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Cedric Weston Halloran Endowed Scholarship
Cedric Michael Weston Halloran was welcomed into this world on August 11, 2000, in Boulder, Colorado to his loving, excited parents, and many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends of the Halloran/Weston families. Cedric’s life was marked by his many travels, starting with road trips at 3 months to Montana, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, a semester in Oklahoma, and then taking his first steps at the Pepperdine Law retreat at Disneyland on his first birthday. Cedric went to the Malibu Jewish Center, Malibu Presbyterian, Webster Elementary, Our Lady of Malibu, Malibu High, Boulder High, and Agoura High. He spent his freshman year at Texas Christian University, which was abruptly interrupted by the pandemic in March 2020. Adjusting to online classes, Cedric enjoyed his teachers at Pierce College, and was thrilled at his acceptance to Pepperdine for Fall 2021.
Cedric loved his annual trips to the family farm in McMinnville, Oregon. As a baby, Cedric would be parked next to a blueberry bush or tennis court. He was “Spiderman” for approximately three years, refusing to wear anything else. Cedric was fierce on the soccer field, behind the pitcher’s mound, and spent endless hours on the skateboard. He was disappointed when he developed Osgood Schlatters that prevented him from boarding and sports in 7th grade. Cedric developed a love and talent for cooking, meticulous with his food preparation, execution, and plating. Cedric also had a green thumb for gardening. Cedric is sweet natured, brilliant and has his own very unique interests including gems, jewelry, and real estate - in fact he found our home, set up and managed an AirBnb for our pool house, and convinced us that we would both financially manage and fall in love with our home with Cedric as we have.
With his parents, Cedric traveled and became the trip planner for our many excursions around the world, to all continents, except Antarctica. Cedric’s travels include South Africa, Europe, Japan, Australia, with a special affinity for Columbia. In his many long road trips to Oregon, Colorado, and on, Cedric rode upfront with Dad asking millions of questions across the miles, while Mom and Lily & Rosie happily rode in the backseat listening. Cedric developed an acumen for finance, stock-trading, and investigated corporate stability before making his purchases. Cedric was blessed with family, friends, and in his final months, a loving friendship and connection with Ivy Leroux. Cedric is the best son any parents could dream of and we love each other to the moon and back.
Dan Caldwell Student Veteran Emergency Fund
Pepperdine University mourns the passing of Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science Dan Caldwell, who passed away on January 8, 2025, at the age of 76. For 43 years, he shaped students' understanding of international politics, security, and US foreign policy at Seaver College.
“Early in my career at Pepperdine, I looked for role models to emulate who exhibited great teaching, meaningful scholarship, and commitment to Pepperdine’s Christian mission. It was easy to identify Dan as one of the leaders at Seaver College in all three of those areas,” says Lee Kats, interim dean of Seaver College. “His commitment to students, student-veterans, and academic excellence at Seaver was always paramount throughout his career. We are a better place because of Dan’s dedication to Pepperdine.”
Born in Oklahoma City in 1948, Dr. Caldwell earned degrees from Stanford and Tufts before serving in the US Navy. He later completed his PhD at Stanford University and joined Pepperdine in 1978, where he played a key role in advancing political science and international studies programs. A dedicated mentor, he founded the Pepperdine Committee on Student-Veterans, which ultimately led to the creation of the Office of Student-Veteran Affairs in 2020.
To honor Dr. Caldwell’s profound impact, Pepperdine has launched an effort to endow the recently established Dan Caldwell Student Veteran Emergency Fund. This fund will ensure financial support for Pepperdine student-veterans in need of financial assistance due to an emergency need, such as housing, food, or school supplies. It is designed to provide an avenue for immediate financial resources to help students who find themselves facing unexpected challenges or difficult life circumstances. The Caldwell family is grateful for this opportunity to honor Dr. Caldwell’s deep commitment to serving the needs of Pepperdine’s student-veterans, and to serve as a reminder of his instrumental role in establishing the Student Veterans Affairs office.
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Caldwell’s extraordinary contributions by helping us to endow the Dan Caldwell Student Veteran Emergency Fund. Together, we can uphold his vision and ensure that Pepperdine’s student-veterans always have the resources they need to succeed.
MSOD Director's Excellence Fund
The MSOD Director’s Excellence Fund plays a pivotal role in sustaining and enhancing the world-class quality of the MSOD program. Your contribution directly supports initiatives that keep the program relevant, impactful, and inclusive for current and future students.
Key areas of support include:
Learning Group Consultants (LGCs): These dedicated mentors are essential to the MSOD experience, providing hands-on guidance that shapes students’ learning and professional development. Without sufficient funding, we risk losing the invaluable contributions of LGCs. Your gift helps subsidize their travel and accommodations, ensuring their full participation.
Curriculum Innovation: Contributions to the Excellence Fund empower the program director to integrate cutting-edge research and address critical topics like JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) efforts. Recent enhancements to diversity, equity, and inclusion materials in the curriculum were made possible by gifts like yours.
By supporting the MSOD Director’s Excellence Fund, you ensure the program continues to lead in preparing transformative leaders while addressing the most pressing challenges of today’s organizations.
