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Athletic Director's Excellence Fund
Description
AD Tanner Gardner needs YOU today to help us reach our lofty goals.
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Gifts to this fund will help all of Athletics! Whether that's upgraded equipment, enhanced meals, travel opportunities for our teams to compete outside of conference, recruiting, we use this money to ensure the success of ALL our student-athletes.
Why are donations necessary?
As Pepperdine and our community have experienced, the past few months have been full of highs and lows alike, yet we have persevered through it all and come out stronger than ever, in large part due to the incredible support from our WAVES community. We need your partnership to continue to elevate Pepperdine Athletics!
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.
Choir
Pepperdine Choirs
The Choirs at Pepperdine University’s Department of Music promote members' growth as creative, dynamic musicians through performances of outstanding repertory in a positive, professional atmosphere. The ensembles provide singers with outstanding opportunities to apply their knowledge of voice, music history, and music theory to create a compelling musical experience for the listener and performer.
Thanks to the generosity of Judy Jenkins she will match your donations to the Pepperdine Choir at Seaver College up to $2,500. Help us reach our goal and make a difference in our community through the arts. Every donation counts!
The Concert Choir
Composed of 80–100 singers, this is Seaver College's largest mixed performing ensemble. The ensemble, comprised of music majors as well as majors from across the disciplines, performs a variety of choral literature. The Concert Choir performs at several major events on campus each year including Founder’s Day, the Pepperdine Christmas Concert, and the Masterworks Concert.
The Pepperdine Chamber Choir
The Pepperdine Chamber Choir is Pepperdine University's top-tier vocal ensemble! This auditioned group of music and non-music majors performs demanding vocal ensemble repertoire of diverse styles and presents concerts locally, nationally, and internationally. Often featured at important campus events, the Pepperdine Chamber Choir regularly tours in the US and abroad. Recent domestic tours include California, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, and Missouri. The Chamber Choir has also toured Switzerland, Italy, France, and the Czech Republic.
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Pepperdine Choir Programs
Thank you for Supporting Pepperdine Choir!
Thank you for your generous donation to Pepperdine's Choir program! Your support helps support the sustained growth of Pepperdine’s vibrant artist community!
Why are donations necessary?
Although performance is considered to be of the utmost importance the philosophy of the choral program is much deeper. Each member is urged to use ensemble participation to enhance their development of the technical science of music and vocal production in a choral laboratorial environment, to advance the science and the composer’s intentions into an inspiring art form, and to utilize the University’s mission by sharing the gift of music in a wholesome atmosphere of Christian service to society.
Through its various ensembles, the Pepperdine Choral Program provides both the singers and the Pepperdine community the opportunity to experience first hand the great repertory of vocal music, from a cappella pieces for a few voices, to works for large chorus and orchestra.
Christopher Parkening Guitar Students
Distinguished Professor of Music Christopher Parkening is one of the world's preeminent virtuosos in classical guitar. Each year, Christopher Parkening offers several master classes to classical guitarists, honoring Christopher Parkening's lifetime commitment to fostering musical excellence in young artists. In May 2025, Christopher Parkening intends to offer a master class at the Château d'Hauteville in Switzerland. This will provide Pepperdine the opportunity to connect with musicians throughout Europe, and truly expand Pepperdine's international reach.
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.
Friends of Music
Invest in the Future of Music
Join the Friends of Music – Empowering the Next Generation of Artists
At Pepperdine University’s Fine Arts Division, music is more than a program—it’s a lifelong journey of passion, discipline, and artistry. Our Friends of Music community plays a crucial role in making this journey possible by providing students and faculty with the resources they need to achieve their dreams in the classroom, on the stage, and across the world.
Your generosity directly fuels life-changing opportunities for our young musicians, ensuring they have the tools, mentorship, and experiences necessary to thrive as performers, composers, and educators.
Make Twice the Impact – Limited-Time Matching Gift
Thanks to the incredible generosity of Judy Jenkins, every donation made to the Friends of Music Fund will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $2,500.
Your $500 donation becomes $1,000.
Your $1,000 gift doubles to $2,000.
Your support goes twice as far in shaping the future of music.
Help us reach our goal and make a lasting difference in the arts community.
How Your Donation Helps
Your contributions to the Friends of Music Fund provide critical support for:
Scholarships that give students access to world-class training and international performance opportunities.
Student access to elite performances at the LA Opera and LA Philharmonic, inspiring their artistic growth.
International performance tours, such as the Pepperdine Chamber Choir’s recent invitation to Les Musicales de Redon, a prestigious choral festival in France.
The annual full-length opera production by the Flora Thornton Opera Program, recognized by the National Opera Association.
The Parkening Guitar Competition, which brings the world’s most accomplished classical guitarists to Malibu.
Why Your Support Matters
When you become a Friend of Music, you become part of a transformative movement that nurtures young talent, fosters creativity, and shapes the future of the arts. Your gift ensures that these remarkable students receive the training, mentorship, and performance opportunities they need to excel.
Every donation counts. Every gift changes a life.
Join us today and be part of something extraordinary.
Friends of Theatre
Friends of the Theatre
The Friends of the Theatre is a membership group that supports the theatre productions at Pepperdine University. Friends of the Theatre members are an enthusiastic group who care deeply about providing crucial opportunities for academic and personal development for our theatre students. Theatre enthusiasts Lisa and Brad Freer are generously offering a $5,000 matching gift to support the Friends of Theatre on this special Giving Day. Every dollar you donate today will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000, doubling the impact of your gift.
Donations are applied to...
Pepperdine Friends of the Theatre
Thank you from Friends of Theatre!
Thank you for your support of the Friends of the Theatre program! Friends of the Theatre gives Pepperdine students opportunities to participate in hands-on master classes with industry professionals. Funding also helps continue our popular Edinburgh summer program, which challenges students to experience firsthand the impact of live theatre on a community. Your donation helps us continue to create new and exciting ways to enhance the educational experience for Pepperdine students.
Why are donations necessary?
Support of the Friends of the Theatre gives Pepperdine students opportunities to participate in hands-on master classes with industry professionals and scholarships for production design students. Funding also helps continue our popular Edinburgh Summer Program, which challenges students to experience firsthand the impact of live theatre on a community.
Your donation helps us continue to create new and exciting ways to enhance the educational experience for Pepperdine students.