A Reflection on the Academic Year from Dean Paul Caron
To the Pepperdine Caruso Law community,
With the end of finals today, I have been reflecting on what a special academic year 2025-26 has been and what a wonderful journey we have been on together since I began serving in my role on June 1, 2017. Thanks to the efforts of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, and the support of our university, we have achieved unprecedented heights in the 57-year history of our law school, with all-time highs in:
- Our graduates’ full-credit job placement rate (100%) ten-months after commencement
- Our graduates’ bar passage rate on the July California bar exam
- Our incoming students' academic credentials (LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs)
- The quantity, quality, and influence of our faculty’s scholarship
- Our U.S. News academic reputation and lawyer/judge reputation
- Our U.S. News overall national ranking
We have enjoyed memorable visits by six United States Supreme Court Justices (Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Clarence Thomas) and five former Solicitors General of the United States (Paul Clement, Noel Francisco, Elena Kagan, Elizabeth Prelogar, and Donald Verrilli).
Yet what I treasure most are the daily unheralded acts of thoughtful service shown by so many within our community. They make a meaningful difference in the lives of people at our law school and in our city, state, country, and world. Our incoming 1Ls say the #1 reason they choose Pepperdine Caruso Law is not our achievements, but rather our very special community. One example happened last Thursday, when the Canvas learning management system used by over 8,000 universities around the world, including Pepperdine, went offline due to a ransomware attack. Our 1Ls were temporarily unable to access materials for their Constitutional Law final exam the next day. A 1L who had downloaded the course materials ahead of time immediately shared them in a Google drive for 1Ls who needed them, rather than seek an advantage over her classmates. A federal appellate judge bore witness to the Pepperdine difference at a recent law school dinner with a Supreme Court Justice when she told the guests she loves to visit our law school because she “leaves a better person.”
We are a welcoming Christian law school that embraces students, faculty, and staff of all faith traditions. Our love for God and for each other motivates all that we do. It is our faith-fueled dedication to academic excellence and the flourishing of our students that is our “secret sauce.” I am deeply grateful to the Lord for His favor and grace upon the law school we all deeply love.
“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, … let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2 ESV)
Sincerely,
Paul L. Caron
Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean
Professor of Law
