It is essential to have an avenue for life-long learning and for the Graziadio School to continue to assist in the personal and professional growth of its graduates.

Many of you may have heard me allude to a new program to enable alumni to continue their education at a significant cost-savings. I am very pleased to now unveil another step in Distinctive Leadership 2015, our strategic plan.

PRESS RELEASE

Career development program gives alumni opportunity to update and extend knowledge-base for today’s competitive market

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Supporting graduates in difficult economic times and advancing life-long learning, Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management will provide MBA alumni up to 75% reduced tuition to help those who wish to refresh skills and acquire advanced knowledge by taking additional courses or completing a new emphasis, the school announced today.

The alumni life-long learning program, called MBA Plus, will allow alumni to augment their knowledge and skills, to pursue a different career-positioning focus or take advantage of curriculum enhancements made since originally earning their MBA degree. Designed exclusively for alumni who have already completed a Graziadio School MBA degree as a full-time, part-time or executive MBA student, MBA Plus will offer qualified candidates the opportunity to apply for a limited number of seats in Fully Employed MBA Program evening and weekend courses starting in fall 2009.

Dean Livingstone honored several faculty members in June for their years of service to the School and leadership in administrative roles. Before a gathering of their peers, honorees were congratulated for contributing above and beyond their classroom responsibilities.

GRAZIADIO IN THE NEWS

The Financial Times named the Master of Science in Applied Finance Program at Pepperdine on its annual global list of graduate financial training programs.

The special report published on Monday places the Graziadio School along comparable offerings at business schools in North America and Asia. Carnegie Melon, Purdue University, UCLA Anderson, University of Hong Kong and Melbourne Graduate School of Management were among the business schools cited by The Times.

GRAZIADIO IN THE NEWS

B-school graduates are giving up on the job market and starting their own businesses instead.

That was the case for Crystal Reibel, a recent graduate of the part-time MBA program at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management who was laid off this fall from her job as a sales manager for the automotive industry. She took an entrepreneurship class at Pepperdine in January, where she developed a plan to launch an olive oil store and online retail site. With the help of her husband Chip, also a Pepperdine student, Reibel will open a store, Beyond the Olive, this August in Old Pasadena, Calif.