Recognition and Awards

Graziadio Business School Rankings

The Graziadio School's degree programs have been recognized among the nation's best by some of the most distinguished authorities in business including Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, and U.S. News & World Report. The Graziadio School is honored to be considered among the top 100 of more than 2,000 business schools in the nation.

Graziadio Staff Excellence Awards

Every year, PGBS recognizes and rewards outstanding staff members who have made significant contributions in advancing the mission and work of the Graziadio School. You can view current and past winners in the toggle below.

George Awards

Each year, the George Awards honor some of the finest members and partners of the Graziadio School community. Recipients exemplify integrity, stewardship, courage, and compassion, while enriching the ever-changing business world through their superior skills and entrepreneurial spirit. PGBS has given out student, faculty, alumni, community service, and corporate partner awards.

Staff Appreciation Day

Once a year, the Graziadio School organizes a Staff Appreciation Day, where employees can relax, get to know one another, re-connect, and celebrate accomplishments. This event is usually held at a different location each year, and past destinations have included Calamigos Ranch, the LA Zoo, a yacht on the Marina, and at Alumni Park in Malibu.

Pepperdine Honors

Pepperdine strives to reward employees for their work and recognize them for their achievements. All employees are invited to attend one of the year's biggest events, the annual Pepperdine Honors faculty and staff appreciation reception.

Service Award Program

The Service Award Program provides recognition of continuous service for eligible employees of 1, 3, and 5 year levels and each additional 5 years thereafter (10, 15, etc.). Continuous service is reduced by part-time status or leave of absence in excess of three months. Employees, who were previously employed by the University in a regular faculty or staff position, are eligible to receive full service credit towards continuous service for service award purposes.

Staff Achievement Award

The Staff Achievement Award is a $1000 cash award given to a staff member whose daily life in the workplace is a model for all. Any member of the Pepperdine faculty, staff, or student body can make nominations for this award.

Traveling George Award

The Traveling George Award is a peer-to-peer recognition award created by staff for staff. The current award holder nominates the next winner. This award is given to a staff member who has gone above and beyond in the workplace and has embodied 1 or more "Georgisms," that include the following:

1. "Today, not tomorrow"
2. "Integrity always"
3. "Courage with compassion"
4. "Pioneering spirit"

Cheers for Peers

Cheers for Peers is a recently implemented recognition initiative that acknowledges staff's organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), described by the Academy to Innovate HR as "a term that used to describe all the positive and constructive employee actions and behaviors that aren't part of their formal job description. It's anything that employees do, out of their own free will that supports their colleagues and benefits the organization as a whole."

The Staff Advisory Council will highlight OCBs at every Community Coffee Chat to provide an opportunity to staff to show appreciation for their colleagues. This practice will build a culture of recognition and identify those who do exemplary work by living Pepperdine Standards.