Pepperdine Magazine Vol. 12, Iss. 2 (Summer 2020)

Volume 12 Issue 2 Summer 2020

C L A S S

2020

Moments

WISH YOU WERE HERE Months after students departed Malibu for home, the palms dotting the Gregg G. Juarez Palm Courtyard paint a poignant scene across a once-bustling part of campus.

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Contents F E AT U R E S

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Class of 2020

The Pepperdine Protocol

When the global coronavirus outbreak shifted the nation’s classrooms from traditional to digital, Pepperdine educators found themselves ahead of the curve

20 Strength of a City

The coronavirus pandemic has hit Los Angeles County—the largest in the nation—with extraordinary force. HSAC@SPP provides the cross-sector resources to manage the economic impact of the crisis

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Whether strategizing, closely monitoring, or actively responding to a threat to campus, Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Committee leads with community at its core

VOLUME 12 | ISSUE 2 | SUMMER 2020 Pepperdine Magazine editor

Gareen Darakjian

senior designer

Courtney Gero

writers

Jay Brewster Sara Bunch Grace Lank (’20) Amanda Pisani Abigail Ramsey Jakie Rodriguez (MS ’13)

SPOTLIGHT

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The Promise of mRNA Vaccines

A Time to Mourn

A worldwide effort is underway to develop effective vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. After 30 years of development, will the promise of engineered mRNAs rise to the challenge?

Is there room for our grief in God’s plan? Through the lens of faith, Christian scholars and ministers explore the healing powers of confessing what many try to conceal

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Together Apart

Business Not as Usual

Organization development specialists offer their communities ways to connect deeply during isolation

A group of Pepperdine experts weigh in on how workers will fare in the new employment landscape of a post-pandemic world

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Inspiration in Isolation

Away from their Malibu art studio and their supplies, fine arts students create while coping with the coronavirus pandemic

Playing the Long Game

As both the collegiate and professional sports worlds consider how they might resume regular programming post-pandemic, Pepperdine Athletics examines the current reality of live events

graphic designers

Mallory Bockwoldt (’16)

Danae Doub

photographers

Grant Dillion

Ron Hall (’79)

copy editor

Amanda Pisani

production manager

Jill McWilliams

Published by the Office of Public Affairs Rick Gibson (MBA ’09, PKE 121) Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for Public Affairs and Church Relations Matt Midura (’97, MA ’05) Associate Vice President for Integrated Marketing Communications Nate Ethell (’08, MBA ’13) Director of Communications and Brand Development Keith Lungwitz Creative Director Allen Haren (’97, MA ’07) Director of Digital Media Ed Wheeler (’97, MA ’99) Senior Director of Operations Mauricio Acevedo Director of Digital Marketing Pepperdine Magazine is the feature magazine for Pepperdine University and its growing community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. It is

6 Inside Voices 7 Campus Notes

9 Headlines 32 Snapshot 48 The Cut

ADVERTISING

published three times per year by the University’s Public Affairs division and is produced with guidance from an advisory board representing a

Each issue of Pepperdine Magazine contains a limited number of half- or full-page advertising opportunities for University departments and initiatives. To learn more about advertising, contact magazine@pepperdine.edu.

cross section of the University community.

Send address changes, letters to the editor, and other queries to: magazine@pepperdine.edu All material is copyrighted ©2020 by Pepperdine University, Malibu, California 90263.

Pepperdine is affiliated with Churches of Christ, of

MAGAZINE.PEPPERDINE.EDU

PA2005617

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which the University’s founder, George Pepperdine, was a lifelong member.

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Editor’s Letter

In the forced quiet of quarantine, many of us have discovered a space for deep introspection and an illuminated path to the threshold of reconciliation.

The blessing of this silence—this radical moment of reflection—while energizing and freeing, is also painful and poignant.

The coronavirus pandemic has, ultimately, gifted us the commodities of time, opportunity, and space, the absence of which tends to stand in the way of this important work. The time to research and reflect and connect. The opportunity to express and engage away from the confines of convenience. The space to seize moments of cascading emotion—for our grieving neighbors, for our Black brothers and sisters, for our fractured humanity. How fortunate some of us are to be afforded these circumstances. How advantaged we are to use these moments to honor the voices and virtues of those who have fought for the freedom and opportunity and power of occupying these crevices of privilege.

Two years ago, as we considered what Pepperdine Magazine is and reimagined what it could and should be, we made a commitment to magnifying the topics that are important to our incredibly diverse community and the voices that must be amplified. I only hope we have made a small dent in the overwhelming need for more complex and critical storytelling, and I remain committed to celebrating the varying perspectives contributing to the national conversation.

In the next issue out this fall, as we honor the healthcare heroes who, in an emergency or the everyday, demonstrate exceptional

work in their diverse fields, we will also explore topics of racial injustice and inequity, especially in communities of color, and highlight the members of Pepperdine’s widespread family who have committed themselves to the important work of studying and improving the systems that have failed far too many for far too long.

In a recent letter to the editor, a reader shared that he found the spring issue of the magazine to be a “great picture of Pepperdine.” I couldn’t have felt prouder as I reflected on the stories and voices that were elevated in the issue and the presentation of Pepperdine’s diversity in different forms— racial, ethnic, gender, resource, and age. My greatest hope, with each page, is to put on spectacular display the tapestry that is the Pepperdine story. It is truly a beautiful story to tell, and it inspires and uplifts me every day. But, the work is never done and we still have “miles to go before we sleep.”

As we steep in the pain of a broken world, as we alter what’s familiar and comfortable to us for the benefit of our fellow man, and as we reform and reconcile our own biases, may we heighten our commitment to learning, to listening, and to loving beyond our walls, beyond our borders, beyond what we believe to be true and sit in the quiet of quarantine to hear the drumbeat of who we collectively are and how we can begin to heal.

GAREEN DARAKJIAN editor

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BECOME A LIFELINE OF SUPPORT FOR

STUDENTS WITH URGENT NEEDS DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Your gift to the Student Relief and Recovery Fund will: • Provide SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE to students who have immediate tuition

assistance needs • Equip 200+ classrooms with TECHNOLOGY UPDATES to ensure continued active

learning in person and online • Protect students through CAMPUS SAFETY AND ENHANCEMENTS, including social

distancing modifications, personal protective equipment, and deep cleaning • Supply EMERGENCY FUNDING for academic course materials, technology expenses,

housing, transportation, healthcare, or other necessities of student life

Designate your gift to one of these categories and help us bring our students back to a safer, stronger campus community.

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Inside Voices “Living through the polio epidemic has given me a unique perspective in facing the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

Two Quarantines, One Lifetime

By Susan Giboney (’62)

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The disruption of a life does not always look like a blaring news story. Sometimes it can be as simple as springing awake on the first day of second grade while your older sister complains of leg pain. So proceeded a process of elimination customary to the 1940s of my childhood: red measles or German measles? Mumps, chicken pox, or scarlet fever? A fateful trip to the doctor would diagnose my sister Carol with one of that time’s most feared diseases: polio.

Our first day of school, when I had a brief exchange with Carol, proved to be my last day of normalcy. It was a year of losses—my sister-playmate exchanged for a hospitalized patient, my toys scrubbed or burned, my playful school interactions replaced by assignments left on our entry mat. Our family was prohibited from leaving our quarantined home or receiving visitors for a full month. If we forgot about our situation for a kind moment, the large sign on our front door marking our family “unclean” would remind us. Thoughtful friends left groceries on our front porch. Though we had a dial telephone, calls to Carol were nonexistent, so a doctor-friend’s updates on her progress were our sole contact with her.

All the while, I did what I could as a confused and isolated seven-year-old to piece together whispers from adults to “be good” and “grow up.” What other choices did I have?

In adversity, the only way out is through.

Nationwide, polio spread primarily among children, and radio broadcasts continuously brought dire news of the sweeping epidemic.

Our postwar nation experienced economic

insecurity, full hospital wards, demands for iron lungs, and great hope for a vaccine.

Public pools were closed, but schools remained in session. Infected patients were moved to polio wards, Carol among them.

Once a week I marched past paralyzed children in iron lungs to a ward where I could wave at my sister through a door. Resilience, good faith, and patience were the only ways I could proceed in the face of fear. With time, reprieve came in the form of a vaccine on a national level and recovery on a personal level. A year later, Carol joyfully returned home in a wheelchair and, after enduring numerous treatments and painful exercises, was eventually able to walk again.

Living through the polio epidemic has given me a unique perspective in facing the current COVID-19 pandemic. I have learned it helps to remain informed, but not to continually feed on the news, which can incite anxiety. It helps to remain calm and prayerful, so that uncertainty does not turn into fear and anger is not directed at undeserving targets. It helps to cultivate hope, especially with children, and to maintain optimistic attitudes and live in peace. It helps to focus on inspiring stories about heroes and helpers and be compassionately attuned to those in need. It helps to remain faithful, avoid cynicism, get back on your feet, and do what is needed. In other words: it helps to lean into the crisis with faith in our ultimate protector.

As we face the current pandemic, many wonder, “When will we return to normal?”

I raise a different question: will we be changed? Disruptions are never welcomed, but they can be used nonetheless. My childhood trials through the polio epidemic challenged me and strengthened me. Our current times have the power to do the same, if we let them, and it is my desire that as a result, we change for the better. Maybe we will have more appreciation for teachers, medical workers, truck drivers, and grocery store clerks. Or maybe we will learn to slow down, savor more time with family, and love on our kids and friends more lavishly.

In the end, I hope we are transformed to be our best selves with a renewed heart of gratitude to the God who is faithful in all of life’s journeys.

Campus Notes PEPPERDINE PEOPLE

Rebecca Roldan (’17, MS ’20) The director of Pepperdine’s Student Health Center is the unsung hero of the school’s pandemic planning and operations—until now Roldan started her Pepperdine career in 2008 as the office manager of the Student Health Center.

A friend suggested she apply when she expressed a desire to work at a place “where being a Christian would be embraced. I was really grateful when the office manager position opened up.”

“The healthcare field has always interested me.

I have a lot of respect for medical teams, doctors, nurses, and EMTs. I love my work because I have the opportunity to learn. It’s a fascinating world, and I love to be a part of it.”

When the students returned from Christmas break in January, Roldan and her team started reviewing their contagious illness protocols and meeting with the University’s Infectious Disease Task Force and the Emergency Operations Committee. “We were tracking any community cases and outlining the steps to provide safety and health to our students. We put ourselves into that role pretty quickly.”

The most challenging aspects of the pandemic have been largely those that all providers have faced—ensuring that she has enough personal protective equipment and testing kits. As the University prepares to welcome students back to campus in the fall, Roldan has been working on

identifying testing options, hiring additional staff, implementing telehealth and mobile check-in procedures, and transitioning to electronic forms.

“As far as staying healthy, my best advice is just good hygiene. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, pay attention to your environment, and keep some distance in general. I think it would be okay if we became accustomed to standing farther apart and providing some personal space when speaking with one another.”

“My friends used to tease me that I was always taking care of everybody, but I feel like it’s just who I am. Whether it’s collaborating with my team to succeed on a goal, working with one of the student groups, or mentoring a student employee, having the opportunity to look after them is important to me.”

In addition to her work for the Student Health Center, Roldan’s achievements during the COVID-19 crisis have included watching the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe oeuvre.

Her aspirational superhero? Captain Marvel, of course. “Because she’s always looking out for others and trying to pull things together. That’s what I like about her.”

Numbers Game Prior to the cancellation of athletic events due to national social distancing protocols, Waves student-athletes competed with distinction and earned national recognition for their exemplary contributions to their respective teams.

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teams ranked

25

TOP in the NATION

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Waves named

ALL-AMERICAN

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Waves received

SCHOLARATHLETE STATUS

Waves named

NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

8

teams earned

NCAA PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARDS

for their Academic Progress Rate

40

Waves earned

ALLCONFERENCE HONORS

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team won a

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

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Campus Notes SOUND BITES Explore a collection of some of the most notable moments from recent events held across the University.

