Open-minded. Participatory. Diverse. Academically minded.
These are just a handful of the characteristics Pepperdine community members hope to find in their new president.
Pepperdine University’s Board of Regents is actively searching for candidates to serve as the next president of the university to fill the shoes of Andrew K. Benton, who is stepping down by the end of the 2018-2019 academic year.
As the community gears up to meet the candidates, constituents have varying opinions on what’s needed in the next leader.
“A leader is someone who has a vision and can connect that vision and put it in action,” said Maire Mullins, professor of English and the president of the Seaver Faculty Association. “I’d like to see someone that has the same qualities that President Benton possesses without being a clone.”
A Pepp Post poll of 52 students, faculty, staff and alumni found that only half of the Pepperdine community understand the role of the university’s president. university president should be an individual who builds relationships with the university’s community, supports diversity, manages budgets and makes decisions, Nell Gluckman wrote in a May 15 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Characteristics and key skills
The poll found that the Pepperdine community wants the future president to have good communication skills and be able to turn visions into reality.
“With any job candidate, there are practical job qualifications, and there are aspirational ones,” said Brian Link, visiting assistant professor of Business Law. “Leadership would be at the top of that list, followed by fundraising, budgeting, the skill to listen, and working in teams.”
Senior biology major Tyler Farley said he wanted a president who listened and communicated well, while also standing his or her ground when they believed strongly.
“I think a leader has to be OK with failure as well,” Farley said. “Not everything is going to be successful. But, that doesn’t make them not a leader just because something failed. I think they need to open-minded with a lot of current things going on, such as issues with the Good Samaritan Policy and student life on campus.”
Those polled and interviewed said future president can come from an array of professional backgrounds. Pepperdine’s current president has a background in law which has been a pillar for his success.
Students said Pepperdine must evolve as a university to upkeep in the competitive university landscape, while maintaining its core values as a Christian university.
“I believe the most important characteristic for the next president are adaptability with the student body and the student government to be able to provide every single thing the students need,” 2018 Pepperdine alumnus Hagop Margossian said. “They need to be aware of upcoming trends and upcoming learning opportunities for students.”
Gender and Age
The Pepp Post poll found that 65 percent of people are ready for a president who is younger and more modern, as opposed to someone older and more traditional.
Connie Horton, vice president of Student Affairs, is a member of the search committee for the university’s new president.
“Wisdom comes with experience but someone very in touch,” Horton said. “Someone older and out of touch will not be helpful. Someone young and naive will not be helpful.”
Historically, all of Pepperdine’s past presidents have been men. The poll found that 81 percent of the Pepperdine community does not have a preference on the gender of their future leader, although 13 percent of respondents preferred a male president and 5 percent of respondents preferred a female president.
“It doesn’t make a difference to me, and I’m a feminist. I would want the person who’s most qualified for the position,” Mullins said. “Unfortunately the way systemic sexism works, women are often kept out of these roles, so there aren’t as many female candidates.”
Electing a female president at Pepperdine would be monumental, students said.
“Seeing a female president would be nice,” senior psychology major Aileen Manoukian said. “It would further enhance our reputation.”
Connection to the Church of Christ
George Pepperdine, the founder of the university, served as an elder in the Church of Christ for 40 years, according to Pepperdine University. He established Pepperdine University to have a strong connection between education and religion.
Pepperdine is a Christian University affiliated with the Churches of Christ.
The poll found that 49 percent of those surveyed said the Church of Christ connection is an important quality for the next president to have. Interviews showed a similar divide, with some believing the denominational tie was important and others arguing that the next president just had to be Christian and support the mission.
“I think the Church of Christ connection is very important for the next president just because we are a Christian school and we are Christ-centered,” Manoukian said.
Trevor Beach, a senior political science major, said the Church of Christ connection was an ideal only.
“Knowing the tradition of the school, it’s going to be important for the people in power to choose someone with a Church of Christ background,” Beach said. “However, anyone with Christian values that are wholesome will do a fine job as the next president.”
Other students didn’t think the Church of Christ connection was important as long as the next president fit the Pepperdine community.
“I think it’s important for the next president to be a part of the convocational and spiritual community at Pepperdine,” said Anastasia Kashubskaya, a senior political science major from Moscow, Russia. “However, it does not need to be defined by a denomination. His direct connection to the Church of Christ is not the most crucial factor in my opinion.”
President Andrew K. Benton
Though the Pepperdine community will miss Benton, the poll found that nearly 37 percent of people think it’s time for a new leader at the university.
Under his presidency, Benton has built an elite reputation for Pepperdine University. Commonly referred to as the “student’s president,” Benton is the seventh president of Pepperdine. He has excelled in this position for the last 18 years and is scheduled to step down from his position in Spring 2019, Rachel Ettlinger wrote in a March 14 Pepperdine Graphic article .
The majority of interviewees agreed that Benton is a very active president who loves to communicate with the community, which is a characteristic that should carry on to the next president.
Link was attending Pepperdine for law school when he first encountered Benton.
“When I was attending the law school here, there was a wild fire that began hitting campus,” Link said. “We had to evacuate George Page and come down to main campus. I remember seeing President Benton at a very difficult time for the campus community and he was such a calming presence. I remember looking at him and thinking, ‘Wow, that’s a leader.’ I remember being very impressed in his leadership and taking the opportunity to meet with students in such a difficult time.”
Sabrina Galoostian completed the reporting for this story under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos in Jour 241 in fall 2018. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web story.
