MEGAN WESTERVELT
News Assistant
Pepperdine University’s faculty and staff will notice the absence of one distinguished name, two familiar faces around campus this year. Two professors, who share the same name but no relation, will leave the university to begin working in administrative positions at two of Pepperdine’s sister schools.
Communication professor David Lowry is now the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma Christian University. Pepperdine School of Law professor Randy Lowry will soon begin his position at Lipscomb University as president.
Randy Lowry will be leaving Pepperdine after this semester and moving to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., as the university president on Nov. 1.
Randy has shared a long history with Pepperdine, from being the student body president in 1970, to founding and directing the nation’s top institute for dispute resolution, the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution.
Since his establishment of the Straus Institute, Randy has been teaching law classes.
“Six weeks ago, I wasn’t expecting to do anything except keep teaching here at the law school,” he said.
Randy said he was contacted by the search firm hired by Lipscomb University, interviewed and asked to be president. He said he felt that God was calling him to Lipscomb.
“Lipscomb University has tremendous potential,” Randolph said. “I’ve also always wanted to be a college president someday.”
As university president, Randy said he hopes to bring Pepperdine and Lipscomb closer together, and maybe swap speakers and special programs offered at Pepperdine with those at Lipscomb.
He will always remember Pepperdine, however, as having “remarkable influence on (his) life for the last 33 years.” Randy met his wife at Pepperdine, as well as his greatest mentor, Professor Jerry Hudson. Two of his three children have also graduated from Pepperdine.
“I leave Pepperdine with a sense of gratefulness for Pepperdine’s influence on my life, sadness about having to leave my colleagues and the campus, and anticipation about working at Lipscomb,” he said.
Also migrating east, David, who has worked at Pepperdine for 20 years in the Communication Division, will join Oklahoma Christian University faculty this fall.
At OCU, David will help faculty promote faith in learning in their courses, he said. He also said he wants to raise the academic standards at OCU using Pepperdine’s vigorous and effective academic curriculum as an example.
“My goal is to shape the school so that one day students there will be able to say that even though it is small, it has great academics,” David said. “(OCU) needs someone to help shepard it through new courses and a new curriculum. I’m here to do it.”
Though David is enthusiastic about his new job, he says he will miss Pepperdine and its faculty and students.
“As I look back, I developed a bond with my students … I remember them all,” he said. He also said he regrets having to leave the beautiful campus and his colleagues. “Pepperdine is a wonderful, prestigious University that is … beautiful on the outside and inside too,” David said.
08-29-2005