C H AT T E R The University community shared its support following the announcement of the Pepperdine Restoration Plan for the Fall 2020 semester.

CHERYL MUSSER HALL I have so much faith in Pepperdine to make the right decision. Remaining hopeful for my daughter’s senior year.

Pepperdine is where she thrives.

Pete Peterson (MPP ’07), Dean, Braun Family Dean’s Chair, Pepperdine School of Public Policy

SYLVIA KIM

“Sports thrived during the Great Depression. People didn’t have much money and a lot of people were out of work, but the way that you retained your sanity and balance was by going to one of our shows or sports events.

Laughter is the best therapy for what we are going through.”

Leigh Steinberg, Sports Agent, Philanthropist, Author, and Entrepreneur EVENT: Navigating an Uncertain Future in Live Events

EVENT: COVID-19 and the Calling to Public Service

We know that the decisions are being made prayerfully and trust that God is guiding you in these challenging times to make the best decisions for the Pepperdine community. @CURTSTRATTON Thank you for using logic and reason as your guide. We trust God in all things, and know that things might change, but we’re encouraged by this bold yet logical plan. Praying for the administration and students, and that the plan comes to fruition.

DID

“People are suffering because they don’t have the agency to overcome the authority working against them. But wherever you are—whether on the left or the right or in the middle—a society that provides opportunities for people to realize their own happiness should be the goal of all public policy.”

YOU KNOW

Following campus closures, the Counseling Center was granted emergency permissions to provide teletherapy to students outside of California.

“Every encounter with someone on a report or story I have put together has certainly changed me as a person. It’s impacted my abilities as a storyteller, and it’s impacted my creative efforts, but it’s also impacted my empathy toward other people.”

Stefan Holt (’09), WNBC-TV New York News Anchor and Reporter EVENT: The Seaver Speaker Series

“The best time to change is when stress is high. It’s not the best time to move back to your anxiety or power or control and say you’ll do better when this time is over.

This is the exact time that you want to practice the good habits of getting out of your overindulgence or underindulgence.”

Terry Hargrave, Evelyn and Frank Freed Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy, Fuller Theological Seminary EVENT: When Finances Feel Out of Control During COVID-19

FROM THE ARCHIVES In this 1944 photo, the Pepperdine community gathers at the George Pepperdine College campus charter of the American Red Cross to donate blood to treat soldiers wounded during World War II. Dried plasma became a vital element in the treatment of those wounded in active duty during World War II and, by 1945, the Red Cross had collected more than 13 million pints during its blood program for the military. Helen Pepperdine, wife of George Pepperdine, is fifth in line (right to left), and former Pepperdine professor and dean of faculty Earl V. Pullias stands at the back of the line with University president Hugh M. Tiner.

Courtesy of Pepperdine Libraries Special Collections and Archives

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Headlines

Pepperdine Commits to Fostering Racial Justice and Equity at the University To expand ongoing efforts to address all forms of racial injustice and inequity, especially against the Black community, Pepperdine is taking steps to build a more diverse, informed, loving, and unified environment at the University.

In January of this year, President Jim Gash (JD ’93) proposed to the Steering Team, a group composed of 21 leaders of major University areas who work with Gash to advise and guide the University, the addition of a chief diversity officer to work directly with the president and serve as a member of the University’s senior leadership team. In addition to the new administrative position, the University is creating a Presidential Action Advisory Team to interface with the senior administration, the University Diversity Council, and the diversity councils of the various schools. The team will be devoted to furthering a community of understanding, compassion, and unity at Pepperdine.

The work of strengthening the spirit of community is an ongoing process. From the time Gash accepted the role of president, he began a deliberate outreach campaign to meet with a diverse group of students to obtain a greater understanding of their perspectives.

These meetings continued until the pandemic sent the student body away from campus. Now, Gash, other University leaders, and those

who have been working on these issues over the years are actively engaging in conversations for the purpose of listening, learning, and deepening understanding. All members of the community are being encouraged to offer their recommendations for both the Presidential Action Advisory Team and for the University in general. Suggestions regarding scholarships, hiring, programming, and admissions have been submitted and are being considered in order to more fully develop a plan of action with immediate, intermediate, and long-term goals, objectives, and metrics.

“We will only succeed in strengthening the Pepperdine community if we trust each other. As president, I intend to earn your trust by working side by side with you to produce real change, one day and one decision at a time,” said Gash, in a message to the University community on June 8, 2020. “I trust the Steering Team, and all their respective teams, to take action to fulfill this vision. I also trust you, and I invite you to work with us. We are brothers and sisters created

by God, who designed us to live in true community. When we do this, when we stand up and lead together in humility, compassion, and resolve, our light will shine and reach the world with a message of hope, truth, justice, and love.”

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Headlines Sahith Theegala (’20) Named Nation’s Top Collegiate Golfer Seaver College’s Sahith Theegala became the first Pepperdine men’s golfer in University history to win the Fred Haskins Award, an honor recognizing the nation’s top collegiate golfer. The award, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, was announced on the Golf Channel on May 8, 2020.

More recently, on July 8, 2020, Theegala was named the Division I recipient of the Jack Nicklaus Award, which recognizes the top collegiate golfer in Divisions I, II, and III and the NAIA and NJCAA. One month prior, on June 9, 2020, Theegala took home the Ben Hogan Award, given to the top collegiate and amateur golfer of the past year.

With Theegala’s help, Pepperdine ended the shortened season with its first-ever top regular-season ranking in program history, ranked number one by Golfstat and the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll.

A fifth-year senior, Theegala was the topranked player in the nation by both Golfstat

and Golfweek/Sagarin when the season ended.

He was named to All-American first teams by both the GCAA/PING and Golfweek magazine. In eight tournaments this season, Theegala won twice and posted a school-record 69.04 scoring average.

He had six top 10s and was in the top 20 at all eight events. Of his 24 rounds, 17 were below par.

On the team’s number-one ranking, Theegala said, “This was our year, but we built this over a long period of time. The team was such a big reason why I had such a big year. A lot of our guys put in so much hard work. We never let ourselves get complacent, and we were always keeping each other on our toes. I attribute a large part of my individual success to the team and the coaches pushing me.”

Theegala holds Pepperdine career records for scoring average (70.61) and below-par rounds (74) and is tied for the number-one spot in top-20 finishes (36) and wins (four). He’s a three-time All-American (just the third in program history), a three-time All-West Coast Conference honoree, and a four-time All-West Region selection.

Pepperdine Welcomes New Members to Board of Regents

Pepperdine Libraries Receives Grant from California Humanities

Pepperdine University has added two new members to its Board of Regents, the governing board of the University.

Elected as mayor of Dallas in June 2019, Eric Johnson has been a practicing lawyer there for more than 15 years. During his tenure in Virginia F. Milstead (JD ’04) the Texas House of Representatives, Eric Johnson where he represented Dallas from 2010 to 2019, Johnson served on nearly 20 prominent legislative committees and as chair of the Dallas Area Legislative Delegation. Johnson, a member of the Mountain View Church of Christ in Dallas, holds an undergraduate degree with honors from Harvard University, a graduate degree from Princeton University, and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Virginia F. Milstead (JD ’04) is a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Los Angeles. She has a broad commercial litigation practice, representing clients in both federal and state courts, with a particular emphasis on securities and merger litigation, director misconduct, and related claims.

Since 2012 Milstead has been a panelist for the annual Federal Court Boot Camp and Superior Court Boot Camp presented by Pincus Professional Education, teaching about all facets of civil procedure in federal and state courts. She served as a panelist at the third annual William French Lecture at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, which featured retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and on three occasions has been a panelist at the Byrne Judicial Clerkship Institute.

The valedictorian of her class at the Caruso School of Law, Milstead, a member of the Burbank Church of Christ in Burbank, California, has also organized and conducted new lawyer training related to class actions, legal writing, and depositions.

In February 2020, Pepperdine Libraries was awarded a Humanities for All Project Grant from California Humanities. The $19,815 grant will fund the Libraries’ “Preserving the History of South Los Angeles: A Community Digitization Initiative” under the leadership of Mark Roosa, dean of libraries. The Humanities for All Project Grant is a competitive grant program of California Humanities that supports locally developed projects that respond to the needs, interests, and concerns of Californians; provide accessible learning experiences for the public; and promote understanding among our state’s diverse population.

The grant will allow Pepperdine Libraries and its partners to catalogue and preserve artifacts, documents, and memories of the African American experience in South Los Angeles between the 1930s and 1970s. After completing digitization events in the community and gathering oral histories, key findings will be shared at the California African American Museum in December 2021. Findings and a curation of digitized materials will be available online to students and scholars interested in history, critical race studies, and social anthropology.

“These projects will bring the complexity and diversity of California to light in new ways that will engage Californians from every part of our state and will help us all understand each other better,” said Julie Fry, president and CEO of California Humanities.

“We congratulate these grantees whose projects will promote understanding and provide insight into a wide range of topics, issues, and experiences.”

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Pepperdine Participates in Global #GivingTuesdayNow Event In partnership with GivingTuesday, the groundbreaking annual global generosity movement, Pepperdine participated in #GivingTuesdayNow, an international day of giving planned as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The online-only event, held on May 5, 2020, invited and encouraged Pepperdine Waves around the world, as well as GivingTuesday’s global network of leaders, partners, communities, and generous individuals, to join together in solidarity and experience the power of human connection.

According to Allissa Thompson, assistant director of the Pepperdine Fund, “This day was about the collective impact of a community that remains connected by shared sacrifice and a commitment to serve those at the very heart of our mission: the students.”

The global day of action provided Pepperdine alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends with the opportunity to make gifts either to any of the five schools’ Student Emergency Funds (as well as Pepperdine University Athletics) or to each school’s greatest need, allocated toward corresponding Dean’s Excellence Funds or to the Athletic Director’s Excellence Fund.

“This initiative [was] designed to allow us, the Pepperdine family, a tangible way to assist fellow Waves during this unprecedented time,” said S. Keith Hinkle (JD ’97), senior vice president for advancement and chief development officer, adding that “we will get through this stronger together.”

GSEP Diversity Council and Talent Management Department Host Community Discussion About Racial Justice On June 18, 2020, the Diversity Council and Talent Management Department at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology presented a webinar that explored the history of racial inequality in America, the concepts of white privilege and white fragility, the responsibility of the church and people of faith in response to these issues, why this particular time is perceived as a turning point, and where society is headed from here.

“There was a need to have a timely, honest conversation about the racial injustices that are happening to Black and brown people across this country. Our Black and brown community members are hurting, and it is necessary that we create safe spaces to listen and learn with our hearts,” explained Maria Wright (EdD ’19), associate director of talent management, who facilitated the discussion.

Organized by Diversity Council staff members Carlos Jimenez (MA ’12), Jamille Lockhart (’16), and Mahsa Zojaji (MA ’16), the online conversation also addressed mandatory implicit bias training, immediate diversification of upper administration and faculty, diversification of student counseling services so that students of color can relate to their support services professionals, incorporating social justice and equity content into the curriculum, a recommitment to serving diverse communities in Los Angeles, and being intentional about inclusive language in all communications.

Seaver College Fine Arts Division Hosts Virtual Online Performance On April 17, 2020, in collaboration with the Office of the President, seniors in the Seaver College Fine Arts Division virtually shared their talents in art history, guitar, instrumental music, studio art, theatre, and the vocal arts at An Evening with Pepperdine Fine Arts. The event was designed as an alternative to the students’ senior thesis, a culminating performance or exhibition demonstrating the skills they have developed throughout the past four years.

