Photo by Marisa Padilla
Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology Helen Easterling Williams took up the reins this year as the leader of GSEP.
Williams is the first African-American female dean of a school at Pepperdine, according to President Andrew K. Benton.
Former Dean of GSEP Margaret Weber announced her retirement in January, beginning the search for a new dean.
Q: Why did you apply for this position?
A: I will simply say that I was in Orlando with my grandchildren kind of semi-retired [helping with my grandchildren] — just having a wonderful time. A couple friends sent me email messages saying, “Take a look at this. This would be great for you.” And I said, “Thank you, but no thank you. I’m doing fine right here.”
Finally, a third message came through saying, “Have you applied for this?” And I said, “No, but I’ll pray on it.” I did not pray on it. Because I didn’t know what was going to come out of it. And then my former supervisor, the former provost from Azusa Pacific University, said to me in a text message, “Helen, this has your name written all over it. Apply for this, please, for me.” … And so I prayed on it, and I thought I heard God say yes, so I applied. And it snowballed from there. I soon came to realize I was moving back to California.
Clearly it was a divine call. And when God calls, you must answer. Just the way that things worked out makes me believe that. The way the interviews went, the way the move here occurred, and just everything fell into place. It’s divine. I get to do the kind of thing that I love doing. And it’s really great.
Q: Why were you in Orlando?
A: I went to Orlando because my daughter and son-in-law needed so much help as two very young, very successful, professional individuals. They needed a lot of help with their three children [aged 9, 8 and 4].
So I had taken a sabbatical from Azusa Pacific and decided I can work from Orlando as well as I can work from San Dimas, so I went to Orlando to be with them and to help with the children. And so now, what makes me so sure this is divine? The children can cook breakfast that I can eat. They’re really rather self-sufficient. They can vacuum, do dishes, clean the pool, all sorts of things. I’m confident that now is the time for me to step off and do me. It’s divine.
Q: What are you most excited for in your job?
A: When you look at the job description, it really isn’t all that exciting. It’s what you do with the job description. The most exciting part is being able to work side by side with other academicians who have a heart for purpose, leadership and service.
It’s rare, I believe, that you find an institution that fits so well with my goal, my purpose in life. There is a synchronicity that exists between my goals, my personality, my character and the things I love to do at Pepperdine. And so with that, I get to work with all these wonderful people here, I get to focus on things that really are important to me as a leader — and that is growing people, building people in such a way that we are prepared for 21st century work.
Q: What are some of your goals as dean of GSEP?
A: It is my intent at this point in time to focus on utilizing technology to the best of our ability — to free up the individual … and to spark creative ideas in the children that will be seated in the classrooms in private and public schools so that they can perform better in the 21st century. The techniques we used in the 19th and 20th centuries are not necessarily as effective today as they were then. It’s a new day. Technology has changed everything. So it is my intent to increase the utilization of technology in GSEP.
I seek to increase the globalization of our coursework and our operations. Pepperdine has facilities all over the world. GSEP, I believe, needs to be prominently on board in those locations. So globalization is another piece.
Then, there is the counseling piece. I want to extend the counseling that we do through our psychology programs throughout not just Southern California but even further. I think with technology we can go even beyond the Southern California borders.
Then there is accreditation — that dreaded word. Everybody cringes when they hear it, but it’s so necessary. If we are going to do what I am planning, going deeper to get higher — meaning we are going to strengthen our roots so that our reputation is expanded beyond where it is now — means that we have got to have accreditation.
The American Psychological Association now accredits our psychology division, but our education division is accredited only by California Commission for Teacher Credentialing, and I think we need national and regional accreditation for our education division. Accreditation is tough because it consumes your life. It takes a lot of time and energy, and it is very wearing, but it is necessary. You must have that stamp of approval.
Fortunately, at present the regional and national accrediting bodies work in concert with the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing, and so it’s not that we have to fulfill two different sets of standards … We just have to make the effort to go to the next step.
