Resources Recognizing the vital importance of facilities that simultaneously support academic rigor and the formation of community, Pepperdine entered the new decade with a steadfast commitment to expanding its unique campuses and challenging educational offerings. Construction of the Drescher Graduate Campus was completed ahead of schedule and on budget; classes opened on-site in August 2003, providing a home base for the School of Public Policy and containing the full-time, residential programs of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and the Graziadio School of Business and Management. Significant completions on the lower campus included the state-of-the-art Keck Science Center and the Center for Communication and Business, while renovations transformed Smothers Theatre, Elkins Auditorium, and Stauffer Chapel. A full-service hotel and conference center, known as the Villa Graziadio, and the Heroes Garden, a 9/11 memorial site, opened on the Drescher Graduate Campus.
Outside of Malibu, the headquarters of the Graziadio School and GSEP relocated westward from Pepperdine Plaza in Culver City to new facilities in the Howard Hughes Center in West Los Angeles. The new Irvine Graduate Campus at Lakeshore Towers and the Silicon Valley Graduate Center in San Jose both opened as well. The international emphasis in the Pepperdine curriculum has continued to grow, offering students invaluable opportunities to expand their minds and hearts through a new global perspective. Permanent facilities opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2002; in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2007; and in Shanghai, China, in 2008. Numerous study abroad opportunities have been added, including programs in East Africa and Fiji. Closer to home, in 2009 Pepperdine opened a brand new facility in Washington, D.C., just four blocks west of the White House. Pepperdine also has committed resources to developing the University’s technological infrastructure, including the successful implementation of the PeopleSoft Enterprise Platform, expansion of wireless connectivity and broadband, and doubling of print and electronic library holdings since 2000.