To: London Law Alumni and Friends

From: Professor Tom Bost, Professor Jim Gash, Professor Colleen Graffy, Professor Tony Miller, Professor Bob Popovich, Professor Maureen Weston, and Dean Emeritus Ronald Phillips

Date: 1st September 2014

Re: London Program

“The London program was perhaps my best experience in law school. I would go on to say it was the best educational experience in my life.”

“The program was a major factor in my attending Pepperdine. I would consider the program the highlight of law school. The program provided a great opportunity for externships, moot court and insight into international law.”

“I cannot fully express how the London Program contributed to my legal education. My law school experience would not have been as full, rewarding or challenging if I had not participated in the London Program. It was the highlight of my law school education.”

Did you write any of the statements above? Or feel like you could have?  

We pulled those three quotes from pages and pages of expressions of pride, support, and – dare we say – “love” for the London Program. Whether you were with that first, pioneering class in 1981 with Professor Charles Nelson, or you participated in the 1980s when we were at Beaufort Gardens in Knightsbridge or Regent’s College in Regent’s Park, or you enjoyed the beautiful 56 Princes Gate building that Pepperdine purchased in 1987, you are a part of the Pepperdine London Family.

Over the years, especially during downturns in the economy, academic programs have come under scrutiny and some have fallen by the wayside. But the London Program has always sailed through in recognition of the value that it brings to students and the law school. The current pressure on law school enrollments across the country has once again caused a re-evaluation of our academic programs and this time the London Program will not make it unless we can raise the necessary funds. Hence this memo and our spark of an idea that among the 1,000+ Pepperdine London Family members we can raise the London Program’s $150,000 annual operating costs for each of the next two years, as well as establish an endowment to keep the London Program going for generations of future Pepperdine law students to come.

ARE YOU IN?

Below are our thoughts for an “Action Items” list. We have also created a special email address for you to directly contact us so that we can benefit from your ideas and feedback. 

ACTION ITEMS 

_______ Would you serve as Class Chair or Co-Chair (“Head Boy/Girl” in English parlance) and reach out to your London classmates to encourage 100% participation at whatever level of giving that you think your class would be capable of reaching?

_______ Would you be interested in attending a proposed London Program Reunion hosted by the School of Law London Alumni Advisory Committee in London during Summer 2015?

_______ If you are on LinkedIn, could you join our “Pepperdine London Law Alumni Group” to assist in creating a more effective London network? Likewise, if you are on Facebook, could you “Like” our FB page, “Pepperdine School of Law London Program,” to help spread the word and to keep you up to date with the London Program?

_______ Will you send your written or video testimonials of what makes the London Program so special to londonlawcampaign@pepperdine.edu or post on the London Program Facebook page? We hope to use some of your stories as we recruit future classes of London students!

_______ Most importantly, can you make a donation now? 

We need to raise $300,000 by December 31, 2014, to ensure the London Program continues for Fall 2015 and Fall 2016. 

We are grateful to former Pepperdine Law Dean Ken Starr, who has donated $25,000, putting us already one sixth of the way toward our first goal of covering the operating expenses for the Fall of 2015. In addition, Judge Starr has generously pledged another $25,000 to encourage numerous London alumni to match the “Starr Challenge.”

Joining Judge Starr are Mark (JD ’88) and Michelle Hiepler (JD ’89) and Professor Colleen Graffy, who have pledged challenge gifts of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. Please consider matching either gift to show your support for the London Program.

Please continue to check this site to see who has already given and to monitor the progress of the campaign. Thank you in advance for your support, enthusiasm and ideas on how best to promote and raise money to continue the London Program!  

Cheers, Professor Tom Bost, Professor Jim Gash, Professor Colleen Graffy, Professor Tony Miller, Professor Bob Popovich, Professor Maureen Weston, and Dean Emeritus Ron Phillips             

A number of folks have stepped up and agreed to match gifts made to the London Program. Thanks to Judge Ken Starr and Mark (JD ’88) and Michelle Hiepler (JD ’89), who have pledged to match a gift of $25,000 to the London Program! Mark and Michelle have also offered to match a gift of $10,000.

School of Law alumnus John Pierson (’89) has offered to donate up to $25,000 to the London Program to match gifts of $1,000 or more. Take advantage of one (or more) of these matching gift opportunities and double your gift to the London Program!

Special thanks to Daniel (JD ’90) and Beverly O’Connell (JD ’90) for accepting the $5,000 matching gift opportunity offered by Professor Colleen Graffy. That’s $10,000 more towards our goal!

From Dean Tacha, the School of Law administration, faculty and staff, THANK YOU to everyone who made a gift in support of the London Program! Because of your gifts, we are happy to announce the London Program will continue for the Fall 2015 and Fall 2016 semesters! To ensure the London Program continues after Fall 2016, we will now focus on raising a permanent endowment to fund the London Program in perpetuity.

We want to express special thanks to those who provided matching gift opportunities: Judge Ken Starr, Mark and Michelle Hiepler, John Pierson, Professor Colleen Graffy, Professor Bob Popovich and Professor Janet Kerr.

As we are still receiving gifts, we expect to have the final gift total later this week. For everyone receiving a London “perk,” you can expect to receive your perk in the next few weeks. If you would still like to make a gift to the London Program, please contact Stephen Butler at stephen.butler@pepperdine.edu.

Thank you again for your overwhelmingly generous support of the London Program.

Cheers!