Marrs and Chesnutt take on new roles in Seaver administration
Dr. David Baird, the dean of Seaver College, announced Friday that Dr. Randall Chesnutt accepted the invitation of the Screening Committee, President Dr. Andrew K. Benton, Provost Dr. Darryl Tippens and his colleagues to serve as the Religion Division’s next chairperson.
Chesnutt will replace Dr. Rick Marrs, who will serve as a new associate dean of Seaver College.
A member of the Seaver faculty since 1984, Chesnutt is a popular instructor of Religion 102 and the Greek language sequence. Marrs specializes in teaching the Old Testament and the history of Israel.
Chesnutt and Marrs will take on their new positions Aug. 1.
School of Law initiates new dispute resolution program
The school of law has announced its first post-graduate degree for lawyers, the LL.M. in dispute resolution. The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, which has been twice ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, is offering this new degree, which is a level beyond the juris doctor.
The degree adds to the worldwide acclaim of the existing School of Law Dispute Resolution program and focuses on the resolution of legal disputes beyond courtroom activities, including such processes such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
“It is appropriate that Pepperdine’s first graduate law degree be in a field where the school has provided substantial leadership,” Dean of the School of Law Richardson Lynn said in a news release.
The Straus Institute enrolls more than 100 students from three continents in its academic programs. Each year law students and faculty from more than 30 other American law schools take courses at Pepperdine in this field.
More information on the new LL.M. program is available at http://law.pepperdine.edu/straus/.
GSEP Receives $100,000 grant for work at Union Rescue Mission
Pepperdine’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology will continue its breakthrough mental health training clinic at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles, thanks to a $100,000 grant by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The grant is the second from the Hilton Foundation. The initial grant, funded in January 2001, went toward the establishment of the Pepperdine University – Jerry Butler / Union Rescue Mission Counseling Center. It was also used to provide psychological services to homeless men, women and children.
After a review of the distribution of the first grant, the Hilton Foundation board of directors approved the second grant in November 2002.
“We were gratified that the Hilton Foundation closely reviewed our accomplishments and effectiveness and decided to make the second award,” said Dr. Cary Mitchell, GSEP associate professor of psychology in a news release.
The grant will be distributed over three years, beginning this year. It will provide stipends for students who conduct work at no cost with the homeless of Skid Row in Los Angeles. Additionally, it will add a partnering with the Legal Aid Clinic, which is run by the School of Law.
“We plan to provide psychological and educational services to families that are dealing with child visitation, child custody or other family legal issues,” said Dr. Aaron Aviera, director of clinical training for the doctoral program in psychology. “We are excited to add this to our other activities.”
Tickets to Gonzaga showdown almost sold out
A limited number of tickets remain for the nationally televised men’s basketball game against Gonzaga on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Student tickets can be purchased for $1 from the athletics ticket office from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Once the 900 reserved student tickets have been sold, students must pay the general admission price in order to guarantee seating.
January 23, 2003