Past Viewpoint Diversity Events

A Conversation on Viewpoint Diversity with Dr. Robert George

Before keynoting the School of Public Policy's conference "Making Men Moral" on November 21, 2024, Dr. Robert George sat down with Dean Pete Peterson to discuss the imperative of viewpoint diversity in academic institutions and the distinctive curriculum that Pepperdine's graduate policy school offers that accentuates this conviction.

Date	Description	Moderator and Speakers	Video Link
10/10/25	Faith, Freedom, and the Founding Series "Faithful Free Speech: From Campus to the Hill" American Enterprise Institute Washington, DC	Speaker: Dr. Robert George, Ronald Reagan Honorary Distinguished Professor, Pepperdine School of Public Policy.	Watch Faithful Free Speech
2/19/25	2025 Augustus and Patricia Tagliaferri Dean’s Distinguished Lecture "Cancel Culture & The Conformity Gauntlet in Higher Education" Malibu, CA Pepperdine University	Speaker: Greg Lukianoff, attorney, New York Times best-selling author, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)	Watch 2025 Tagliaferri Lecture Video
4/5/24	"Is There a Cure for Campus Illiberalism?" Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Simi Valley, CA	Speaker: Dr. Robert George, Ronald Reagan Honorary Distinguished Professor, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Illiberalism Event Video
3/19/24	2024 Charles and Rosemary Licata Lecture "New Opportunities for Free Speech in American Higher Education" Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	Speaker: Dr. Mike Shires, chief of staff and vice president for strategic initiatives at the University of Austin (UATX)	Watch New Opportunities for Free Speech in American Higher Education
5/23/22	Free Speech 2022 Conference Concluding Conversation: "Building Institutions to Defend Free Speech" Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	Interview with Bion Bartning, Founder and President of FAIR, and Pete Peterson, Braun Family Dean, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Building Institutions to Defend Free Speech
5/23/22	Free Speech 2022 Conference Panel 3: "Academia: The Root of Our Problems?" Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	Panelists: Kassy Dillon (MPP '21), Director of Digital Engagement, Stand for America Jon Shields, Professor of Government, Claremont McKenna College Brad Wilcox, Director, National Marriage Project, University of Virginia Moderator: Gail Heriot, Professor of Law, University of San Diego	Watch the Root of Our Free Speech Problems
5/23/22	Free Speech 2022 Conference Keynote: "Why Viewpoint Diversity Is Central to a Liberal Arts Education" Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	Speaker: Dr. Robert George, Ronald Reagan Honorary Distinguished Professor, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Keynote Address
11/9/21	Live Not By Lies Conference Panel 1: "Live Not By Lies—Education" Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	Panelists: Mari Barke, President, Orange County (CA) Board of Education Joshua Katz, fmr. Cotsen Professor, Princeton University Habi Zhang (MPP '17), Writer, The American	Watch Education Panel
10/16/19	Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Permission? Panel 3: "Permission to Speak: Is a Campus Culture Spreading to Society?" Costa Mesa, Orange County	Panelists: Inez Feltscher Stepman, Independent Women's Forum Kevin Kiley, California State Assembly, 6th Assembly District Casey Mattox, Americans for Prosperity R. Shep Melnick, Boston College Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Jon Shields, Claremont McKenna College Moderator: Pete Peterson, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Freedom to Speak
1/31/19	Are American College Campuses 'Free Speech Zones'? Pepperdine University Malibu, CA In partnership with The Steamboat Institute	Panelists: Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School Amy Wax, University of Pennsylvania Law School Moderator: Robert Kaufman, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Are American Colleges Free Speech Zones
1/8/19	Viewpoint Diversity: The Growing "Viewpoint Diversity" Movement on America's College Campuses, and What You Can Do. Mountain View, CA In partnership with the Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley	Speaker: Pete Peterson, dean, School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University	Watch Viewpoint Diversity on College Campuses
6/28/18	Viewpoint Diversity: Restoring America for Higher Education as the Marketplace of Ideas Toward a Conservatism of Connection: Reclaiming the American Project Pepperdine University Malibu, CA In partnership with the American Project	Panelists: Kaitlyn S. Carwin (MPP '18), The American Project James Kirchick, Brookings Institution Heather MacDonald, Manhattan Institute Sarah Ruger, Charles Koch Institute Jon Shields, Claremont McKenna College Moderator: Pete Peterson, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Restoring America for Higher Education
5/11/17	American Enterprise Institute Washington, DC In partnership with the Pacific Research Institute	Presenter: Jon Shields Associate Professor, Claremont McKenna College Author, Passing on the Right: Conservative Professor in the Progressive University Response: Samuel J. Abrams, American Enterprise Institute Panelists: Samuel J. Abrams, American Enterprise Institute Gerard Alexander, University of Virginia Eliot Cohen, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies James Gimpel, University of Maryland Samuel Goldman, The George Washington University Moderator: Pete Peterson, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Viewpoint Diversity in American Higher Education
1/27/17	Omni Hotel San Francisco, CA In partnership with the Pacific Research Institute	Presenter: Jon Shields Associate Professor, Claremont McKenna College Author, Passing on the Right: Conservative Professor in the Progressive University Panelists: Russell Berman, Hoover Institution David Brady, Stanford University Henry Brady, University of California, Berkeley Michael W. McConnell, Hoover Institution Moderator: Pete Peterson, Pepperdine School of Public Policy	Watch Education Panel with PRI
9/26/16	California Club Los Angeles, CA	Presenter: Jon Shields, Claremont McKenna College Author, Passing on the Right: Conservative Professor in the Progressive University Panelists: Dr. Bradley Campbell, California State University, Los Angeles Dr. Ted McAllister, Pepperdine University, School of Public Policy Dr. John Matsusaka, Marshall School of Business Dr. Gabriel Rossman, University of California, Los Angeles Moderator: Pete Peterson, Pepperdine School of Public Policy