US Campuses
President’s Briefing Recap #2 – Palisades Fire – January 2025
The President’s Briefing Recap summarizes important information for the Pepperdine community shared during each President’s Briefing. In the second special broadcast for faculty, staff, and students, president Jim Gash (JD ’93) was joined by members of Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Committee to share their insights on campus operations and community safety in light of the Palisades Fire and other fires in the area.
Return to Campus and Malibu Canyon Reopening Plan
Pepperdine’s Malibu campus plans to resume in-person classes on Tuesday, January 21, for those classes scheduled to be in person this term. Malibu Canyon Road is expected to open in the coming days. Accordingly, students are expected to return to campus or to their off-campus housing locations in advance of Tuesday. In the unlikely event that Malibu Canyon does not open on Tuesday, classes will continue to be held online for that day. President Gash reinforced that these decisions were made with the highest consideration of the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.
Caruso School of Law Final Exams
Regardless of the status of Malibu Canyon Road, Caruso School of Law final exams scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, will proceed as scheduled. Students should watch for communications from their deans for the most up-to-date guidance.
Current Fire Conditions and Containment
The Palisades Fire does not have active flames, and smoke is no longer visible. While there may be isolated small smoldering patches, fire personnel are focused on the mop-up phase, which requires extinguishing such patches. Fire personnel have created a perimeter around the burn area using bulldozers to separate unburned vegetation from the charred landscape. Throughout the duration of the Palisades fire, none of Pepperdine’s campuses were in an evacuation warning or mandatory evacuation zone and the Malibu campus remains unaffected by the direct impact of the fire.
Air Quality
Air quality at the Malibu campus, as well as at all Pepperdine campuses, continues to score in the healthy range, and AQI scores continue to be “safe” consistent with typical conditions in Malibu. Because Pepperdine was not adjacent to a large number of structure fires in the Palisades, and because the Palisades Fire plume extended over the ocean, Pepperdine’s air quality was not directly impacted.
After the Franklin Fire in December 2024, Pepperdine changed all air filters on campus, and all major air handlers have been vacuumed and wiped clean. The University has also been conducting its own particulate testing to verify AQI scores. Students with respiratory concerns are encouraged to reach out to the Student Care Team with specific needs, and employees should contact Human Resources. N95 masks will be available upon request to anyone on campus.
Gas and Utility Restoration and Boil Water Notices
Pepperdine is hosting SoCalGas in the Firestone Fieldhouse parking lot, which they are using as their incident command center to assist with restoring gas services to Malibu residents. Due to the University’s partnership, service restoration is proceeding ahead of schedule. As of the briefing, SoCalGas had restored gas service to more than 2,000 people in the area, ahead of schedule in part because of their advantageous location on our campus.
Pepperdine’s Malibu campus is not and has never been under a boil water notice, and water remains safe for use.
Mudslide Mitigation
The University is actively working with local experts to mitigate potential mudslides following periods of heavy rain, including surveying the entirety of campus. The University has employed mitigation measures, including cleaning out debris basins and spraying soil glue to keep loose soil from rolling down the hills. The University has also taken extra precautions by employing sandbags and soil reinforcement to ensure the hillside stays intact.
Travel to Campus from LAX
The University is providing some shuttle service from LAX to campus and is currently reviewing responses to the shuttle interest form. Students will be contacted to confirm shuttle availability or to be reminded of alternative transportation options. Students may choose to use other rideshare options such as Uber and Lyft, which are available to the Malibu campus. To help reduce costs, students are encouraged to share their rides when possible.
As a reminder, for residential students returning from the fall semester, access to residence halls has been restored. New residential students should reach out to Housing and Residence Life with any questions. Also, students facing financial challenges should contact the Student Care Team for assistance.
Monitoring Los Angeles Area Fires and Preparing for Next Week – Update #8
The University’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) continues to monitor the fires in the greater Los Angeles area. The Palisades Fire is not a threat to Pepperdine’s Malibu campus, its footprint has not changed since Tuesday, there are no active flames along the perimeter, and the Red Flag Warning expired today at 6 PM.
As the University prepares to welcome students on campus for in-person classes on Tuesday, January 21, the EOC continues to monitor conditions on the Malibu campus and within the City of Malibu, the needs of community members, recovery efforts in the local community, and area roadways.
The decision to resume in-person classes on Tuesday is primarily based on a few key factors, which are:
- Working utilities (power, natural gas, water, and internet). All utilities on campus are functioning.
- Air quality. Air quality is not unhealthy even for those who are particularly sensitive, and continues to improve.
- Access to campus. PCH south of campus remains closed and is not expected to reopen in the near future. Malibu Canyon is presently closed but is expected to reopen in the coming days before classes resume on Tuesday.
