Pepperdine Caruso Law Celebrates Founding Dean Ron Phillips

On April 6, Pepperdine University paid tribute to one of the most significant figures in its history—Ronald F. Phillips, founding dean and dean emeritus of the Caruso School of Law. Alumni, faculty, staff, and friends shared their stories of the profound impact Dean Phillips has made on their lives. Thanks to the generosity of the Pepperdine community, the University far exceeded our fundraising goal to endow the Ronald F. Phillips Chair at the law school. In fact, we have raised $5.7 million, a demonstration of just how incredibly grateful our University family is for Dean Phillips’ transformative years of service and leadership.

And one stunning announcement led to another: If our Caruso Law community can raise an additional $1 million, Pepperdine will match those gifts with a $3.5 million contribution and establish a second endowed chair in honor of Dean Phillips’ beloved wife Jamie. Caruso Law will be able to attract not one but two of the world’s finest legal scholars to shape our students for purpose-driven lives of outstanding servant leadership and help lift our school’s standards of academic excellence to even greater heights.

As we get closer to meeting this goal and accelerating Caruso Law’s trajectory toward becoming the world’s premier Christian law school, we humbly ask you to help us build on this unprecedented momentum by making a gift to the law school today and ensuring that Dean Phillips and Jamie’s legacies endure forever. You can make your gift online at this link.

I am honored to be the fifth dean in Pepperdine Caruso Law's 54-year history:

Pepperdine Caruso Law Annual Dinner Honors Founding Dean Ronald F. Phillips