“The remainder of our performance and exhibition season vanished in the blink of an eye when we had to transition to online classes due to COVID-19,” said Bradley Griffin, divisional dean of the Fine Arts Division. “For friends, family, and supportive faculty members and peers now scattered around the world, it [was] an opportunity to come together to celebrate Pepperdine through the arts.”

ཁ Watch the recording: magazine.pepperdine.edu/fine-arts-performance

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Headlines Waves Debate Hosts Virtual Debate on Presidential Candidate Responses to COVID-19 On April 21, 2020, Seaver College Waves Debate members hosted a virtual debate presenting the 2020 presidential candidates and their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing a live audience of Pepperdine community members along with viewers from across the United States.

When Pepperdine announced the transition to remote instruction for the safety of the community in response to COVID-19, members of Waves Debate decided that, rather than focusing on competition, they would instead engage in discussions around unity.

The three featured debaters, senior Courtney Deaver and juniors Hannah Kate and Samantha Miller, emphasized the importance, now more than ever, of collaboration despite differences to solve the needs of our community. The decision

served as a testament to Waves Debate’s efforts to expand how people interact with debate and how to use it as a bridge between divides.

Graziadio Business School Students Pitch Industry Ideas to Bryant Stibel Committee In May 2020, 13 full-time MBA students at the Graziadio Business School presented their business pitches via the Zoom platform to the investment committee of Bryant Stibel. A venture capital firm focusing on businesses in the realms of media, data, gaming, and technology, Bryant Stibel has established an internship program specifically for Graziadio students.

Company cofounder Jeff Stibel, who launched the firm with late Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, was also present for the pitches.

The Bryant Stibel Internship program consists of two seven-week courses that prepare students for work in a private equity and alternative investment firm within a highly experiential learning environment. At the end of the program, student finalists present their ideas to a select portion of the private equity firm’s committee, conducted digitally this year to maintain social distancing practices.

Boone Center for the Family Releases Free Resources for Church Leaders Responding to COVID-19 Stressors In an effort to help equip church leaders responding to their communities’ emotional, psychological, and interpersonal needs during the coronavirus pandemic, the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine University now offers a free collection of resources that includes digital reference guides, videos, and the “Coming to a Place of Peace” webinar series originally broadcast every Thursday throughout May 2020. The materials, which cover topics ranging from anxiety to loneliness to shaken identity, were created after numerous church leaders contacted the Boone Center asking for assistance on how best to address increased isolation and stress resulting from the impacts of widespread lockdowns due to COVID-19.

“These are difficult conversations to begin with, [and] adding in the many additional stressors of COVID-19 makes it just that much harder for church leaders to address these issues in their communities. Living in a place of peace is the singular, but not so simple, focus of what we hope to achieve,” said Sharon Hargrave, executive director of the Boone Center for the Family.

“The many experts, psychologists, and theologians who have helped build out our program over the years jumped at the chance to provide these resources to church leaders for free. Fostering healthy relationships is a key role of the church, and we need to support church leaders in that effort now more than ever.”

The webinar series includes live chats and Q and A sessions with industry experts, including Hargrave, Kelly Haer, director of the Boone Center’s Relationship IQ program, Benjamin Houltberg, director of research at the University of Southern California’s Performance Science Institute, and Terry Hargrave, founder of Restoration Therapy and professor of marriage and family therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary.

School of Public Policy Offers “Politics and Pandemic” Digital Series Throughout April and May 2020, the Pepperdine School of Public Policy hosted the “Politics and Pandemic” webinar series, featuring keynote speakers offering local, national, and federal perspectives, as well as an analysis of how the global coronavirus pandemic has influenced the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

David Mansdoerfer (MPP ’11), former deputy assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, led the inaugural session entitled “The Federal Government’s Response to COVID-19,” alongside associate professor of public policy Michael Shires, both exploring emergency management processes employed in Washington, DC. Other guest speakers included Pete Peterson (MPP ’07), School of Public Policy dean and Braun Family Dean’s Chair; Dan Schnur, adjunct professor specializing in American politics; and Rick Cole, former city manager of Santa Monica.

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At the end of the trust term, the trust remainder is gifted to Pepperdine.

Want to Know More About Capital Gains Bypass Trusts?

The Center for Estate and Gift Planning is staffed with a team of friendly, highly qualified experts who can provide you with more information about how donating real estate can benefit you.

Contact us at 310.506.4893 or cegp@pepperdine.edu for more information.

Photo: Joseph Ramli (‘17)

Features

C L A S S

2020

When the global coronavirus outbreak shifted the nation’s classrooms from traditional to digital, Pepperdine educators found themselves ahead of the curve

By Sara Bunch

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Features When Elena Doudenkova moved to California from Switzerland to pursue a career as a therapist, she was relying on stimulating classroom discussions at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology to help her develop intimate friendships in a foreign land. But in spring 2020, Doudenkova learned, along with more than 76 million other students across the United States, that the nation’s K-12 schools, colleges, and universities were shuttering indefinitely to limit the spread of COVID-19 across thousands of campuses.

During an ever-changing period of uncertainty and fear for the safety of their communities, many schools TRANSITIONED THEIR LESSON PLANS TO AN ONLINE FORMAT,

leaving instructors little time to explore new technologies, master distance learning methods, and adjust their curriculums accordingly.

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As Pepperdine began the process of moving to a remote instruction format the week of March 16, Christopher Heard, professor of religion and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Seaver College, discovered that Pepperdine was better positioned than most institutions to navigate the new reality of the online classroom. Pepperdine faculty had experienced a similar situation for two weeks in November 2018 when the Malibu campus was closed during the Woolsey Fire.

Frequently partnering with recognized experts in online learning best practices, Heard played a critical role in quickly reorienting the faculty as the University once again adapted to the limitations brought on by an unexpected crisis.

Heard emphasizes that developing a strategy to deliver a cohesive educational experience online is significantly different from simply shifting to remote instruction during an emergency situation, especially if the remote lessons include a video component. In a Zoom session, for example, Heard says that the flood of visual noise, like that created from each individual participant’s actual or virtual background scene, can be a great distraction that could lead to a phenomenon known as Zoom fatigue. He says in-person meetings and live interactions often leave participants feeling more energized.

Beyond Pepperdine, Heard often collaborates with numerous Center for Teaching Excellence facilities across the United States. His Rapid Onboarding to Online Teaching course, a 10-day program featuring videos, readings, and offline activities, which launched in April 2020, was accessed by 150 external educators and completed by more than one-third of Seaver College faculty who taught classes online in May or June.

According to David M. Smith, professor of economics at the Graziadio Business School and associate provost for online learning at the University, the most productive online classrooms offer a strong sense of community through meaningful engagement during synchronous instruction— learning that happens in real time—an element he believes is a cornerstone of the Pepperdine framework. But while the technology supporting the online classroom continues to evolve, one key element of communication—eye contact—is relatively unattainable, further hindering the expression and reception of critical nonverbal communication.

Smith predicts that within the next 10 years, 50 percent of all graduate programs will be fully available online, compared with the current 30 percent, and that the future of undergraduate studies will offer more mix-and-match options between traditional and online settings.

“Even though different, the online classroom can be rigorous, engaging, enriching, and transformational. Some things are best accomplished in person, but some things can be better accomplished online,” says Smith. “The online classroom is always ‘open,’ so students have the flexibility to work on their education when they have the time. They also tend to participate in the classroom all through the week with a cadence that can be more regular than the on-ground classroom.”

In fact, Rick R. Marrs, provost and chief academic officer at Pepperdine, has noticed that digital materials are already replacing physical materials at college campuses across the nation—a trend he suspects will increase. He also shares that libraries are increasingly allocating funds toward digital databases rather than hard copies. In light of this finding, Pepperdine faculty continue to familiarize themselves with and use online resources to keep their lessons on track.

“Teaching the same course online is really like teaching a new course. Having to suddenly develop and deliver a few new courses within a couple of days is a heavy undertaking, especially with the additional challenge of potential distractions within a full house,” says Marrs of the faculty’s new work-from-home routine. “Our professors are incredibly conscientious of the challenges of the transition and have worked tirelessly to make this as seamless as possible for all our students.”

Christopher Heard

David M. Smith

“Our professors are incredibly conscientious of the challenges of the TRANSITION and have worked tirelessly to make this as SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE for all our students.”

Rick R. Marrs

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Features

A LOT TO LEARN

“What students learn has to be MEANINGFUL to them, and this has been a fantastic opportunity to REDEFINE what we consider ‘learning.’”

As countless institutions ranging from preschools to colleges and universities scrambled to master the latest technologies to continue delivering their lesson plans online, many teachers were apprehensive about transitioning to online classes. To help ease the transition, Carrie Birmingham, associate professor of education at Seaver College, and her students created a YouTube channel featuring original read-aloud videos and interactive lessons for young children.

Based on her expertise, Birmingham says, “Human connection is the foundation of teaching and learning. Every student needs to belong, be included, be accepted, and have a significant voice in the learning process.”

According to Stella Erbes (’91), divisional dean of the Humanities and Teacher Education Division and associate professor of teacher education at Seaver College, one significant element typically missing from online courses is varied instruction. Erbes advises instructors to use a combination of media, chats, polls, and games to teach students of all levels online and urges teachers to give more thought to reformatting lessons as more classrooms transition to the digital space.

“Don’t talk for two hours straight in a twohour class,” she shares, expressing that more discussion does not result in higher retention.

“It’s easy for us to memorize songs, so why is it so hard to retain academic knowledge?

Let’s teach for long-term memory retention and retrieval rather than for regurgitation for a good grade on an exam.”

Fifth-grade teacher Tyler Erickson (’16), a former student in Erbes’ instructional design course, has been doing just that.

Carrie Birmingham

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Erickson maintains the human connection in his online classroom through a variety of teaching scenarios, like opening the day with a morning prayer, offering a time for students to share all the ways the quarantine has had a positive impact on their lives, asking students to discuss their weekend plans, and providing different Zoom chat rooms for breakout sessions and discussions.

When Erickson first learned that Oaks Christian School in Los Angeles County would shut down for three weeks during the spring semester, he didn’t break a sweat. Thanks to his Pepperdine background, Erickson was one of four teachers selected to be on the private school’s “tech squad”—half of which were Waves—to help the rest of the faculty prepare for what would become a months-long education process.

Kolby Wagner (’20) brought the experience with online learning technologies that she had in Birmingham’s class to her job student teaching at Sequoia Middle School in Thousand Oaks, California. Wagner’s knowhow allowed her mentor teacher—whose lack of online software training made her hesitant about the transition—to continue offering her math classes via Zoom. Thanks to Wagner’s preparation, her math students are both keeping up with the required curriculum and enjoying socializing because “they all miss each other.”

As Birmingham puts it, “Good teaching begins with students, not with standards— with high hopes, not rigid expectations. What students learn has to be meaningful to them, and this has been a fantastic opportunity to redefine what we consider ‘learning.’”

Stella Erbes (’91)

Tyler Erickson (’16)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS As the spring 2020 semester came to an end and summer sessions commenced in May, Heard reveals that many faculty reported an increased sense of community in their online classes. While professors who transitioned to remote instruction in the spring had the advantage of having spent two months getting to know their students in a physical classroom, faculty who started online courses in May reported similar successes in building classroom community in the digital space.

Smith asserts that, although it was a massive undertaking to move hundreds of classes to a remote instruction framework, University data shows that students were generally satisfied with the efforts to sustain learning through the pandemic, even on par with what is typically seen in the traditional classroom. Pepperdine has also witnessed a significant boost in faculty’s ability to use technology to facilitate learning, and some of these skills are transferable to the in-person classroom learning environment.

