School of Public Policy 25th Anniversary

"Because Pepperdine remains anchored in values, it can communicate itself to the region as seeking not just numbers and statistics, not just fancy formulations, but value in our public life: by which I mean both religious and philosophic value, the philosophia perennis, the perennial philosophy, and the Judeo-Christian tradition which has shaped our civilization. It is only rarely that academic discourse directly refers to these values; yet they remain implicit in what is being thought and said."

–Kevin Starr – February 4, 1997, SPP Talk

SPP began with a question, asked by one of America’s greatest social scientists. “What is public policy?,” asked the late James Q. Wilson, at the first meeting of the committee convened by then-Pepperdine University President, David Davenport. How one emphasizes the words in this simple-seeming question triggers different answers. “What is public policy?” prompts the most intriguing conversation, begging further questions about who is the “public,” and how are they to be considered and consulted in the creation of something called “policy.”

Helping to create our distinctive curriculum, which balances rigorous coursework in American history and political philosophy with quantitative, analytical classes in economics and statistics, SPP’s founders believed that public leaders should be formed through this holistic approach. Twenty-five years later, our more than 1,000 alumni, serving around the world in our government, nonprofit, and policy-related private sectors, are testament to that original vision.

Even as we launch a new online degree program, and teach about the role technology plays in public policy, SPP remains committed to Dr. Wilson’s first question—maintaining our focus on the public’s role in creating public policy, which promotes the common good and a flourishing society.