethical ideals of Christian faith. For thirty years, Pepperdine College was a small undergraduate school located in south-central Los Angeles. It gained university status in 1971 when a school of law was added and the business and education departments became separate schools. In 1972, through the generosity of Mrs. Frank Roger Seaver, Pepperdine opened a new 830-acre campus in Malibu. In 1975, the undergraduate program was named Seaver College in honor of the Seavers.

Pepperdine University is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, of which George Pepperdine was a lifelong member. It is nonsectarian and independent of ecclesiastical controls. Faculty, administrators, and members of the University's governing Board of Regents represent many religious backgrounds, and students of all faiths are welcome.

Pepperdine is an independent, private university located on 830 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, California. The University is recognized nationally for its excellent academic programs and enrolls approximately 8,000 full-time and part-time students in its five colleges and schools. With a full-time faculty of more than 300 professors and scholars, Pepperdine offers bachelor, master and doctoral studies in a wide range of disciplines.

Pepperdine Athletics

Pepperdine University sponsors 14 NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams-baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, volleyball and water polo teams for men, while women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

Since moving to Malibu in the early 1970's, Pepperdine's intercollegiate athletics program has soared to unprecedented success. In the last 24 seasons, Pepperdine teams have won 64 percent of their athletic contests, numerous student-athletes have garnered All-American accolades and several programs have earned national Top 25 rankings and advanced to post-season play.

The University's highly regarded athletics complex-which includes Eddy D. Field Stadium, Firestone Fieldhouse, Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, Teri Frahm Rokus Soccer Field, Stotsenberg Track and the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center-provides an ideal training environment for Pepperdine's student-athletes.