Moving forward, Heard notes that some of the same technologies that were used for remote instruction may remain in place as the University addresses logistical challenges with on-campus classes when they eventually resume. For example, some classes may move into largerthan-usual spaces to accommodate social distancing protocols, along with wearing face coverings during lectures, discussions, and other types of class sessions. Consequently, new distance practices in the classroom may present challenges related to hearing and understanding, a potential drawback that video conferencing software may help alleviate.

“The combination of faculty intentionality and student responsiveness during this time has been incredibly fruitful,” says Heard. “As these efforts continue, they will help the University preserve its distinctive ethos—even in a markedly changed environment.”

“The combination of FACULTY intentionality and STUDENT responsiveness during this time has been incredibly fruitful.”

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of a

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THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

has hit Los Angeles County—the largest in the nation—with extraordinary force. HSAC@SPP provides the cross-sector resources to manage the economic impact of the crisis

By Gareen Darakjian

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A

t the time of print, Los Angeles County has crossed a devastating threshold in daily rates of newly reported COVID-19 cases and deaths—2,903 and 45, respectively. To put it in stark terms, officials are now warning that one in every 140 people in Los Angeles County has or has had COVID-19.

While the global COVID-19 pandemic has been reasonably positioned as a healthcare crisis, widespread efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus have disrupted economic drivers such as trade and transportation and have significantly slowed domestic activity. Pete Peterson (MPP ’07), dean and Braun Family Dean’s Chair at the School of Public Policy, shares that, without a clear end in sight, the pandemic has had and will continue to generate considerable consequences on local and international economies. He explains that, as a nation, we are in what he describes as a “post9/11 moment.”

“Think about the radical changes that we have had in our lives since that day,” Peterson says, pointing to the new ways of considering domestic policy and how we engage with the world in the aftermath of the terror attack on the United States 19 years ago.

“Much has changed from a public policy perspective; it even led to the creation of an entirely new federal department, the Department of Homeland Security. It all came out of one day. Here we are in a global crisis of a scale and scope that’s, frankly, much larger than 9/11. It’s easy to forecast that in the months and years to come, our policy and political world will look even more different than it did after 9/11.”

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The public policy crisis that Peterson predicts involves governments at all levels, from local to worldwide institutions. At the global level, Peterson explains that governments will have to seriously evaluate international relations and US partnerships with other countries.

At the local level, Peterson points to an economic crisis that will have resounding effects on tax revenues coming into cities and the potential need to declare bankruptcy that many cities will face in the months ahead.

Peterson explains that the difference between the increase in demand for services and the decrease in resources and the revenues to support them is going to be of a scale that’s too much for cities to continue to operate. As governments look beyond the next

nine months, a cross-sector approach to public policy is the key, Peterson says, to providing important services in different, more manageable ways, that will become crucial in the days to come.

“If we agree that homelessness, education, and public safety are issues and services that we think are important, but we’re trying to meet them with dramatically decreased revenues, how do we find a way to work collaboratively across sectors to address those needs?” he asks. “This cross-sector type of leadership—which I think is going to be crucial in the medium-to-long term, not only in local government, but also in both the state and federal government—is where we’re going to see the most change.”

In a stable economy, local and state governments are not typically faced with the need to significantly limit a community’s requests for services.

Those days, Peterson says, may be over for the foreseeable future.

“What we’re facing is going to demand state and local leadership that thinks seriously about what kinds of services they can offer under very strapped fiscal and financial situations,” he says. “These leaders are also going to have to think differently about how those services are provided and to consider new relationships across sectors with the business and nonprofit communities to continue to deliver important services in new and creative ways.”

Features

I

n the tenuous period following the 9/11 terror attacks, a highly specialized group of business leaders and city and county officials in Los Angeles came together to evaluate the capability of the second-largest city in the United States to experience and bounce back from a 9/11-type crisis. Their goal was to develop better relationships between the private and public sectors. The partnership, the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), initially designed to serve as a networking organization, was soon recast as a nonprofit organization that catalyzes and coordinates a multi-jurisdictional effort with a shared mission of preparedness and resiliency in the greater Los Angeles County area, home to more than 10 million people.

Today, HSAC is part of an innovative academic enterprise with the School of Public Policy. HSAC@SPP, established in 2019, focuses on disaster preparedness, crisis management, and resiliency through engagement with the public, private, and civic sectors. The endeavor is positioned to prepare the current and next generation of public leaders for significant public policy challenges by harnessing the school’s unique curriculum dedicated to exploring a full range of cross-sector and information technology solutions. In addition to teaching students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, HSAC@SPP currently offers a variety of programs focused on technology, engagement, capability building, and partnerships for crisis managers, policymakers, and public safety professionals. Through the partnership with the School of Public Policy, HSAC will expand its current offerings, create new educational and training programs,

and reach a broader participant group that includes graduate students and audiences throughout California and the nation.

Beyond the classroom, HSAC@SPP works with policy makers and crisis managers both through educational seminars in crisis management and its technology platform. HSAC@SPP is the home of SALUS - The Crisis Hub®, which uses geographic information systems (GIS) to give big data geospatial context and support for all phases of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

Prior to the development of the SALUS platform, this type of data saw very limited use by municipal crisis managers.

According to James Featherstone, executive director of HSAC@SPP, this particular technology has been key in closing that gap and increasing information sharing in L.A. County. As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in the county, it has proven to be essential.

James Featherstone demonstrates one of many municipal dashboards at the HSAC@SPP launch press conference held at the City of Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center on May 20, 2019.

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“By democratizing the power of GIS, the SALUS platform has been a game changer in sharing situational awareness and enhancing data-informed decision-making in our region,” says Featherstone.

With the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, HSAC@SPP has expanded the user capabilities of SALUS technology to provide maps and dashboards in real time, not only to city and county officials and emergency operations officials, but also to the public. Public dashboards include different data layers that provide important information for community use, including area public coronavirus testing sites, grab-and-go food locations, and, in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, maps for area mental health resources for local schoolchildren and their families. These dashboards have been customized for 17 different cities and agencies throughout the Los Angeles area, including LAX and LA Metro and the Cities of Long Beach and West Hollywood.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the SALUS platform has also provided customized information for different municipalities. At the City of Torrance, the fire department has tracked the volume of calls made to emergency management services (EMS) and compared those rates with all EMS calls. Together with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the Unified Homelessness Response Center, and many others, the Department of Transportation has helped move nearly 4,000 people experiencing homelessness into 13 city recreation centers for temporary shelter during the crisis. SALUS helps the appropriate departments track the number of open beds, shelter capacity, and FEMA-provided isolation trailers to house residents who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Alyssa Barnes (MPP ’18), HSAC@SPP marketing and communications manager, says these maps, which included a variety of emergency resources in the early days of the pandemic—most notably highly localized data related to positive cases by neighborhood—were available on the City of Los Angeles website and were viewed by millions of Angelenos.

Barnes explains that with SALUS, “City departments can now see all the information they need in real time, whereas in the past they would either have to request it from the individual departments or wait for planned in-person briefings. That’s significant.”

W

hile municipal partnerships and data sharing are critical to building a more resilient Los Angeles, HSAC@SPP is also involved in the philanthropic efforts that seek to ensure the health, safety, and security of every Angeleno. Following an onsite press conference on April 14, 2020, HSAC@SPP, led by board chair Peter Lowy, donated 3,000 reusable face shields to LAC+USC Medical Center in order to protect medical staff involved in procedures that may expose them to infectious fluids while treating patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Developed by Northridge, Californiabased movie prop producer Arête, the donation was made in partnership with the Emergency Supply Donor Group, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to provide personal protective equipment to Los Angeles hospitals encountering extreme shortages.

“The philanthropic arm of HSAC@SPP is an amazing Los Angeles story,” says Peterson.

“Providing those face shields in collaboration with other philanthropists was an important part of the networking that will continue beyond this gift. The creative relationships between L.A. philanthropists and government leaders to provide essential services is the crux of the HSAC@SPP endeavor.”

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Features

The Pepperdine Protocol Whether strategizing, closely monitoring, or actively responding to a threat to campus, Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Committee leads with community at its core

By Gareen Darakjian

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While the final days of every year ask us to look back at where we’ve been, the close of 2019 compelled us to look ahead. On December 31 the world heard whispers about a previously unknown type of respiratory illness that was sending dozens of people in Wuhan, China, to the hospital. Less than two weeks later, as health authorities were treating the curious cases and monitoring the disease’s spread to determine its potential, Chinese state media reported the first known death from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the rest of the world began to take notice.

“We didn’t know at that time the magnitude of the virus,” says Phil Phillips (’88, JD ’92), senior vice president for administration and chief operating officer of Pepperdine and the co-chair of the University’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC). In a matter of hours in late January, the committee, composed of 15 members representing major areas around the University, convened to determine the fate of Seaver College students studying abroad in Shanghai, China.

“What if we brought them home and it turned out to be nothing?

Did we make a decision in a moment of panic?” Phillips recalls wondering. “Our call had the potential to disappoint students and parents, and there was a lot hanging in the balance. But there were enough indications that this was going to be serious, and, with that in mind, we had to prioritize the safety of our students.”

On January 28, the University announced it would bring students studying in Shanghai back to the United States—a decision made with the highest level of care for the student experience while keeping in mind the institutional perspective of the developing crisis. It ultimately came down to the need to act—fast. The regional illness that was quickly making headlines across the world was, minute by minute, becoming a pandemic that could have dire consequences for Pepperdine’s community of students, faculty, staff, and beyond.

Throughout February and the first half of March, more than 300 overseas students returned to their hometowns as the disease rates climbed across the globe. While many were glued to their screens for the latest developments, the EOC assembled to consider the steps it had to take to protect Pepperdine students studying at each of the University’s international campuses, one by one, until it became clear that the virus could threaten the safety of the Malibu community.

“You feel what it could be like to make a wrong decision in those moments,” says Phillips about the initial public feedback in response to the University’s announcements about campus closures. “One of the reasons why we are so successful in difficult scenarios is that we have people putting every bit of their energy and brain power into how we can do this in the very best way. We all know what Pepperdine is and what it needs to be when it comes out of this. Every decision we make is informed by who we are; the decisions may be hard, but they are always guided by our desire to do the right thing.”

Most organizations, whether large, multinational corporations or institutions with smaller populations, rely on an emergency operations body to consolidate decision-making in times of crisis. At Pepperdine, taking a proactive approach with scenario planning and protocol development has proven to be worthwhile, effective, and exemplary.

In fact, it’s what sets the University apart and has ensured its safety during critical periods for decades.

Beyond studying and outlining historical perspectives that provide essential context for emergency scenarios, Pepperdine’s EOC, which draws from a multidisciplinary committee and team that includes diverse viewpoints and expertise, is dedicated to building relationships with local agencies to create a collaborative and cooperative environment during normal operations or times of crisis. For an event such as an active shooter on campus, the EOC works closely with leading psychologists to assess threats, learn about the individuals who commit such crimes, and assemble a team of experts to call on if needed. For pandemics, they collaborate with medical professionals in-house as well as infectious disease experts at partner institutions such as Cedars-Sinai and the University of California, Los Angeles.

While planning for wildfires, Pepperdine consults with the Los Angeles County Fire Department to review safety protocols, shelter-in-place plans and facilities, and land and fuel modifications on campus that create fire protection for structures. Pepperdine regularly invites the fire department to campus to provide courses on wildfires and share details of how these types of fires begin and how they are fought—critical information that helps the University determine the best course of action in case of emergency. During the Woolsey Fire in 2018, Phillips says, “Our plans were put to the ultimate test, and they proved to be excellent.”

Following the outcome of an actual event, the EOC conducts a thorough postmortem to create a matrix of what didn't go right, what feedback was received, and how the University can improve its processes for the next time. The secret to the EOC’s planning success is the mostly manual process of meticulously outlining different scenarios and customizing response plans to Pepperdine as they imagine their way through each event and flesh out the most minute details.