Technology, globalization, counseling, accreditation and then it’s fundraising. Pepperdine has done an excellent job, and Dean Weber, my predecessor, has done an excellent job providing financial resources, but we need more. If we are going to do all that I’ve laid out thus far, we are going to need more funds to make it happen and to sustain the efforts.
Q: How does your faith play out in your work?
A: Because Pepperdine is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian heritage, it’s easy [to be] who I am. You see, it is not something that I have to try or remember to insert. It’s me. I live my faith. And so in my office work, it just comes out. When I meet with individuals, it just comes out. It’s pretty obvious who I am.
I consider myself a servant-leader. People don’t work for me. I’m not the boss. People work with me. I work with them. It’s a mindset. And that’s the way Christ led. He was one with everyone … And that’s just the way I live. With Pepperdine being a faith-abased institution, prayer is an integral part of my life.
Often, we go to work and we are disjointed. We put our work face on and we go to work. And we leave this other part of ourselves at home … I believe that … [puts you] in a compromising situation. But if you are whole wherever you are, then whatever comes and whatever goes, you can be solid. You’re not blown by every wind. You are solid in who you are.
I’ve worked in public institutions of higher education where faith is not the center of the organization, and it’s a challenge. But I found how I could be me in that setting. Yes, it wasn’t popular to say Jesus, but you can live Jesus. I’ve learned early on that people would rather see a sermon than hear one any day because there’s authenticity in what you do. People learn what they live. And so I live it out, and it flows.
Q: What possible challenges do you foresee in your new role?
A: Challenges for me are opportunities. But a challenge I see … is that because I am new to Pepperdine, and I don’t have a lot of historical data to draw on, and I have a temporary executive assistant who has no history with Pepperdine, I am challenged when I think of situations coming before me and my having to make a decision about those situations without having a lot of backstory.
So I will delay making a decision until I’ve had a chance to talk to a number of different people, so I can make the best possible decision. And sometimes a delay in decision-making can affect the outcome, so that is something that gets in my spirit every now and then. I don’t want to make a mistake because I have to delay.
I’m doing the very best I can to meet with people who have been here for a long time … so that I can make good decisions. So that’s a challenge that I face regularly because there is no institution of memory in my office, so I really have to trust God.
Q: What are some of your past experiences?
A: I served as dean at the School of Education at Azusa Pacific University for five years. So that’s when I got to know the education arena in Southern California. I fell in love with Southern California.
Q: What are some of your favorite places that you’ve traveled?
A: I love Bermuda, the beaches are just fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to South Africa — Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban. It was heart-wrenching, caused a lot of soul-searching, and I had to really get close to God in those moments because I saw so much that hurt my heart, but it made me a much better person.
Of course, there’s nothing that can compare to Paris, particularly shopping and cheese … I enjoyed Heidelberg. I’m delighted Pepperdine has a space in Heidelberg, Germany.
Another place I absolutely love is South Korea. The people are just so wonderful. South Korea was actually devastated by war around 1950. All of the buildings were just destroyed. They had to level everything that remained standing and rebuild as a country. And my understanding is that the leader of the country decided to build the country after this terrible war founded on love and Christian principles.
I went to South Korea, and it’s December, Christmas time. At city hall, town square, there’s a beautiful Christmas tree, and on top of it is a cross. They made sure the world knew that they were Christian. And that permeates the whole society. God lives in a very special way in South Korea … So I have an affinity in my heart for South Korea.
Q: Why do you love traveling?
A: [I love] exploring different cultures — God made us all. We are all his children. And travel helps me expand my horizons and see God’s people and embrace all of God’s children, and so I love to travel … I have a bit of a travel bug.
Q: What are some of the things you’ve enjoyed most about being at Pepperdine so far?
A: I have experienced the peace, the love, the respect, the unity that exists at Pepperdine … It’s been a wonderful place for me thus far. I arrived July 21 and I keep pinching myself. I’m still here, and that ocean is still there … It’s a wonderful place to prepare for real life. It’s the way real life should be. This is a divine place prepared by the Divine One for those who are willing to do the divine work. Count me in.
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Follow Falon Opsahl on Twitter: @FalonOpsahl