All of these positive conditions support a resumption of in-person classes on Tuesday, January 21. Thus, both residential and non-residential students enrolled in such classes on the Malibu campus should plan to return to the Malibu area no later than this weekend. In the rather unlikely event Malibu Canyon Road does not open by Monday–due to the unique circumstances created by the Palisades fire–the University will extend the online delivery of all undergraduate classes and the vast majority of graduate school classes scheduled to be in person one day at a time until Malibu Canyon Road is open. The deans from each graduate school will continue to provide more specific guidance. We are excited to welcome residential students back to the Malibu campus (joining the hundreds who are already here) no later than this weekend and will notify the community about the status of Malibu Canyon Road no later than 5 PM on Monday.
Transportation to Campus from LAX
Transportation to campus from LAX is available via ride share (Uber/Lyft) and via PrimeTime Shuttle. Students with financial challenges may contact the Student Care Team for support. Additionally, the University will provide free shuttles for transportation from LAX to the Malibu campus on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at predetermined times. Students interested in the possibility of University shuttle service should complete the interest form by Thursday at 5 PM. Please note that map applications do not always provide accurate information, often calculating routes far beyond the impacted area.
President’s Briefing
The University will host a special President’s Briefing tomorrow, Thursday, January 16 at 2 PM to further explore these topics and address questions from the community. A link to the briefing will be distributed on Thursday morning to the Pepperdine community.
Curfew
In order to secure areas evacuated due to the Palisades Fire, officials have instituted a curfew from 6 PM to 6 AM in the mandatory evacuation areas. All students, faculty, and staff are reminded to remain out of and off roads within these evacuated areas. The Malibu campus is not under a curfew and individuals are free to move about areas not affected by the curfew.
Staff and Faculty Work Expectations
For the remainder of this week, critical support personnel should continue to report to campus to support basic operations, and all other employees should work with their supervisors to either report to campus or work remotely based on departmental needs. Employees are generally expected to return to normally scheduled work shifts and normal campus operations beginning Tuesday, January 21. Employees impacted by the fires – including those who live in the evacuation zones, or have children whose schools are impacted – should work with their supervisors to adjust work schedules to attend to family or home needs.
Student Support
The University is supporting students who have been impacted by the fires. Students who have lost their off-campus housing and would like to arrange for on-campus housing for the spring semester may contact Housing. Those who have short-term housing or other needs due to fire-related impacts may contact the Student Care Team for assistance, which will coordinate support from the University. We are grateful for the generous donors who help us meet needs like these through the Pepperdine Strong Fund.
The Student Health Center and Counseling Center remain open to care for students. Additionally, medical and mental health support are available through the TimelyCare app. Pastoral care is available from the team at the Hub for Spiritual Life. Contact Tim Spivey, vice president for spiritual life, to make an appointment.
Faculty and Staff Support
The University is also supporting faculty and staff who have been impacted by the fire. Faculty and staff should contact Human Resources, which will coordinate support from the University through resources such as the Pepperdine Strong Fund and other available resources.
Human Resources is also available to help employees, and faculty and staff may access counseling services through their Employee Assistance Program – details are available on the Human Resources website or by contacting Human Resources at 310.506.4397.
Pastoral care is available to faculty and staff. Please contact Dee Dee Mayer, interim university chaplain, to make an appointment.
Monitoring Los Angeles Area Fires – Update #7
The University’s Emergency Operations Committee continues to monitor the fires in the greater Los Angeles area. The Palisades Fire is not presently a threat to Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. The footprint of the Palisades Fire has not materially changed since yesterday, which has burned 23,713 acres and is 17% contained.
The red flag warning remains in place through 6 PM tomorrow with the highest winds predicted between 3 AM to 3 PM tomorrow with gusts of 35-55 miles per hour (MPH). These wind predictions are significantly less intense than those experienced when the Palisades Fire started, during the peak of the red flag warning last week.
Air Quality
Air quality on the Malibu campus is currently good, and the University continues to monitor campus air quality closely. While most people are comfortable and not wearing a mask, N95 masks are available for pickup on campus at the following locations: HAWC, Student Affairs front desk, Payson circulation desk, and at Human Resources.
Additionally, campus buildings have avoided smoke damage, as most smoke from the Palisades fire was blown out to the Pacific Ocean and did not go over the campus. Conditions were significantly different than during the Franklin Fire, which burned into the vegetation on the Malibu campus.
Transportation to Campus from LAX
Transportation to campus from LAX is available via ride share (Uber/Lyft). Additionally, the University will provide shuttles to make airport runs on a designated schedule this weekend. The University will send information to students on how to sign up for shuttle service later this week. Of note, map applications are not always providing accurate information, often calculating routes far beyond the impacted area.
