By Massiel Ladron DeGuevara
Staff Writer
The nationwide search for a new dean of the Graziadio School of Business and Management is finally over.
The position has been offered to and accepted by Dr. Linda Livingstone, the associate dean for graduate programs at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Livingstone was invited to visit Pepperdine’s School of Business and Management along with two other candidates in March to view the campus and meet with administrators, professors and students.
“Livingstone, frankly, impressed everyone with her character,” Provost Dr. Darryl Tippens said.
“Faculty as well as administrators said ‘This is a great candidate, hire this woman.’ I think we have definitely hired someone who has the gift of leadership.”
Pepperdine was seeking a new dean for Graziadio with teaching, research and academic experience as well as someone who would understand Pepperdine’s Christian mission.
Livingstone met all of these criteria better than any of the other candidates.
“(Those) who interviewed Dr. Livingstone praise her professional and personal strengths, including her proven experience at a respected business school that faces strong competition from top 50 competitors.”
He also cited her “exceptional personal skills, her energy and passion, her understanding of and support for the school’s faith mission, her sense of balance, and her approachable management style,” in a recent e-mail memo.
It was important to Pepperdine’s administrative staff that the new dean value Pepperdine’s mission statement and strive toward meeting it daily.
In fact, it was this “unique mission” that prompted Living-stone to apply for the position.
“The deanship of the Graziadio School of Business and Management is of great interest to me for two reasons,” Livingstone said in a press release.
“First is the university’s faith-based mission. There are few universities left in the country that seek to achieve national recognition while maintaining their Christian identity. The second reason I have an interest in the dean’s position of the Graziadio School is because it is an outstanding business school with a Graziadio School is because it is an outstanding business school with a national reputation and the desire to further enhance that reputation.”
Livingstone received her B.S., M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Oklahoma State University, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
She had many areas of study during her time as a student, including management, organizational behavior, psychology and quantitative methods.
Livingstone has served as the associate dean for graduate programs at Baylor University since 1998.
She has also served as an associate professor, a graduate teaching associate, an assistant professor, a research assistant, a student programs director, an accountant, a director and programs supervisor and an administrative intern.
Livingstone has also had many of her essays and works published in some of the journals in her field, including The American Business Review, The Journal of Organizational Behavior, The Journal of Management Edu-cation and Journal of Manage-ment.
Livingstone is married to Brad Livingstone, and they have one daughter, Shelby, who is in kindergarten.
They are planning to make the move to California sometime in June.
Once she has moved in, Linda Livingstone will have two offices for the School of Business and Management.
One office will be located on the new GSBM Drescher campus in Malibu, once it is opened.
The other office will be located at the Pepperdine Plaza in Culver City, the current headquarters for the school of business.
March 21, 2002