Andrew K Benton - President at The Pepperdine University
Andrew K. Benton has served Pepperdine University for nearly thirty years. A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Mr. Benton was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the University in 2000, and has maintained a high level of commitment to the University, its students, faculty, and alumni ever since.
Before coming to Pepperdine, a private university established in 1937, President Benton owned a private law practice in Oklahoma from 1979-1983. In 1984, he began his career with the Malibu, California-based University, initially to oversee land-use opportunities at the school. Mr. Benton went on to work as the chief of staff for his friend David Davenport, the University’s sixth President. Benton was appointed in 1991 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operational Officer of the University.
In 2000, the University's Board of Regents named Andrew K. Benton the seventh President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepperdine. The University is rated in the top tier of "best national universities" as reported by U.S. News, was named one of the trendiest colleges in the country by the Huffington Post, and was cited by Princeton Review as the nation's "most beautiful campus."
Mr. Benton teaches classes at the University on a regular basis and is highly engaged with student life on campus. His rock-and-roll band, Mid-Life Crisis, has played at numerous events on the campus. A concert held at the end of the school’s New Student Orientation week in Mr. Benton’s backyard functioned as an informal first introduction for new students to Pepperdine’s easygoing President.
Andrew K. Benton holds a J.D. from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law and a B.S. in American Studies from Oklahoma Christian University. In addition to his work at Pepperdine University, he is a member of numerous associations, including the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, among others. He has written numerous pieces concerning the state of higher education in the United States that have appeared in the Huffington Post and elsewhere. Mr. Benton currently resides in Malibu with his wife, Debby.
Before coming to Pepperdine, a private university established in 1937, President Benton owned a private law practice in Oklahoma from 1979-1983. In 1984, he began his career with the Malibu, California-based University, initially to oversee land-use opportunities at the school. Mr. Benton went on to work as the chief of staff for his friend David Davenport, the University’s sixth President. Benton was appointed in 1991 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operational Officer of the University.
In 2000, the University's Board of Regents named Andrew K. Benton the seventh President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepperdine. The University is rated in the top tier of "best national universities" as reported by U.S. News, was named one of the trendiest colleges in the country by the Huffington Post, and was cited by Princeton Review as the nation's "most beautiful campus."
Mr. Benton teaches classes at the University on a regular basis and is highly engaged with student life on campus. His rock-and-roll band, Mid-Life Crisis, has played at numerous events on the campus. A concert held at the end of the school’s New Student Orientation week in Mr. Benton’s backyard functioned as an informal first introduction for new students to Pepperdine’s easygoing President.
Andrew K. Benton holds a J.D. from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law and a B.S. in American Studies from Oklahoma Christian University. In addition to his work at Pepperdine University, he is a member of numerous associations, including the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities, the American Bar Association, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, among others. He has written numerous pieces concerning the state of higher education in the United States that have appeared in the Huffington Post and elsewhere. Mr. Benton currently resides in Malibu with his wife, Debby.