Join us in sustaining and advancing the excellence of MSOD. Your gift will fuel innovation, enrich mentorship, and develop the leaders of tomorrow.
MSOD Faculty Research Fund
The MSOD Faculty Research Fund fuels the innovative work of our esteemed faculty, advancing the field of Organization Development and strengthening the reputation of our MSOD program. Your support ensures that our faculty have the resources needed to produce groundbreaking research, publish influential studies, and shape best practices in the industry.
Key reasons to give:
Expand Our Reach: Faculty research not only enhances the MSOD program but also raises its profile globally, showcasing our leadership in driving meaningful change in organizations.
Support Our Thought Leaders: By contributing, you empower the faculty who have inspired and shaped MSOD students, enabling them to influence the future of OD through their cutting-edge research.
Shape the Future of Organizations: Faculty publications based on real-world, industry-focused research drive the change we want to see, advancing OD practices and principles worldwide.
Your gift to the MSOD Faculty Research Fund creates opportunities for impactful research that benefits the MSOD community and the broader field of Organization Development.
Join us in championing our faculty and driving innovation. Your gift will shape the future of OD and elevate the legacy of MSOD.
MSOD Founders Scholarship
The MSOD Founders Scholarship is a vital resource, ensuring that financial barriers do not stand in the way of talented individuals pursuing an MSOD education. By providing financial assistance to candidates who might not otherwise afford the program, the scholarship fosters diversity in its broadest sense—enriching the learning experience for all.
Over the years, recipients of the MSOD Founders Scholarship have included African American, Asian, Alaskan Native American, and Latinx students with countries of origin including Costa Rica, Ghana, Mexico, Italy, and China. Their diverse perspectives have not only shaped their journeys but also deepened the collective growth of their classmates and strengthened the “Long Grey Line” of MSOD alumni.
Your donation makes a direct impact:
It ensures that our student population reflects a broad spectrum of backgrounds, experiences, and voices.
It gives aspiring leaders the chance to benefit from the MSOD program and share their unique insights, enriching the experience for everyone.
By giving to the MSOD Founders Scholarship, you help create a program where diversity thrives, access expands, and every student has the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of transformative leadership.
Join us in making MSOD education accessible for all. Your gift will change lives and strengthen our future.
Melinda Parker Adams ’87 Memorial Fund
When Melinda arrived at Pepperdine, she was full of hopes, dreams and plans for a rich life. She participated in campus life, Greek life and the Heidelberg summer program, along with keeping up with her studies. Unfortunately, we lost our sorority sister and friend on February 4, 2025.
When her family requested that in lieu of flowers, friends donate to their favorite charity in her name, we thought it would be an opportunity to focus our donations to Pepperdine in her name to create a small fund to help Seaver College and Heidelberg Students enjoy their time at Pepperdine as much as she did.
Melinda left Pepperdine in 1987 and pursued a life in the insurance industry, ultimately owning her own agency in Napa, California. She was the loving mother of three boys and one grandson. Family and friends have always been the center of Melinda’s life and those of us in her orbit have been blessed with a little bit of extra sunshine. Please feel free to make a donation, of any size, because together we can create a lovely tribute to our friend and help a student or two along the way.
She will be missed by so many, but her friends and loved ones know how lucky we were to be on the receiving end of her gentle spirit, fierce friendship and ever-present smile.
*You'll be able to select if you'd like your gift to go towards Seaver College Scholarships or Heidelberg Scholarships on the following page.
Nicole Jane Macbeth Hill Memorial Heidelberg Endowed Scholarship Fund
On May 11th, 2024, Nicole Jane Macbeth Hill passed away due to the impact of an unexpected and sudden cardiac arrest. Nicole was a treasure to those who knew her, and her sweet voice, kind heart, and generous spirit will be missed by many.
Nicole was a Seaver College alumnus (’04) and earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts. She utilized her degree to provide enriching learning experiences and positively shape the lives of many young children. Nicole taught kindergarten and volunteered in several local church preschool programs, but her greatest joy was extending her love of learning to her own two children.
A highlight of Nicole’s life and college experience was her participation in Pepperdine’s study abroad program in Heidelberg, Germany, during the 2001–2002 academic year. Through this program, she developed many lifelong friendships; it was even mutual friends from Heidelberg who eventually introduced her to her future husband, Brent. Nicole loved her abroad experience and made it a point to attend both her 10- and 20-year Heidelberg reunions, relishing the ability to reconnect with friends and relive the memories from a time and place in her life that were so special to her.
To help honor and remember Nicole, Pepperdine has created the Nicole Jane Macbeth Hill Memorial Fund to provide financial assistance to other Seaver College undergraduate students who wish to study abroad in Heidelberg.
Nicole is survived by her husband Brent Hill and their two children, David and Catherine, her parents, Charles and Anita Macbeth, and her brothers Chad (’08), Cameron, and John (’14).
The purpose of this scholarship is to help cover the International Program fees, expenses for the educational field trip, and/or other study abroad-related expenses for students in financial need and good academic standing who attend the Heidelberg program.