“It makes it real,” says Phillips. “It’s time consuming, and it takes a lot of energy to think through every step of the way, but we had an action plan for [the Woolsey Fire], and we did it over and over with different scenarios. Our response protocols are written 100 percent by Pepperdine for Pepperdine, and that makes a big difference.”

Every decision we make is informed by who we are; they may be hard, but they are always guided by our desire to do the right thing.

— Phil Phillips (’88, JD ’92)

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Features The Pepperdine Student Health Center (SHC) began tracking news accounts of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, early in January 2020, about the same time that classes resumed on campus after winter break.

As information about the spread of the virus in the Chinese province increased, the SHC began meeting regularly and working with other members of the Pepperdine Infectious Disease Task Force (IDTF) to monitor the outbreak and to assess risks to the campus and to international program students in Shanghai.

At the same time the SHC began publicizing recommendations for any Pepperdine community members that had traveled from a high-risk area or had come in contact with someone who had traveled to a high-risk area to monitor themselves for symptoms and to call the center for a risk assessment.

“Generally, the SHC provides medical care for students, but not faculty or staff,” says Lucy Larson, the center’s medical director.

“This process expanded our scope to include also assessing employees for risk factors.”

As the SHC began receiving a large volume of calls related to concerns about the virus or potential exposure to the virus, operations in January had already begun to be impacted, with nursing and medical staff making rotations to answer calls, assess risk, and follow up with Pepperdine community members. They also continued to provide students regular medical care.

At the same time, Larson, who typically divides her responsibilities between clinical and administrative duties, shifted almost entirely to administrative tasks. She met with SHC director Rebecca Roldan (’17, MS ’20) daily, and often more regularly, to review the University’s contagious disease protocols, evaluate the calls and assessments conducted by health center staff, and adjust screening protocols and SHC response based on the everchanging information and recommendations of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“During this time, I was able to lean on my amazing team at the SHC to continue to provide our students with the ongoing medical care they needed while they also responded to the increasing number of phone calls, concerns, and risk-assessment screenings,” says Larson.

As the outbreak worsened, the IDTF folded into the larger EOC, tough decisions were made about the University’s international programs, and the potential impact on the campus community grew. While Larson does not have a regular role on the Emergency Operations Committee—the nature of an emergency may not always require medical oversight—the pandemic required a medical team to be at the forefront.

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As the medical director of the SHC, Larson reviews with the committee the center’s preparations and needs and its capacity to respond to an emergency. As a physician, her role enables her to help explain the numerous medical aspects of the emergency, such as risk factors, risk-mitigation strategies, screenings, diagnosis, and treatment and to place news reports and medical reports in context, all while using her medical experience and master’s degree in public health to help the EOC see the broad picture and plan campuswide response.

“The biggest challenge has been the truly novel nature of the virus,” Larson says. “There is much that we do not know, and information has changed rapidly. The newly recognized multisystem inflammatory syndrome that affects children and young adults and may show up weeks after the initial illness is an example of how what we thought we knew about the virus—that is, that it spared children—may not be entirely true. What we know now and what is happening now as it pertains to the virus in the community may be completely different in the fall.”

Beyond the widespread health implications of COVID-19, the University was faced with the uniqueness of a pandemic, an incident that the EOC had planned for with the emergence of H5N1 in the early 2000s, SARS in 2003, and H1N1 in 2009, but had never before experienced. While the EOC is prepared for nearly any eventuality and counts a pandemic response framework among the list of potentially catastrophic events that could impact the campus and University community, the COVID-19 pandemic was one they could have never prepared for. “When the coronavirus hit,” Phillips admits, “it was like nothing any of us had ever experienced.”

Pepperdine’s pandemic planning protocol didn’t quite exist before the early 2000s, when the threat of H5N1—also known as the bird flu—began to bubble up due to its unprecedented global spread. It was then, recalls Lauren Cosentino (’97, MBA ’12), vice president for campus operations and human resources, who worked side by side with Phillips to flesh out the steps of each potential scenario, that the EOC began to shift its attention to the emerging situation.

“Any time we got wind that something was starting to develop somewhere, and the World Health Organization began to watch it, we made sure we were observing it closely in case it developed and posed a threat to our community,” says Cosentino. “In 2008 we had robust plans for sewage disasters, hazmat spills, fires, and active shooters, among other crises, but we didn't have a strong pandemic plan.”

Part of Cosentino’s research at the time focused on the Spanish flu of 1918, how it developed, how it behaved in the body, why it killed mostly young people as opposed to the elderly, and how the University might respond if such a situation were to re-emerge.

In 2009 Pepperdine put its pandemic response protocol to the test when the swine flu—H1N1—threatened that year’s Pepperdine Bible Lectures, which was expecting a significant number of attendees and presenters from areas that had been hit the hardest by the virus. Pepperdine’s Student Health Center was not equipped to serve the guests, which included a mixed population of children and elderly. Luckily, the epidemic eventually waned.

“With other pandemic outbreaks, we did our due diligence to observe and monitor their progression,” Cosentino continues.

“With COVID-19, this is the first pandemic we actually had to respond to.”

The uniqueness of pandemic planning and protocol execution, Cosentino explains, is a result of the boundlessness of the experience.

For example, events such as earthquakes and other natural or structural disasters are, by nature, finite and have a clear beginning and an end. “With a well-defined timeline, it’s easier to determine the type of support, funding, and accommodations we can offer the community,” she says.

A pandemic also presents unique challenges for the University’s Human Resources department as Pepperdine prepares to welcome faculty and staff back to its campuses in the coming months.

Cosentino and her team anticipate a surge of accommodation requests and concerns from University employees as they transition back to work and have carefully determined the best course of action for when faculty and staff return to campus.

These plans include supplying faculty and staff with personal protective equipment, answering emerging questions, and providing employees with comfortable workspaces, along with preparing supervisors with the resources they need to get their jobs done and educating them on the developing issues that may require additional resources.

“Pandemics inherently create fear and anxiety,” Cosentino says, “and when we think about those who are compromised health wise, we have to determine if they can do their work, assess how we can help them do their work, and evaluate the types of resources that are available to them.

It all comes down to clearing pathways of communication and listening to what our community needs.”

It all comes down to clearing pathways of communication and listening to what our community needs.

— Lauren Cosentino

(’97, MBA ’12)

In Timothy Coombs’ multivolume reference book Crisis Communication, the author distills the concept down to two strategies: managing information (collecting and disseminating crisis-related information) and managing meaning (influencing how people perceive a crisis or the organization involved in a crisis).

The nuances of Pepperdine’s crisis response strategy, while based on the foundational elements of strategic communication, are, unsurprisingly, rooted in the University’s mission.

“The real secret to effective communication of any type is to always tell the truth, to always be transparent, and to always be a trustworthy voice,” says Rick Gibson (MBA '09, PKE 121), chief marketing officer and vice president for public affairs and church relations. “On the other side of that, it’s to know the truth of the people you’re talking to. It’s not enough to know something about our audience. It’s more important than ever to actually know who they are, know their name, know their major, know the clubs they belong to, and know what they’re interested in. As an institution it’s important to truly become personal with them. That will help us deliver the most relevant information in the timeliest manner possible that is still consistent and trustworthy.”

Gibson maintains that communication builds a sense of community, as it both invites feedback and starts a conversation.

For example, sharing frequently updated institutional messaging on Pepperdine’s official social media channels in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic invited members of the community near and far to address their concerns, ask questions, and offer support to others. Community sentiment was monitored by the University’s communications team and evaluated to understand what mattered most to those who were engaging with the posts. Understanding the community’s issues and needs in real time, Gibson explains, allows the EOC to learn from its own community and gather information that could be useful to the committee.

“These platforms are designed not only for criticism or complaints, but for engaging, understanding, and getting a real sense of how the members of our community feel, whether they are fearful, hurt, or uninformed,” he says. “If the administration can be informed through these platforms, then it can make decisions that will resonate with our community and demonstrate a respect and an understanding of its needs.”

According to Gibson, the need for communication increases depending on the proximity and urgency of the matter. However, different crises require different types of messaging.

“One-size-fits-all messaging is hard,” he says, explaining that while certain types of communications are aimed at parents, some are aimed at undergraduate students aged 18 to 22, and others at graduate students who are working adults. This reality poses challenges when delivering information in a consistent voice that is meant to be useful to a wide variety of people.

“Because of COVID-19’s widespread impact, we see that we can’t really overcommunicate,” Gibson continues. “The demand that we’re seeing and the advice we’re getting from outside sources prove that.

People want information that’s relevant to them, and that’s the challenge with making sure we deliver a consistent message.”

Whether releasing timely administrative announcements or making decisions that could change the landscape of the Pepperdine experience, the EOC as a team is guided by the diversity of opinion, the knowledge of trusted experts, and a commitment to transparency. While critical during times of crisis, these values are embedded in the daily decisionmaking that goes on at the University and reflects Pepperdine’s commitment to the highest ideals of the Christian faith that encourage its leadership to always act in the best interest of its community. With those standards at the forefront, Gibson says Pepperdine is able to have the kinds of conversations the world desperately needs and connect with those who have a stake in the well-being of the University.

“Pepperdine is all about a really big idea,” Gibson says. “To be heard in times of crisis, we as a University need to also be transparent in our communications when we talk about faith, science, history, education, law, and business. If we’re known as truth tellers when ideas are at stake, we’ll also be accepted as truth tellers when lives are at stake.”

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Snapshot

HEROES AMONG US

By Sara Bunch

As the CEO of experiential marketing company BARCELONA World Class Events, ALAN SEMSAR (MBA ’09) has been offering free marketing, creative, and public relations assistance to businesses in need.

Semsar has also partnered with Patina Cares, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Starline Tours, as well as with more than 30 restaurants and chefs in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to help feed healthcare staff, emergency responders, and at-risk individuals.

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As the coronavirus pandemic radically altered the lives of millions of people worldwide, Pepperdine alumni from all five schools stepped up to serve in inspiring ways during the unprecedented global health crisis. Selected from submissions to the Waves of Service Stories of Impact initiative, meet seven members of the Waves family who are caring for their communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

Seeking ways to support her and her husband’s hometowns, artist ALISON RASH (’01, MA ’05) created the Ripple series, a set of six abstract paintings, the proceeds of which were directed to organizations in Los Angeles and Lincoln, Nebraska, that provide resources for the two cities’ most vulnerable populations.

They sold out so quickly that Rash produced more unique pieces, a total of 42 paintings adding up to $10,500 in donations. “The need is overwhelming, but if we each make a ripple—do what we can with what we have where we are—together we can create a wave and make an impact.”

In his role as assistant director of operations for Pullman Regional Hospital in the state of Washington, DEREK SEDAM (’09) supports fundraising and philanthropic management—a critical need as widespread shutdowns are leading to massive revenue losses in the months to come. Sedam’s efforts at the Pullman Regional Hospital Fund have generated $750,000 for the acute care hospital, in addition to another gift of more than $500,000 from the community, a constituency that has also donated homemade masks, critical medical supplies, and food for doctors and nurses.

A Texas-based interventional radiologist working at numerous hospitals throughout the Austin area, JOEL ORNELAS (’05) applies fluoroscopy-guided techniques to perform emergent life-saving procedures on patients who have experienced massive traumas. Specializing in helping patients in advanced stages of disease and those who are too ill or frail to undergo open surgery, Ornelas has demonstrated a hopeful and positive attitude despite being affected by the country’s shortage of personal protective equipment at healthcare facilities.

An advanced registered nurse practitioner and hospital midwife,

LAURA CARMICHAEL (’02)

is part of a team that provides safe care to mothers, newborns, and families in the labor and delivery unit at Swedish Hospital in Issaquah, Washington. “Babies are still being born, and it’s our job to make sure this is done in an increasingly safe and competent way. I love what I do, and COVID-19 has not stopped or changed that.”

