assistant professor

director

administrative assistant

librarian

manager

Pepperdine University

First, Pepperdine is a town and your experience will vary depending on your role and your department. There are many different subcultures. That said, I think in every department, people value their people, and that is a positive part of the culture. They do not always demonstrate it in the most meaningful ways (leadership style and experience is a factor, and compensation is suspiciously terrible for a private university). Some departments profess work-life balance but are workaholics and some departments have a very low standard and many in-between. The most enjoyable part of the job is that it's a pretty comfortable, forgiving, not super strenuous place to work. The hardest part is that there is nothing to motivate hard work because there is no career advancement. They call it climbing the "lattice", not a ladder here because the only moves people make are horizontal. Most positions get paid much more for the same work outside of Pepperdine, and employees are so overworked because they're always running with the bare minimum amount of staff. I don't know how people live off of their salaries except through partners and spouses who make more than them, or people who already did their career and are just looking for something mission-focused. The culture can be hard to navigate. If you are not a Christian, this place might be challenging for you, but it is much more welcoming than other Christian universities to inter-faith hires. It gets pretty politically charged here. Most board members are extremely conservative. Staff is mixed but in some departments, you'll find more one way or the other. Students are generally quite liberal. The environment feels really incoherent. Decisions are often made on the conservative take, top-down. 

Working for Pepperdine University as a student worker in their Campus Recreation department has enhanced my knowledge and skills of working with different groups of people and collaborating and communicating effectively with co-workers. It has enhanced my organizational, planning, critical thinking, and leadership skills in having to organize, plan, advertise, and lead groups of students on a variety of outdoor excursions while having to manage different variables such as group size and diversity, individual needs/constraints, environment, task and trip difficulty variability. I loved the flexible hours and having a lot of autonomy in being able to choose and plan which trips to do which really has empowered me to develop my leadership skills. My favorite part of the job was being able to interact with and connect to different students of all different backgrounds and age groups while on in the wilderness.

Working as a graduate assistant at Pepperdine University offers a valuable blend of professional development and academic experience. Graduate assistants support faculty through research, administrative tasks, and sometimes classroom responsibilities. The environment fosters close mentorship, allowing students to gain hands-on insights into their field of study while also enhancing critical skills such as communication, project management, and academic writing. The balance between academic work and assistantship responsibilities is manageable, providing a good opportunity for networking with professors and peers. The university’s mission of service and leadership often encourages graduate assistants to contribute to the larger community, adding a sense of purpose to their work. One of the highlights is Pepperdine's beautiful campus, which offers a peaceful and inspiring work environment. Overall, the experience is enriching, helping graduate assistants prepare for future professional or academic careers with enhanced skill sets and strong connections.

In short, lack of growth, poor management, and lower than average pay due to poor business model. Most employees are former students of Pepperdine, which in turn causes outcasting of employees who did not attend Pepperdine. Very similar to the concept of "keeping it within the family." Unfortunately, Pepperdine is archaic in their business practices in regards to both technology and employee relations. I would not recommend working here. For those who are seeking to take advantage of a graduate degree, Pepperdine will not pay for you as it must be taxed due to IRS regulations. They do provide a discount (the longer you work here, the better the discount), but since the University is funded solely off donations (some of which are tied to contracts and will not take effect for many years to come) the degrees are priced extremely high. In other words, the discount provided will not take you very far and there are other schools with the same credentials that are more affordable due to a better business model.

It's hit or miss here. It depends on which department you work in. It you are white collar, its ok here. 

Other departments are iffy. Some are awful. The shift hours are unpredictable. The pay rate is poor. No place for a family person. 

Belonging to the Church of Christ or being an alumni of the school is definitely a bonus. 

The campus landscape is beautiful and the ocean is close by. It gets quite hot here during the summer. 

The campus location can be a traffic nightmare. So often there are canyon road closures due to car accidents, brush fires, and landslides. If you commute from L.A, you will absolutely hate the commute home.

I have met several nice people here who are like my second family.

Most of the young employees eventually move on to greener pastures. 


Overall, I cannot recommend this university as a place for long term employment.

My typical day involved minor repairs and maintenance of campus facilities. The tasks were usually not too difficult. The volume of work was enormous.

I learned a considerable amount about building engineering through my years at the college. 

Regretfully I found management buried under a mountain of bureaucracy and a budget that continuously was out of funds.
It was demoralizing.


Most of my co-workers were hard working, decent people doing their best to get the job done. 

The hardest part of my job was not the skills involved. The campus is all hills and stairs and parking near one's work area is a challenge at best. Plan on doing a considerable amount of walking and climbing.
If you have any physical disabilities, this probably is not a good place to work.

The most enjoyable part of the job was the natural setting  surrounding the campus. Beautiful!

My job at Pepperdine University, where I composed and produced letters for the president and vice president, required a great deal of research on the University's major donors. I enjoyed getting to know and interview many of them. 

Pepperdine was a great place to work, with a diverse group of people and students. Our mission was to prepare students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. I was grateful for the Christian mission of the University and the caring, optimistic atmosphere. 

Wherever I work, I hope to take this same optimism and positive attitude of service with me.

A typical work day included meeting with my director of Events and the staff regarding upcoming events. Later I may meet with university staff members and perhaps the president regarding upcoming events. I learned that I can relate to all levels of management and administration. I also learned I am a great multi-tasker. My management was great as she empowered me to take charge and do what I do best create and execute. My co-workers were helpful in my growth and in making the events I was responsible for go smoothly. The hardest part of my job was the long hours and the most enjoyable was the summers off during the educational time off from school.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There isn't a best part of working at Pepperdine, at least in the Public Safety Department. I've never seen a worse run department then this one. The pay sucks, supervision is a joke and the station is unsanitary. Everyone I know is just there until something better komes along

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Knowing that I'm grossly under paid for all that I do

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
 I've worked at better places that were kleaner, better run professionally and fun. Pepperdine Public Safety sucks all of the joy out of working

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Watching the clock and waiting for it all to be over

What is the best part of working at the company?
The collegiate atmosphere 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Stress can be a big motivator for me. A healthy amount of presser helps me produce efficient, quality work by giving me a picture of what my colleagues need from me and when. Diamond’s are made from pressure.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It sets expectations for how employees should behave and interact with one another as they perform their day-to- day responsibilities and contribute to the company’s overall mission.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
1. Organization
2. Planning
3. Schedule important tasks
4. Checking email task
5. Productivity

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assistant professor 1 salary reported	$120,000 per year
Director 4 salaries reported	$96,750 per year
Administrative assistant 1 salary reported	$23.75 per hour
Librarian 3 salaries reported	$68,573 per year
Manager 5 salaries reported	$64,000 per year

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