Fall 2021 Welcome

TO: Caruso School of Law Community
FROM: Paul Caron, Dean
DATE: August 31, 2021
Re: Fall 2021 Welcome
Dear Friends,

With the first weeks of the fall 2021 semester behind us, I want to share the joy I have been feeling upon seeing students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests on our Malibu campus once again. Being here in each other's company allows us to experience again, through the eyes of newcomers, the beauty of our unmatched location and the hallowed spaces and hallways of a law school rich with history and alive with spirit.

Student Admissions

A much higher than expected yield rate produced a class of over 200 1Ls (much larger than our 180 enrollment target), with the highest median LSAT score (164) and undergraduate GPA (3.80) in our history, as well as more students of color and first-generation students for the fourth year in a row. Our 1Ls come from 32 states, 5 countries, and 102 undergraduate colleges. We are delighted that they have decided to call Malibu their home for the next three years.

Commitment to Excellence

During our time apart (542 days to be exact), despite physical separation and other challenges that we never could have imagined, we came together as a community and experienced several triumphs. In March, we rose to #46 in the U.S. News law school rankings, for the second year in a row the highest ranking in our school's history. Our climb in the rankings over the past four years is a testament to the incredible hard work of everyone in our community. Not only do we continue to enroll increasingly exceptional students with each entering class but we also benefit from the contributions of our generous and accomplished faculty, alumni, and friends.

Our faculty was recently included in the study "Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in 2021," which is a list of the most-cited law school faculties that rank in the top third of ABA-accredited law schools. The "Scholarly Impact Score" takes into account the work of the entire tenured faculty, based on citations in law reviews over the past five years. This recognition reflects our faculty's growing scholarly influence as well as its commitment to bringing its research and knowledge to bear on the most challenging legal issues of the day.

We are pleased to welcome new faculty member Jennifer Lee Koh, who joined us as associate professor of law and co-director of the Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics. Koh's teaching and scholarship focuses on the convergence of immigration enforcement and criminal legal systems. Her most recent article, Executive Defiance and the Deportation State, was published in the Yale Law Journal. We are also honored to be joined by Judge Danny Weinstein, who moved to the Malibu campus to become our first Distinguished Mediator in Residence at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.

A Community of Belonging

Remote operation allowed us to continue our world-class instruction and our tradition of bringing in diverse guests to enrich our discussions last year. The Dean's Speaker Series included thought-provoking conversations about race, religion, and politics. The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution hosted trainings, lectures, and panel discussions from conflict resolution experts all over the world. The Office of Diversity and Belonging continued its series on Race and the Law, and produced the inaugural Belonging Awards, honoring the members of our community who work tirelessly to improve the diversity of the school.

Following our Diversity and Belonging strategic plan, we implemented scholarships for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, and launched a nationwide search for new faculty members who will enhance the diversity of our scholarship. We invite you to view our first Diversity and Belonging Report, which summarizes our considerable activities over the past year, and includes information about the many ways you can get involved in this important initiative.

Commencement Ceremonies

Back in 2020, we promised the graduating class that we would celebrate them as soon as we could. In May 2021, we were overjoyed that improving pandemic conditions allowed us to host commencement ceremonies at Alumni Park for both the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021. Graduates and their families and friends traveled from near and far to pay tribute to their achievements, which are remarkable in themselves, but even more so during such an unprecedented time in the history of the school.

Return to Campus

On August 9, we welcomed the class of 2024 for Launch Week, which included several days of orientation, professional training, a student organization fair, and a community barbecue for new JD, LLM, and master of dispute resolution students. And because so many of our 2L students and new staff members were coming to campus for the first time, we hosted Welcome Back Week starting August 16. Each day we gathered outdoors for communal meals and appreciation of coming together again. A festive Caruso Carnival rounded out these days of celebration. Courtney and I have continued our tradition of inviting 1Ls to our on-campus home for dinner in groups of 8-10. Due to COVID-19, we are holding these dinners outdoors in our side yard and are including 2Ls who missed the experience last year as 1Ls.

Prioritization of Health and Safety

While the news about COVID-19 changes daily, we have proven that this community can rise to extraordinary challenges. Our staff and faculty spent many months preparing for a safe return to on-campus instruction, with precautions and back-up plans to cover as many scenarios as we could imagine. Face-coverings, weekly screening tests, outdoor gatherings, and other measures are in place to help ensure that we can continue in-person instruction.

We are committed to caring for our students' overall well-being. This year we introduced a new text-messaging service called Early Alert. Participants can self-report various aspects of their health, including emotional, spiritual, and physical indicators. This service will allow us to monitor our student body's overall wellness and offer additional support if needed.

Dedication of the Rick J. Caruso School of Law

The past few weeks have been a source of celebration, renewal, and a reigniting of the spark that makes Pepperdine Caruso Law so special. Our future is better together.

To dedicate the school's renaming as the Rick J. Caruso School of Law, we are planning a long-awaited week of celebration in October. There will be gatherings, excellent food, photo opportunities, and events that highlight our plans for our next 50 years, characterized by our unique combination of excellence and faith. We hope you will keep your eyes open for more news, invitations, and stories coming out of Pepperdine Caruso Law, and that we will see you in the coming months.

With prayers for your continued good health,

Paul Caron