ROBERT SELLMAN (’97), the chief physician assistant

TAMI BARNETT (’99, JD ’02), cofounder of RaisingHOPE, a Los Angeles- and Ventura County-based nonprofit organization for children and transitioning aged youth in foster care, has connected foster children with mentors and resources such as board games, puzzles, art supplies, laptops, and internet access as they face the unique challenges brought on by the pandemic. “We want children and young adults in foster care to know that their community cares about them and will not let them fall.”

(PA) in the emergency department (ED) of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, has helped establish protocols for treating new influxes of COVID-19 patients in the hard-hit state. Beyond redeploying 30 PAs and nurse practitioners from other departments to help with the surge, Sellman is dedicated to providing high-touch clinical care to COVID-19 patients. “It is unlike any other time I have worked in the ED in my 19 years as an emergency PA. It’s not just about the high volume of sick patients [or] having to put on and take off personal protective equipment with each encounter. It’s about giving patients a hand to hold and making them feel loved and not alone.”

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Spthgilo

The

PROM SE of

A wo

A wworld A worldwide effort is underway to develop effective vaccines for the SARS CoV-2 virus. After 30 years of development, will the promise of engineered mRNAs rise to the challenge?

By Grace Lank (’20) and Jay Brewster

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The world has been shaken by a small strand of viral RNA, encoding proteins with the single purpose of viral replication and transmission.

As nonliving bits of coated RNA or DNA, viruses are not vulnerable to traditional antibiotics. Damage to the host often results from the destruction of host cells during viral replication or via the immune response itself. The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) partners a highly contagious virus with significant mortality rates. The current pandemic has mobilized a worldwide eff ort to develop therapeutics and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 and has invigorated eff orts to develop mRNA vaccines for humans.

Viral epidemics and pandemics offer devastating examples of lethal infectious disease. These include the most severe influenza pandemics of 1918, 1956, and 1968 (20 to 50 million influenza deaths, 1918–20), the human immunodeficiency virus pandemic (HIV, 38 million deaths, 1981 to present), and the smallpox virus, which appeared in regular epidemics reaching back at least 3,500 years. During the 20th century alone, smallpox is estimated to have killed 300 million people worldwide.

Smallpox (“small pockes,” family Poxviridae) was highly contagious, displayed an approximately 30 percent mortality rate, and was uniformly feared. It was with smallpox that prior exposure to the pathogen was first widely recognized as protective from subsequent infection.

Dating back to the 17th century, the practice of introducing pus material from a smallpox victim into subcutaneous tissue of an unexposed person (variolation), was first practiced. Using even a tiny dose of weakened smallpox virus to provide protection was risky. Variolation treatment sometimes created a full case of smallpox and some patients died from the resulting disease.

COVID-19 S-Protein M-Protein

In 1798 the British physician Edward Jenner famously published an alternative to variolation. He substituted cowpox, a poxvirus that causes mild disease in humans, in the inoculation procedure and named the process “vaccination” (vacca, Latin for “cow”). He first vaccinated an 8-year-old boy who then displayed resistance to smallpox exposure.

In 1979 smallpox itself was finally eradicated from human populations via a vaccination program managed by the World Health Organization.

While strategies to stimulate the immune system with a viral mimic have matured dramatically in the past 222 years, using weakened live virus or purified viral proteins to train the immune system continues to be our most effective weapon against viral disease.

Vaccinology in Brief A successful vaccine confers immunological resistance to a specified viral or bacterial pathogen. Stimulated by the identification of foreign viral components, virus-specific antibody levels and responsive immune system cell types rise during an immune response.

Antibodies can drive an immune response to destroy infected cells or may directly neutralize viral particles. Effective vaccine components will be antigenic, meaning readily recognized by antibodies, and are usually proteins found on the surface/ envelope of the virus.

These isolated proteins are not capable of causing disease, but merely train the immune system to recognize the intact virion.

One challenge of vaccine development is identifying effective viral antigens and producing them correctly in the laboratory. Proteins are like strands of beads that are folded into a particular three-dimensional structure. The folded structure must be precisely duplicated for a vaccine to correctly represent intact viruses. Once an antigenic protein is prepared and readied for injection into a host, significant testing for the effectiveness or efficacy must be performed in animal models and, eventually, in humans.

The mobilization of a WORLDWIDE EFFORT to develop SARS-CoV-2 vaccines defines an UNPRECEDENTED MOMENT of scientific cooperation and singular focus.

N-Protein RNA

HE-Protein Envelope

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Spotlight While strategies to stimulate the immune system with a viral mimic have matured dramatically in the past 222 YEARS, using weakened live virus or purified viral proteins to train the immune system continues to be our MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON against viral disease.

DNA/RNA Vaccine Design The synthesis of protein in any living cell begins with information flow from the DNA of a gene, which is transcribed to messenger RNAs (mRNA) and subsequently translated as the mRNA “read� by cellular enzymes to produce the encoded protein. For the past 30 years, scientists have been developing the technology to use DNA or mRNA molecules as a vaccine that causes the patient to produce viral antigens in their own cells.

Such a vaccine would enable the host cells to produce correctly folded and processed proteins as an exact representation of viral proteins, but without causing disease. In addition to the benefits of synthesizing the protein in the host cells, DNA and mRNA strategies are rapidly scalable for the production of millions of doses of vaccine in a relatively short period of time.

i-ERT Formulation Encapsulated mRNA

Lipid Nano Particle (LNP)

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DNA VACCINES

mRNA VACCINES

DNA vaccines consist of an engineered DNA sequence delivered to the cells primarily via direct injection or as an innocuous virus. Though DNA vaccines have shown clear promise, they have not been highly effective in generating a strong response from the immune system. Several vaccinations are needed to achieve significant levels of immune system response. Furthermore, there is the potential for viral DNA to integrate into the host chromosome, potentially causing detrimental mutations (Li et al., 2012). Though no DNA vaccines are approved for human use at this point, the past five to seven years have shown improvements in vaccine effectiveness in early clinical trials and animal studies.

DNA vaccines against Zika virus, HIV, Ebola virus, influenza virus, and now SARS-CoV-2 are in development (Ebony and Weiner, 2020).

mRNA vaccines are simple lipid nanoparticles mingled with mRNA strands that encode antigenic viral proteins. The lipids enable transfer of the mRNA across the cell membrane and the rapid production of viral proteins.

Recent advancements in the computational design of mRNA vaccines and the purification of the synthetic RNA have brought this strategy to the forefront. A particularly exciting advancement in mRNA vaccines is the inclusion of a second mRNA in the nanoparticles. This extra gene encodes a protein enzyme that makes copies of the mRNAs once inside the host cell. The mRNAs are amplified dramatically in a recipient cell, generating a much higher level of protein production and immune system stimulation. Accordingly, small doses of an mRNA vaccine can generate a strong response by the immune system.

This approach has been shown to stimulate robust antibody production and to activate immune cells associated with long-lasting immunity (Pardi et al., 2018). mRNA vaccines are already approved for animal use and have shown success in eliciting an immune response with HIV, Zika virus, Ebola virus, and influenza virus in animal trials (Zhang et al., 2019). The SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines, if approved, would be the first to gain approval for use for vaccination of humans.

The Advantages of Synthetic mRNA Vaccines In the context of emerging infectious disease, mRNA vaccines convey several promising characteristics. mRNA vaccines elicit a potent immune response in CD8+ T cells, responsible for detecting viral infection. Additionally, unlike protein vaccines, mRNA vaccines remain stable and highly effective for long periods in the absence of refrigeration, even as long as six months in 40 degrees Celsius (Zhang et al., 2019).

This enables the wide distribution of vaccines, especially in poorer tropical areas without readily available cooling methods. mRNA vaccines can also be engineered to protect against a variety of similar viruses rather than only one virus, as shown in animal applications.

The capacity to rapidly mobilize mRNA vaccines was famously displayed at the beginning of this pandemic. The DNA sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was first shared by Chinese researchers on January 7, 2020. Over the next 42 days, research teams at Moderna analyzed the sequence data, identified a “spike” protein on the surface of the virus as an antigenic vaccine candidate, designed and produced the mRNA vaccine, and submitted vaccine mRNA-1273 for Phase 1 clinical trials on February 24, 2020. Clinical trials have been moving forward rapidly and showing promise, though no full data sets have been released at this point.

In an interview with STAT, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that Moderna’s Phase 1 data clearly showed “antibody that was neutralizing live virus at levels that you would predict would be protective,” prompting his cautious optimism. At least two other mRNA vaccines, produced by BioNTech/Pfizer (New York, New York) and CureVac (Tübingen, Germany). are moving quickly into trials with human subjects.

Pushing the Pace

Grace Lank (’20)

The mobilization of a worldwide effort to develop SARS-CoV-2 vaccines defines an unprecedented moment of scientific cooperation and singular focus. Private pharmaceutical companies are joining in partnerships, and governments are investing deeply in facilitating the production and clinical evaluation of vaccine candidates. Critical questions regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccine candidates have to be addressed before approvals will be gained. The characteristics of a protective immune response are not yet defined for SARSCoV-2. If the vaccine proves protective, the durability of the protection is unpredictable. This pandemic has shown higher rates of transmission and mortality in distinct human populations (age, ethnicity, health factors), and the effectiveness of vaccines for those groups needs to be examined.

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health has announced the establishment of the ACTIV collaborative program (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines). This program was developed to streamline the process of evaluating candidate vaccine safety and efficacy. ACTIV has the capacity to analyze vaccines in parallel while ensuring properly controlled and randomized efficacy trials (Corey et al., 2020). Similar partnerships are rising up around the world.

The need for a robust pandemic response from the biomedical research community has been met with encouraging governmental funding and partnerships among private companies, which have dramatically increased the pace of testing and approval. Approximately 150 vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 are in different phases of development at this time. May this work improve our ability to respond to new pathogens, protect populations around the world from the current pandemic, and restore our ability to live, work, and educate in community.

Grace Lank is a 2020 alumna of Pepperdine University, having recently graduated with a bachelor of science in biology. As an undergraduate she conducted research with the Darrow Stem Cell Institute, investigating the efficacy of stem cell injections on pain reduction. During her studies at Pepperdine, she became increasingly interested in the biochemistry of viruses and vaccines and spent time working with AIDS patients at a clinic in her hometown of Seattle, Washington.

Motivated by her time working in a clinical setting and a desire to contribute to the study and treatment of HIV, she pursued and was awarded a post-baccalaureate fellowship with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Bethesda, Maryland. She has recently joined the research group of Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID.

Jay Brewster Jay Brewster is a professor of biology at Seaver College and serves as the divisional dean of the Natural Science Division.

He joined Pepperdine in 1997 after earning his PhD from Rice University (Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology) and serving as a research associate at the McLaughlin Biomedical Research Institute. His research at Pepperdine focuses on cellular signaling dynamics in response to nanoparticulate pollutants.

REFERENCES

Corey L, Mascola JR, Fauci AS, and FS Collins (2020), “A strategic approach to COVID-19 vaccine R&D,” Science, Vol 368:6494, 948–50.

Ebony GB, and DB Weiner (2020), “DNA vaccines: prime time is now,” Current Opinion in Immunology, Vol 65, 21–27.

Li L, Saade F, and N Petrovsky (2012), “The future of human DNA vaccines,” Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 162, 171–182.

Pardi N, Hogan MJ, Porter FW, and D Weissman (2018), “mRNA vaccines - a new era in vaccinology,” Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery, Vol 17, 261–279.

Zhang C, Maruggi G, Shan H, and J Li (2019), “Advances in mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases,” Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 10:594, 1–13.

