Pepperdine unveiled the first look at the new International Program location in Hauteville on Sept. 13. The campus is expected to open in fall of 2023 wrote Gary Hanson, executive vice president of Pepperdine, in a Sept. 16 email to the Graphic. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine
Pepperdine pulled back the curtain on the Château d’Hauteville during their new campus unveiling Sept. 13. The process of finding a new campus was several years in the making, beginning in 2015, Hanson wrote.
Pepperdine evaluated its campus in Lausanne from 2015 to 2017 to determine the long term vision for the Switzerland program, Hanson wrote. Factors the University considered included durability, student experience and expanding the global presence of Pepperdine both in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Ultimately, the University decided on the Chateau d’Hauteville, Hanson wrote.
“One of the things that Pepperdine was able to do is to demonstrate that we value the facility and the land and the environment,” said Ronald Cox, interim dean of International Programs. “We’re going to honor its traditions and honor the expectations of the local people.”
Pepperdine decided to make an offer for the Chateau d’Hauteville in 2018, Hanson wrote, although the negotiation process meant Pepperdine did not finalize the sale until Nov. 5, 2019.
Chateau d’Hauteville had to fit very specific criteria before Pepperdine decided to purchase it, Hanson wrote.
“The Chateau is a Tier one Swiss historic site, abundant in its rich history and capable of boundless inspiration,” Hanson wrote. “We were also looking for a place that provides safety, solitude for reflection and proximity to restaurants, shopping and an international airport.”
Hanson wrote the Chateau had to undergo an entire restoration process before students could move in.
“The preliminary site work began in summer 2020 and the construction project began in earnest in December of 2020,” Hanson wrote. “The goal is to deliver a full campus opening by fall 2023.”
Students attending the Switzerland International Program have a lot to look forward to on and around the 57-acre campus, Hanson wrote.
“The new campus is intended to stimulate transformation which is consistent with Pepperdine’s Christian values: creating a life built on purpose, service and leadership,” Hanson wrote.
Those going to the Chateau will have the opportunity to take part in various activities on campus, Hanson wrote. Students will be able to participate in local seasonal festivities and work in the organic vegetable garden, in addition to having the opportunity to understand what life on the estate would have been like.
Students can expect the core values of the Switzerland experience will remain the same, Hanson wrote, yet attendees will also find new opportunities to immerse themselves in European culture.
“At the Hauteville Campus, there will be more opportunities to form connections with neighbors, be immersed in a natural environment and have greater access to skiing, hiking and other outdoor opportunities,” Hanson wrote.
There will also be a commercial kitchen, Hanson wrote, which will allow the University to prepare all meals on-site.
Despite these added amenities, Cox said the program fees will remain the same.
“They pay the Malibu tuition, the average room and board here and that is what we strive to charge in our programs,” Cox said. “There is an IP fee, but that’s a consistent fee among all our programs and it pays for the educational field trips and excursions.”
Pepperdine students have attended the Switzerland program since January 2007, and it has consistently been one of the largest locations, the International Program department wrote in an Oct. 2 email to the Graphic.
“I think the Chateau is going to open the program up to hosting far more people at once than ever before,” junior Robert Emrich, who attended the program in the spring of 2022, wrote in an Oct. 9 email to the Graphic. “So it will be a great way to get more people going to Switzerland than we have before.”
Students attending the Switzerland International Program in the 2023-24 academic year can expect to experience the new campus in all its glory, Hanson wrote.
“It’s natural beauty, rich traditions, high standard of living, peace and stability, and central location in Europe have all made this one of our most desirable programs,” Hanson wrote.
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