David Davenport comes back to Pepperdine after a 3-year hiatus to teach in the School of P ublic Policy.
By James Riswick
News Editor
For Dr. David Davenport, the past three years have been filled with transition, change and a variety of challenges.
Before 2000, Davenport had held the same job for 15 years as president of Pepperdine. Since then, he’s been a chief executive officer in the high-stakes world of Internet business and then later settled down as a member of the prestigious Hoover Institution think tank at Stanford University.
But after testing some different waters, Davenport has returned to Pepperdine and Malibu. As a distinguished professor of public policy and law, Davenport will be teaching in the very institution that bares his name, the Davenport Institute of Public Policy.
“The idea of being back at Pepperdine is very exciting,” Davenport said. “When Pepperdine approached me to come back, three years seemed like a good period of time (to be away). Our family as a whole all wanted to come back to the Pepperdine community.”
Once it became clear that I could continue some of my work at Hoover while also coming back to Pepperdine and being part of this community and teaching again, then it became obvious,” Davenport continued.
Davenport will continue to be a member of the Hoover Institution where he enjoyed doing research and writing about various aspects of public policy. He is one of about 100 fellows in a group that includes former Secretary of State George Shultz and current National Security Advisor Condeleeza Rice.
In 2000, when he decided to step down as Pepperdine president, Davenport said he felt it was time to move on from the university he had steered for 15 years. But it was also time for Pepperdine to move on from him, he said, especially since the average length of stay for a university president is five years.
From here, Davenport moved onto Christianity.com, an Internet start-up company where he was CEO. The Web site assists ministries and other religious organizations from different denominations by providing technical support and help develop Web-based services and ministries.
Initially “swept up” by the idea of leading such an organization, Davenport found the transition from being the chief executive of a university to that of a newly born company much different than he had expected.
Unlike at Pepperdine where he had a lot of history and support to fall back on, Christianity.com was an not at all the same.
“It has no history, every decision that you make is potentially a life or death situation,” Davenport said. “I described it as going from captaining an ocean liner to driving a speed boat. Frankly it was fun, you had more hands-on control and there were some very exciting days. But at the same time, speed boats can tip over.”
He stepped down from Christianity.com in the fall of 2001 because he felt the company should have a CEO with a greater technology background. He soon after accepted the position at the Hoover Institution. While there, Davenport enjoyed a slower, much more peaceful life while working at home three days a week.
He has written several newspaper editorials and longer scholarly pieces since joining Hoover. He also taped an interview Tuesday for PBS concerning the California recall.
Returning to Pepperdine allows Davenport to not only return home, but also gives him the opportunity to meld together the job aspects that he’s enjoyed the most over the years.
“In a way, I feel like I’ve been able to go into a department store and pick several of the things I most like to do,” Davenport said. “I love teaching, I love working with students, I love writing newspaper columns, I love doing research and longer pieces, I love Pepperdine, I love Malibu. If I can make it all fit, I feel like I’ve gotten to choose the best of a lot of things I’ve done over a 30-year career.”
When asked what changes he made at Pepperdine that he is most proud of, Davenport gestured to the room and building around him on the new Drescher Graduate Campus and smiled.
“I’m sitting in a building I helped create,” he said. “That’s one of the most exciting things for me. It lets the Malibu campus feel more like a university than just a college with some other programs attached. I have to admit, this campus has turned out to be far grander than I had ever imagined it.”
He is also proud of how Pepperdine has remained dedicated to being both a well-respected academic institution and a strong Christian university. While many universities feel forced to abandon one of those missions, Davenport said he is happy to see Pepperdine continue to progress in both areas.
He is also pleased to be back home at Pepperdine and Malibu where he and his family formed many friendships over the years. Despite having two of his three children in college, Davenport said all of his family is particularly happy to return to their home of 20 years. He also said he’s looking forward to attending Pepperdine athletic events – something he’s missed in his three-year absence.
“We think of this as home,” Davenport said. “We were here 20 years; our kids completely grew up here. It’s the biggest part of my wife’s and my married life, and my professional live. We’ll find out if you really can come home again.”
September 11, 2003