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Spotlight

A group of Pepperdine experts weighs in on how workers will fare in the new employment landscape of a post-pandemic world

By Aman da Pisani

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Do you know anyone whose daily experience at work didn’t change as a result of the COVID-19 crisis? With the loss of 15.9 million jobs in April alone and the “new normal” of telecommuting, the disruption to the labor force has been incalculable. While the keys to success in the postpandemic economy are very much a matter of speculation, the best strategy for both employers and employees might be the ability to bend with the times.

Workers whose livelihoods came to a halt might find some solace in the cause of this downturn. Unlike the unemployment that arises in connection with traditional recessions, this sudden job loss was an economic anomaly, “a black swan event,” according to Julia Norgaard, assistant professor of economics at Seaver College. Norgaard sees an upside, in that although such events “destroy large quantities of people’s livelihoods, they have a much smaller impact on the overall economy than a structural recession does.”

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “[t]he number of unemployed persons who reported being on temporary layoff increased about tenfold to 18.1 million in April,” which is 78 percent of the unemployed. Back in the recession of 2007, reemployment was not as promising.

The National Bureau of Economic Research says that “fewer than half of those who lost a job during [that] recession were employed as of 2010.” Unlike 13 years ago, the majority of the current layoffs were intended to be temporary. This fact offers a “flash of hope,” says Nelson Granados, professor of information systems and technology management at Graziadio Business School and executive director of the Institute for Entertainment‚ Media‚ Sports, and Culture.

Noting that the live event sector of the entertainment industry has basically evaporated with the pandemic, Granados offers the reopening of a comedy club as an example of how reemployment in that sector might unfold. Without the development of a vaccine, a comedy show producer will need to diminish the health risk to the audience and his staff.

“This might mean seating people in every third seat,” says Granados, adding that audience size will determine operational necessities such as ticket booth staffing and drink service.

Granados posits that the development of a vaccine will be the main determining factor in accelerating normal business operations. Until then, he expects a slow and gradual rise in the sector’s employment rates. “But,” he says, “the more days that go by without businesses reopening, the more temporary job losses will become permanent.”

Norgaard agrees that timing is important. “As this prolongs,” she says, “the percentage of temporarily laid-off workers who return to their former positions is going to get smaller and smaller.” Because some employers will go out of business altogether or will rehire their staff piecemeal, some workers will have to find other opportunities, an event that could shift more bargaining power to employers in the short run.

Julia Norgaard

Nelson Granados

Kiran Chaggan

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Spotlight

Kiran Chaggan, a part-time MBA student and talent acquisition manager for IPG Mediabrands, will tell you that it already has. “When employment was high, we would be happy to hire someone with the required soft skills and give them technical training,” she says. “But now we will wait for someone who can use a specific software; we know there are people looking for work.” Chaggan advises recent graduates to “network, network, network as much as you can.

Because when a position opens up, you want those contacts to tell you about it.”

The crisis does, however, offer possibilities for the creation of new jobs. Granados points out that live events will require the enforcement of safety protocols, so there will be an uptick in the need for health screeners, venue cleaners, individuals who traffic the audience members, and security.

In the videogame and social media sectors, business is thriving, and Granados expects that engineers, product managers, and designers of these products will be in greater demand. While the advertising industry has suffered due to the termination of many businesses, Chaggan relates that her firm is looking for a number of staff members to address the marketing needs of Amazon, a client that has seen an increase in activity with the onset of the pandemic.

Regarding manufacturing, Jared Ashworth, assistant professor of economics at the Graziadio Business School, points out that globalization has allowed for a lot of specialization when it comes to providing particular goods, and the disruption of many businesses around the world has impacted the supply chain for many American firms. To prevent this from recurring, businesses may opt to “handle this risk by increasing what we create at home in the US,” he says. Even then, new manufacturing jobs will likely be limited and Bruce Barkis (MS ’17), adjunct professor at Graziadio, cautions such firms will employ “manufacturing at a high level enabled largely by robots,” giving rise to a circumscribed number of new opportunities.

Jared Ashworth

Bruce Barkis (MS ’17)

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What we’re faced with here is not planned change.

It is pure reaction and response.

—BRUCE BARKIS (MS ’17)

Fortunately for many of us, the pandemic has not meant leaving our workplaces behind indefinitely, but simply moving them home.

A survey in April by statista.com, which notably includes individuals who were not working outside the home before the crisis, shows that 20 percent of respondents indicated that they were able to work from home during the outbreak, and were doing so.

From an organization development perspective, this sudden increase in telecommuting may not have been the most optimal transition for many employers.

“What we’re faced with here is not planned change. It is pure reaction and response,” observes Barkis. “Businesses that had not previously accommodated telecommuters and did not have an established technical infrastructure are having all sorts of problems.”

Despite that steep learning curve, many organizations have found working from home to be both feasible and cost effective.

The structure of the future workplace may be what Barkis calls a “hybrid.”

The hybrid workplace is a fluid concept, perhaps one that is optional or is used by different employees throughout the week.

Employers should ask, “Do the tasks to be accomplished naturally lend themselves to working independently?” Barkis uses the examples of coding or answering customer service calls as such activities. Employers will also want to consider whether employees have the personalities and the space to be successful working at home.

“Some people are temperamentally not suited for long periods of time by themselves,” he says, noting that some individuals may also not have the physical space conducive to a good working environment. “I just talked to someone who’s working at the kitchen table because the family has grown, and they didn’t choose a house with office space,” he notes.

Another critical factor to success with a telecommuting workforce is employee engagement. Barkis explains an engaged workforce is willing to give discretionary effort. “They love their job so much that they work extra hours and do more than is expected.” Fostering engagement will likely require some deliberate effort on an employer’s part. Barkis says managers should ensure that employees have the equipment that they need, feel that they are in communication with their managers, are clear about what is expected of them, and get regular feedback about how they’re doing.

Managers should also frequently reach out and offer support to offsite workers. “They need to know that their opinion matters,” Barkis says.

The normalization of telecommuting may give rise to a new challenge for Americans.

As employers get increasingly comfortable with remote workers, they might be more inclined to hire someone from another part of the country, vastly increasing the number of opportunities for the potential employee.

A boon to both parties is the ability to search out an excellent employment “fit.” On the other hand, businesses may choose not to hire Americans at all. “I think,” says Ashworth, “that a significant amount of firms will say, ‘You know what, we have success with people working from a distance, so let’s go ahead and reach out to people that are at a distance and maybe at a lower wage rate.’”

How can we pivot, how can we innovate, how can we be flexible?

—JULIA NORGAARD

With so many unknowns at play, one piece of advice for everyone is to get used to being adaptable. Norgaard urges business owners and staff members to ask, “How can we pivot, how can we innovate, how can we be flexible?” She adds, “It’s important that both employers and employees understand and internalize difficult situations and work with each other. The people who are going to emerge positively from this are people who are not sitting on their couch watching Netflix. It is the people who are innovating—Disney, Hyatt, Trader Joe’s, Salesforce, Facebook.

Every single one of these companies emerged in or around a recession, and these are huge world players now.”

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Spotlight

As both the collegiate and professional sports worlds consider how they might resume regular programming post-pandemic, Pepperdine Athletics examines the current reality of live events

By Abigail Ramsey

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I

n a typical year, the month of May signals the end of the spring athletic season for many student-athletes around the country. In June Pepperdine student-athletes return to Malibu for voluntary training, and in July nearly all Pepperdine studentathletes return to campus for formal practices. As the COVID-19 pandemic changed the rhythm of the world, student-athletes watched as it rewrote their spring, summer, and fall seasons in tentative chalk.

In collegiate sports, beyond providing resources for physical conditioning, athletic leadership is also faced with the critical task of supporting the academic and professional development of student-athletes. At Pepperdine a summer that would have been full of academic courses and voluntary training in Malibu was replaced with twice-weekly Zoom team check-ins, optional body-weight training programs, and a significant focus on mental well-being.

“We are taking a pause on the physical and elevating the professional, mental, and spiritual growth of our student-athletes,” shares Karina Herold, deputy director of athletics. Amid NCAA eligibility changes allowing seniors whose final seasons were cut short due to COVID-19 to return, the Pepperdine Athletics staff is working closely to help student-athletes determine whether they will come back to Pepperdine to compete for one more season or begin their post-undergrad career.

University leadership and Los Angeles County Public Health officials have yet to announce when athletes may begin their journey back to Malibu for the fall seasons, but Director of Athletics Steve Potts (JD ’82) says, “We are planning for every possible outcome, and I am so thankful for our coaches, staff, and athletes who make this whole process so positive and rewarding.”

When student-athletes return to campus, Pepperdine Athletics has created a four-week training plan to safely reorient athletes after having spent months without access to weights and equipment. Individuals will be provided their own workout zone to minimize the potential risk of spreading COVID-19 between training athletes.

After this first phase, athletes will continue to train with coaches on specific skills before beginning formal team training and workouts.

Every day in each of these phases and continuing through their competing season, athletes will complete both a digital health survey and an inperson symptom check to ensure their safety and the safety of their teammates.

Like many universities across the nation, Pepperdine will not be opening its fall sporting events to spectators unless guidance from county health officials changes. With October’s much-anticipated Blue and Orange Madness to celebrate the kick-off of men’s and women’s basketball seasons, the absence of spectators is one that will be felt deeply by students, alumni, and athletes alike. Although many sporting events will be equipped with streaming abilities, the camaraderie and excitement shared by experiencing it in the stands will be missed but not forgotten.

In times of great uncertainty, live sporting events, as well as other forms of in-person entertainment, provide a valuable escape from day-to-day anxieties and important benefits to mental health. In a conversation about navigating the future of live events with Pepperdine’s Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports, and Culture held virtually in May, producer Valarie Benning Thompson, who has managed stadium, arena, and theatrical tours nationally and internationally for three decades, shared why these events are so exhilarating.

“There’s nothing like being in the arena when everybody is laughing and enjoying it or watching a concert and feeling the vibrations [of the music] beneath their feet,” she says.

“The audience wants to come back and be a part of it. [Performers] need to be able to feel the energy from the audience, so it’ll be difficult for them to have the audience so far back that they can’t see or feel them.”

With widespread cancelations and season suspensions, industry leaders and spectators have longed for the return of live sporting events. To fill the gap left by the hours previously dedicated to a commute or social activities like dining out at restaurants, watching movies in theatres, and attending live entertainment venues, consumers flocked to streaming and television. Sports attorney and founder of California Sports Lawyer Jeremy Evans (LLM ’18, MBA ’20) evaluated the health of streaming services before the emergence of COVID-19. With a growing hunger for sports content in this space, Evans says, “There’s an opportunity here for the industry to meet fans where they are, which is in streaming.”

Whether regulations call for empty stadiums and live game streams, fewer spectators with masks and at-the-door screenings, or altered seasons, the return of live events will certainly come with a combination of safety regulations and viewing options for fans. The ripple effects of COVID-19 will remain evident in the economy and collective culture for years to come. However, Evans says he is “encouraged by the innovation and creativity of everyone in the industry adapting to make sports happen.”

While plans continue to be etched in chalk for both collegiate and professional athletes— plans that are easily editable and malleable with little notice of changing conditions—Herold explains the work ethic and resilience of athletes is critical. “Especially at Pepperdine,” she says, “the strength of our student-athletes is incredibly encouraging and admirable in this uncertain future.”

We are taking a PAUSE on the physical and ELEVATING the PROFESSIONAL, MENTAL, and SPIRITUAL GROWTH of our student-athletes.

— K a r i n a H e ro l d

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BY SARA BUNCH

ising senior Lindsey Sullivan had just wished her sister a safe trip back to Virginia during spring break when she learned that Pepperdine was closing its campuses amid the threat of COVID-19 and transitioning to an online format. Soon she, too, would fly home, and the hours she lovingly devoted to writing for the Graphic would be replaced by helping her single father raise her two younger siblings while juggling 17 units of coursework online. “I replay that week in my head all the time because it affected every single aspect of my life as a student,� she shares about the drastic changes she experienced in mid-March 2020. A self-described sentimentalist, Sullivan was already anxious about saying goodbye to her friends, roommates, and fellow staff members at Pepperdine’s Housing and Residence Life and the Graphic. But wondering if she would ever see her friends again left Sullivan confused, shocked, and distressed—manifestations of the grief she felt over canceled opportunities and the loss of relationships.

