ALLY BARRERA
Staff Writer
When you think of the typical college professor, you probably have images of someone who pursued an academic career through college and grad school and has spent their time since graduation in a small, book-lined office, writing scholarly works and lecturing. That image couldn’t be further from the truth for Religion Division professor Todd Bouldin.
Before coming to Pepperdine, professor Bouldin first touched on several different careers – including politics, law and the ministry. “My grandfather was an elder in the Church of Christ,” Bouldin explains, “and from early childhood I loved ministry and thought I would become a minister. I had grand visions of Billy Graham preaching to millions.”
So Bouldin followed a traditional preacher path by taking bachelors degrees in religion and communication from Abilene Christian University in Texas, followed by a master of divinity degree from Princeton. But as he stepped closer to his goal of preaching, he started to feel restless about spending his life confined to a church.
“I contemplated that my life could be used for God and for kingdom purposes, but it did not have to be done in a church,” Bouldin said. “From then on, I looked for opportunities that would take me in that direction.”
The first opportunity came from a most unlikely place – the White House. While at Princeton, Bouldin spent time in Washington, D.C., studying public policy and theology. He applied for an internship to work with vice president Al Gore, who had been the congressman from Bouldin’s home district in Tennessee. Bouldin calls getting that internship the singular event that changed the course of his life for the next ten years.
“When I talk with students about vocations,” Bouldin explained, “I stress that sometimes a vocation comes looking for you.” It was that way for professor Bouldin and politics.
“I considered myself a bit of a maverick because I was a fairly conservative Christian going to work inside a White House that was perceived otherwise,” said Bouldin. “But I found other people of strong faith working there, including the Gores. I came to see politics as more noble. I changed my view to believe that I could be a Christian but also be a Democrat.
“People of faith certainly belong at the political table where all are welcome in the public discussion of ideas, and we should vigorously argue and act for our convictions.”
During his time in the White House, Bouldin experienced things that ranged from the grand, like witnessing the historic Middle East peace agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and Palestinian Authority President Arafat, to simply sharing hot dogs with President Clinton on the White House steps.
After his White House years, Bouldin worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative aid, as a campaign staffer, speechwriter and later as assistant legislative director for a member of Congress. He realized that a law degree would open up more options in the political area, so he earned his degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and joined a law firm in Nashville.
“I had hoped that when I graduated, I could go back to Washington and work for the Gore presidency,” he adds, “but that didn’t work out.”
The saying goes that when God closes a door, he opens a window. In professor Bouldin’s case, that “window” was a call from his old college roommate, now married in living in Southern California. “He asked if I’d be interested in being a minister at his church in Camarillo,” Bouldin recalled. “I still wasn’t sure about working in a church full-time, but I decided it would be a good break from my law practice.”
After settling into his ministerial duties, Bouldin tried his hand at yet another career – college professor at Pepperdine. At first, he taught just one course. Now he’s a full-time professor teaching religion and political science, and loving what the campus – and Los Angeles – have to offer. “It’s a location where our students and our faculty can make a difference in a large city,” he says.
One of professor Bouldin’s newest projects is coordinating Pepperdine’s initiatives to impact culture through the arts, where he works closely with Professor Darryl Tippens, Pepperdine’s provost. “Todd Bouldin is one of the most tireless and energetic souls I know,” professor Tippens said. “Furthermore, he has a great talent for finding people in all walks of life who are interested in the Pepperdine mission.”
Michael Williams, assistant professor of information systems at the Graziadio School of Business and Management, has been friends with Bouldin since their college days at Abilene Christian. “Todd is just one of those people who makes things happen wherever he goes – whether it’s in churches, universities or in government,” Williams said. “He’s so full of energy, enthusiasm and capabilities. I believe he could accomplish almost anything.”
One of the things that Bouldin is making happen right now is with Pepperdine’s Arts, Media and Culture Initiative, where he serves as a coordinator. “That is among the most meaningful work I have ever done,” said Bouldin. “I feel that we are building an initiative that is going to offer something very new at Pepperdine and position us a culture-creating and culture-influencing university.”
Pepperdine students are also quick to sing professor Bouldin’s praises. Freshman Rob Shogry had Bouldin for political science last semester. “Professor Bouldin has literally traveled the world, yet he understands the importance of remembering where you come from,” Shogry said. “He’s also a man who goes out of his way to include and befriend students. He’s a good man, and good friend.”
Bouldin concluded, “I want my life to be about encouraging people of faith and others to be about those things that help human beings to flourish. I think the worst sin for me is to be boring, complacent or uncreative.”
03-25-2008