Parking Structure at The Mountain
The Franklin and Palisades fires interrupted work on the parking structure at The Mountain. Even with these delays, due to the hard work of the construction team, the parking structure is still expected to open this month.
Student Support
The University is supporting students who have been impacted by the fires. Students who have lost their off-campus housing and would like to arrange for on-campus housing for the spring semester may contact Housing. Those who have short-term housing or other needs due to fire-related impacts may contact the Student Care Team for assistance, which will coordinate support from the University. We are grateful for the generous donors who help us meet needs like these through the Pepperdine Strong Fund.
The Student Health Center and Counseling Center remain open to care for students. Additionally, medical and mental health support are available through the TimelyCare app. Pastoral care is available from the team at the Hub for Spiritual Life. Contact Tim Spivey, vice president for spiritual life, to make an appointment.
Faculty and Staff Support
The University is also supporting faculty and staff who have been impacted by the fire. Faculty and staff should contact Human Resources, which will coordinate support from the University through resources such as the Pepperdine Strong Fund and other available resources.
Human Resources is also available to help employees, and faculty and staff may access counseling services through their Employee Assistance Program – details are available on the Human Resources website or by contacting Human Resources at 310.506.4397.
Pastoral care is available to faculty and staff. Please contact Dee Dee Mayer, interim university chaplain, to make an appointment.
President’s Briefing Recap – Palisades Fire – January 2025
The President’s Briefing Recap summarizes important information for the Pepperdine community shared during each President’s Briefing. In a special broadcast for faculty, staff, and students, president Jim Gash (JD ’93) was joined by members of Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Committee to share their insights in light of the Palisades Fire and other ongoing fires in the area.
President’s Update
President Jim Gash (JD ’93) opened the special broadcast of the President’s Briefing with reflections on the past week as the University navigates the challenges facing the Malibu campus and the broader Pepperdine community in the wake of the Palisades Fire. He recalled witnessing the devastation of the Pacific Palisades and Malibu communities in the days following the start of the fire and emphasized the University’s commitment to supporting each other and our broader community as we recover. In his opening prayer, he acknowledged that God draws near to us when we draw near to him in times of pain and sorrow, and committed to engaging the Pepperdine community in prayerfully and proactively finding ways to restore and rebuild in the days and weeks to come.
Emergency Operations Committee Updates – Phil Phillips (’88, JD ’92), Executive Vice President and Nicolle Taylor (’98, JD ’02), Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Executive vice president Phil Phillips, who chairs the University’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC), provided an incident timeline. When the Palisades Fire broke out last Tuesday, January 7, Pepperdine was prepared with ample information about the Red Flag Warning and the extreme conditions that impact how quickly the fire would be addressed and contained. Pepperdine activated its EOC that morning and has continued monitoring the fire closely since. As expected, the Palisades Fire did not move much closer to the Malibu campus than the edge of the area burned by the Franklin Fire, which had previously burned the brush closer to campus.
Senior vice president and chief operating officer Nicolle Taylor addressed Pepperdine’s continued work with partner agencies, in particular our relationships with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire) and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) that allow the University to be part of meetings at the incident command posts.
Pepperdine’s relationship with Southern California Edison (SCE) provided the University with the most up-to-date information about possible public safety power shutoff (PSPS) warnings, which are an attempt to prevent additional wildfires by preemptively shutting off power when fire conditions are dangerous. While the Malibu campus had power throughout the Palisades Fire incident, SCE initiated PSPSs for various areas in Malibu and through Malibu Canyon.
Due to the fires across the Los Angeles area, SoCalGas shut off gas service to the Malibu campus, as well as all areas between Pacific Palisades to Malibu. As SoCalGas restores service in the area, Pepperdine’s Malibu campus is the site of their incident command center for the Palisades Fire. By staging teams on campus, SoCalGas teams can more quickly access the Malibu and Pacific Palisades communities to restore access to natural gas. The Malibu campus is also the temporary site of the City of Malibu’s Emergency Operations Committee so they may conduct their operations while they are displaced from City Hall.
Taylor also addressed current weather conditions, including the current Red Flag Warning that ends Wednesday evening. Red Flag warnings are a weather designation that identifies times when wildfires could spread quickly, typically characterized by dry and very windy conditions.
While some evacuation zones around greater Los Angeles have received boil water notices–a water district’s notice that the water in the area is not safe to drink–the Malibu campus is not in an evacuation zone, and no boil water notices have been issued for Pepperdine. As such, Malibu campus water is safe for use.
In a discussion of current road conditions, Taylor shared that Kanan Road and PCH north of the Malibu campus are open. Malibu Canyon Road is temporarily closed. PCH is closed on the east end at the McClure Tunnel and on the west side near the Malibu Pier. Closer to campus, many businesses, such as Chevron, Ralphs, and CVS, including the pharmacy, remain open.