It took weeks, however, for Sullivan to be able to admit that she was in mourning for fear that any complaining would indicate a distrust of God. After all, she was safe and healthy.

Her family was spared from the hideous disease that had claimed thousands of lives.

So, why was she anything but thankful? “Grieving loss is crucial for navigating the coronavirus pandemic,� says Sharon Hargrave, executive director of the Boone Center for the Family at Pepperdine and a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and Texas. “Not grieving will result in destructive coping behaviors such as irritability, withdrawal, feelings of incompetence, or expectations of selfperfection. As Christians, our faith allows us to admit that loss and uncertainty are difficult, and having faith means you can walk through loss and uncertainty to get to the other side.�

For those providing spiritual guidance during the pandemic, Hargrave explains that —MIKE advising believers simply to not be anxious and just trust God is detrimental to their healing. “Anxiety comes from fear, and fear has to be dealt with to alleviate the anxiety,� she says. “If we dismiss the anxiety, we are perceived as unrealistic, and that person will potentially stop listening to us. Instead, we must ask what fears are causing their anxiety, like the fear of contracting COVID-19 or losing their job. When we know what people

fear, we can be helpful in giving support and helping them address the very issues they fear.�

Sullivan’s healing process began with a candid conversation with her spiritual mentor, Lisa Smith, Seaver College assistant professor of teaching English. “She said, ‘You’re not going to offend God by admitting you are hurting,’� recalls Sullivan, who, after opening up about her feelings in prayer and in journals, began seeking biblical guidance. Comforted by the perspective she gained from sharing her emotions, Sullivan discovered a deeper connection to her faith. “When I saw that God’s plan gave me the space to mourn, I realized I don’t have to quickly move on from my grief or pretend everything is fine. I learned to be honest about where I am, to be vulnerable with God, and to openly go where I am called to be,� reveals Sullivan. “Completely trusting God felt like a form of worship.�

Smith notes that admitting need creates intimacy. “When we come honestly to God with pain or confusion, our honesty creates an opportunity for God to answer our questions, heal our hurt, and provide true comfort. He is very gentle with the hurting and broken.�

Mike Cope, director of ministry outreach in the Office of Church Relations at Pepperdine, explains that connecting with a church community during a time of uncertainty and grief can be lifesaving. Cope relates that after losing his 10-yearold daughter in 1994, an experience he shared in his fourth book, Megan’s Secrets: What My Mentally Disabled Daughter Taught Me About Life, he clung to his network of close friends who constantly prayed for him when he couldn’t gather the strength to speak. During the COVID-19 crisis, Cope says that connecting with others, whether through video chats, phone calls, texts, or emails, is critical to healing. “Believers remind each other that God is faithful and that we have the strength to survive,� he says. “Part of relying on faith is trusting the people around you to uphold you, thus allowing them to ‘mourn with those who mourn,’ in the language of scripture.�

Cope also emphasizes the critical concept of lamenting, employing the prayer language used by Christians to communicate their grief with God. “Many Christians shy away from it because it feels faithless,� he says. “But lamenting is the ultimate form of faith: we take our doubts, fears, and sorrows to God.�

A recent study conducted by Hargrave COPE showed that spiritual guidance promotes satisfaction in relationships, satisfaction with life, and feeling loved. In support of turning to God and to a church community during the pandemic, Hargrave says, “If we take time to grieve what has been lost, deal in the present realities, and help each other ride the emotional rollercoaster of uncertainty and unexpected blessings, we can become stronger in character and hope.�

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Spotlight

Together By Amanda Pisani

Apart

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Human beings are social creatures. We may be introverts.

We may consider ourselves “loners.” But as poet John Donne recognized, each of us is nonetheless “a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

Two Graziadio alumnae, both of whom earned degrees in organization development, run businesses designed to foster conversation and connection—two keystones of the togetherness we all crave and, ultimately, require. When the coronavirus pandemic sent the country into quarantine, they immediately saw the need for community that months-long safer-at-home orders would generate. Sharon Swing (MS ’93), owner of Swing Consulting, is also the coauthor of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God and My Story. With the lifemapping materials outlined in the book as their guide, she and her colleagues hold therapeutic programs that help individuals be more “self-aware, God-aware, and other-aware.” The clients use the life maps to document their story; they’re then taught how to share their story and how to really listen to others.

Within six days of the issuance of safer-at-home orders in her community outside Chicago, Illinois, her organization segued from in-person life-mapping events to online mini-retreats.

Renée Smith (MS ’05) heads A Human Workplace, an organization she founded to make workplaces more loving and human centered.

Organization Before the pandemic, Smith and her small network of “hosts” led workplace teams in how to be more inclusive, trusting, and development supportive of one another to create a kinder and more productive work environment. Since the outbreak, her team has grown from specialists offer their “a handful” to 20 hosts reaching nearly 1,000 people in more than 50 gatherings all over the world. Some of the Zoom events she holds communities ways are composed of people who work together. Others are made up of complete strangers. “We feel really convicted about the importance to connect deeply of helping people through this time,” says Smith. The point of the gatherings is to provide “opportunities for people to process during isolation their fear, de-escalate stress, practice strategies for self-care, and give voice to hope.” In response to events that have subsequently unfolded around the country, Smith and her group are also hosting gatherings to stand with the Black community and people of color and to create space for white people to “do the work” of anti-racism.

The conversations at these virtual meetings are designed to reveal the attendees’ most raw and profound thoughts and feelings.

Swing’s program encourages participants to review their lives and their perceptions of God and to share them with the group, while Smith’s asks participants to simply talk to each other about what they’re feeling and experiencing in It’s amazing what can this time. Candor is critical, and both divide their large groups into groups of three people. In those happen when people are small groups each individual has a chance to speak, given a space to just talk uninterrupted, for a period of time. Participants travel to a “very deep, reflective place,” says Swing. to other human beings This opportunity, the chance to really be heard, is and have that human central to connecting deeply. “It’s amazing what can connection. happen when people are given a space to just talk to other human beings and have that human connection,” — Renée Smith says Smith. “It is essential for our emotional health.”

While our time at home has altered our understanding of the community experience, and technology has not yet advanced in a way that it can replace the actual presence of fellow human beings, connecting virtually has arguably never been more critical to our well-being. At a time when many are suffering from loneliness, mental health issues, or are just wanting to feel they’re “a part of the main,” it is heartening to know that making a deep and fulfilling connection can be just a click away.

Inspiration in ISOLATION Away from their Malibu art studio and their supplies, fine arts students create while coping with the coronavirus pandemic

By Jakie Rodriguez (MS ’13)

I decided to use whatever I had around me, because not having professional materials should

not stop you

from creating.

MANYA SETH

Lasagna noodles, vacuum cleaners, and rolls of bathroom tissue are just some of the household items people used to recreate popular works of art as part of a recent Getty Museum challenge that encouraged individuals sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic to use their time in isolation to create.

The notion of producing art in solitude, however, is not new. In fact, Frida Kahlo, William Shakespeare, Charlotte Brontë, and Francisco Goya created many of their masterpieces during periods of self-isolation.

“When isolation extends for a longer period of time, moving toward something that is slower paced, like a creative endeavor, is common,” says Gretchen Batcheller, Seaver College associate professor of studio art. “Art serves as a vehicle that actively interprets and translates what it is you’re thinking,” she shares.

Although staying motivated during times of uncertainty may be difficult for some, channeling emotions into artistic enterprises can improve mental health. Engaging in creative activities, from crafting to painting, can produce results similar to meditation and can have calming effects on the brain and body.

“Having control over a medium can be a way of working through a situation where you feel out of control,” says Ty Pownall, Seaver College associate professor of art.

“It can be useful in helping you find your voice and processing a situation you’ve never been in before.”

Using her art as a way to cope with a much different semester than she had imagined, Manya Seth, a Seaver College junior pursuing a double major in psychology and art, viewed the pandemic as her muse. On her Pepperdine Studio Art profile, Seth shares that her quarantine creations are “representations of desires, feelings, and memories I have chased out of my mind. I rounded up each one of these uncomfortable thoughts and forced them to the forefront.”

Unable to immediately return home to India with the onset of the pandemic, Seth set up a makeshift studio while staying with family in Connecticut. Despite not having access to large wood boards or charcoal pens—her preferred tools—she held herself accountable and created a little each day to express herself when words were not enough.

“I decided to use whatever I had around me because not having professional materials should not stop you

from creating,” shares Seth, who burned bits of wooden logs to make charcoal and mixed the ash with Vaseline to create a thick paint.

Seth’s classmates also had to find new spaces in which to create and to be resourceful with the materials they had on hand. In April, students had the chance to showcase their art and share their work with their peers in an online exhibition. “Art is important regardless of the circumstances,” says Aliya Edwards (’20), who graduated with a degree in art and a minor in multimedia.

“It serves many purposes for many people.”

Faculty were also intentional about connecting and communicating with students, often outside designated class times, using Zoom as well as email and text messaging. Pownall offered consistent but gentle reminders to students to use art to enhance their circumstances and the circumstances of those around them, and Batcheller and other faculty members regularly checked in with students to ensure the students knew they had not been forgotten.

“All the professors were so motivating, caring, and accommodating,” says Seth. “They encouraged us to keep creating, but more than that, they cared that we were all safe and happy.”

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The Cut

COMEDY

Tragedy Hold on Humor In moments of fear, our cognitive resources retract. In other words, our thinking is compromised and our survival instincts take over. As we adapt to a threat, our cognitive functioning begins to return, and we become more creative, perceptive, and open-minded— ultimately becoming more receptive to interventions such as humor.

STEVEN SULTANOFF, adjunct psychology faculty at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology and an international expert in therapeutic uses of humor, shares the healing power of a good laugh.

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Summer 2020

The Best Medicine Research has shown that deep, heartfelt laughter increases one’s tolerance for pain and decreases one’s cortisol production, the hormone secreted when we experience stress.

Laughter also increases the production of certain antibodies, especially, according to various studies, those that fight upper respiratory diseases. “When we look at the potential of laughter in the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sultanoff says, “it’s possible that those experiencing symptoms could increase the antibodies that fight upper respiratory disease if they engage in frequent laughter.”

Time Heals All Wounds During a crisis such as a pandemic, the passage of time is one healer.

As a crisis fades into an individual’s past, its potency is diminished, and the individual is able to separate the emotions connected with the crisis from their inner emotional being.

Beyond time itself, Sultanoff says, “Official charts demonstrating COVID-19 rate progress over a 60-day period give the public a temporal distance from the virus and help it move out of a fearful stage and into the receptivity stage where people can begin to accept humor.”

Have a Merry “Mirthday”

Mirth, the emotional reaction to humor, transforms distressing emotions such as anxiety, fear, depression, and anger into uplifting emotions such as joy and pleasure. During times of crisis, as distressing emotions abound, humor through mirth can relieve and reset our emotional well-being. According to Sultanoff, “Distressing emotions and mirth cannot occupy the same psychological space.”

Wisdom on Wit Wit, the cognitive reaction to humor, activates perspective, which, Sultanoff says, is one of the most powerful emotional managers. “When we ‘get’ a joke, it compels us to think outside the box and consider alternate, creative possibilities,” says Sultanoff. “In the case of COVID-19, many people are focused on what they can’t do. Wit opens our brains up to things like cooking together in different locations via Zoom or engaging in other communal activities from a distance. If you find ways to enjoy the benefits of humor in the pandemic, you will simply feel better.”

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