Areas within mandatory evacuation zones have received curfew notices. The Malibu campus is not in an evacuation warning or mandatory evacuation zone, and a curfew is not in effect in the area immediately surrounding the Malibu campus.
While mudslides could potentially become a concern following area wildfires following rainfall, Taylor shared that local agencies are proactively working on measures to guard against mudslides in the burn areas.
Academic Enterprise and Air Quality – Jay Brewster, Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Due to ongoing efforts to fully contain the Palisades Fire, limited campus access, and gaps in the availability of faculty, staff, and students, the EOC determined that moving the vast majority of classes online for the first week of the spring semester was in the best interest of the Pepperdine community. Provost Brewster reinforced the deliberative processes used by the EOC and school deans to gather information to serve the community of students, faculty, and staff. While disrupting academic operations at the beginning of a new semester is not ideal, he shared it was the right thing to do given the magnitude of the Palisades Fire and its potential impact on Pepperdine’s academic experience based on the totality of the information. Provost Brewster expressed his deep appreciation for faculty, staff, and students as they adapted to the changes.
As the University continues to monitor conditions during the week, the EOC assessed that improving campus conditions and the restoration of utilities will enable the return to in-person classes on Tuesday, January 21. In the unlikely event there are any changes to this plan, the University will notify faculty, staff, and students by noon on Thursday, January 16. In the meantime, the University is committed to delivering remote learning with the highest academic standards.
Harnessing his background as a professor of biology, Provost Brewster also discussed air quality around campus during and following a fire, addressing both typical populations as well as individuals who are more susceptible to respiratory challenges. Provost Brewster explained the basics of particulate matter in the air during a wildfire and the air quality index (AQI) used across the United States which defines levels of particulate matter and other airborne components that could be dangerous to humans. The current and forecasted AQI for Malibu was shown to be at normal healthy levels. Provost Brewster and President Gash reinforced that normal campus operations and activities would not resume if the air quality was unhealthy. Provost Brewster shared that the University is monitoring air quality conditions and testing campus spaces to ensure the safety of faculty, staff, and students as they return to campus. A significant supply of N95 masks is available to all members of the community during this time and can be picked up at the HAWC, the Payson Library circulation desk, and the Student Affairs front desk.
Internet Network Restoration – Lila McDowell Carlsen, Interim Vice Provost
Lila McDowell Carlsen discussed the work of the Office of the Provost in communicating with Pepperdine’s Information Technology (IT) department in monitoring network status and restoration of network issues that have arisen during the Palisades Fire. She shared that, while both Verizon and Spectrum internet connections have been impacted on our campuses, internet is available at Pepperdine’s Malibu, Calabasas (depending on electricity), West LA, and Irvine campuses. Outages to network services in on-campus faculty and staff housing have been due to power outages and not fire damage.
As of this morning, Spectrum has informed us that their crews will be working through the night to install infrastructure using temporary fiber to restore service to areas within 24 to 48 hours. While they work, IT will work on alternatives in the event Verizon and Spectrum aren’t able to restore service in the next couple of days to ensure everyone on campus has reliable and stable internet connections.
Student Life and Student Support – Connie Horton (’82), Vice President for Student Affairs
Connie Horton shared that all residence halls (serving the hundreds of students who have returned to campus) have utilities, including gas (heat, hot water), electricity, and WiFi/Internet. Dining Services is available with limited hours, and Payson Library is open.
During and following this wildfire, the Student Health Center and the Counseling Center are open and operating daily. The Student Health Center is available for students in person and through remote appointments. The Counseling Center is open for in-person and remote sessions (only for California residents due to federal regulations) and available for after-hours emergencies. Out-of-state students can access 24/7 care through the TimelyCare app.
Students are advised to contact the Student Care Team about any students who have lost homes or have other fire-related losses or needs. The Student Care Team and others have been working closely to respond to those impacted by the fires through individualized case management, immediate financial support, and assistance in finding housing (short and long-term on-campus options). They can also assist with replacing computers and assisting with food, toiletries, and other immediate needs.
Employee Support – Sean Michael Phillips (’07, MS ’11), Associate Vice President, Human Resources and Business Services
In recognition of community members who have experienced varying challenges throughout the recent wildfires, Sean Michael Phillips shared that the University has activated the Pepperdine Strong Fund, providing nearly $100,000 to students, faculty, and staff impacted by this crisis to help with their immediate needs. Pepperdine’s Human Resources office has also contacted more than 100 employees with a home address potentially affected by the wildfire or evacuation notices to learn how they are doing and understand the nature of their needs.
Due to an outpouring of support for impacted community members, Christin Shatzer Román, director of community engagement and service, will lead an effort to organize donations of clothing and other necessary items to community members affected by the fires and provide resources to help affected members with cleanup, childcare concerns, and more.
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