Pepperdine University is expanding its Master in Business Administration program to what is arguably one of the region’s most educationally underserved communities the Antelope Valley. Beginning in January, Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management will offer sessions at the Aerospace Education Research and Operations Institute in Palmdale twice a week over a 24-month-period. Specifically for managers who live or work in the Antelope Valley, the program, which awaits final review by the accrediting group the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, will feature a team-based curriculum and applicable business practices. According to Ernesto Morales, director of corporate relations for Graziadio, which has six campuses throughout Southern California, the fact that the Antelope Valley is an aerospace hub played a role in the school deciding to locate there. “The Antelope Valley has a number of Aerospace companies Boeing, Northrop, Lockheed those companies are supporters of an educated workforce.” But that wasn’t the only factor. “The exponential growth in the Antelope Valley in the last 10 to 20 years those things provided a good base for possible outreach to the community the community is really underserved on the graduate level,” Morales said. Thus far, approximately a dozen people have applied to the program, which will accept a total of 27 students. There will be no discernible difference between the instruction offered on Pepperdine’s main campus in Malibu and that which will be offered in the Antelope Valley, Morales said. “We’re figuratively lifting up our school and bringing our instruction and curriculum to the Antelope Valley,” he said. “There will be a number of electives such as marketing and finance. There will be an emphasis on leadership and managing organizational change and obviously with that exponential growth in that community that emphasis is really a complement to what’s going on.” Morales credits not only Pepperdine but also the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, area chambers of commerce and other local organizations in bringing the Graziadio School to the region. “I think that the impact will be very positive on our community and for students,” said Steve Malicott, president and CEO of the Antelope Valley Chamber of Commerce. “They will take advantage of attending a prominent university that has a reputation in the business education arena that is second to none, and they will be able to apply those skills to other jobs in the Antelope Valley. We’re being able to educate our folks and keep them here and utilize their skills.” Malicott said that the chamber felt it was incumbent upon it to bring more educational institutions to the area. “It creates an opportunity to have leadership in the community,” he said. While Antelope Valley residents have junior colleges to choose from, the area is lacking in institutions that provide advanced education, Malicott said. “What they’re trying to do is bring additional higher level education, so our students won’t travel out of the area so much.” Bill Hogrefe, chief administrative officer of the Palmdale Chamber of Commerce, shared Malicott’s concern about outside travel. Now that Pepperdine is expanding to the Antelope Valley, “It’s another opportunity for people in the area that are working adults to pursue the MBA program,” he said. “Pepperdine is a prestigious program. People at Northrop, Lockheed and Boeing they won’t have to travel all the way down to Malibu to work on it. They can do it right here in their hometown.” Additionally, according to Malicott, the Board of Trade is working to bring a four-year university to the area. Because that process is lengthy, such a university might not materialize in the area for another decade. For the time being, Hogrefe believes that the Graziadio School will serve to “take some of the pressure off the campus in Lancaster,” he said. “The population is growing so much. They expect a million or two million people here in 2015 or 2020. They’re all going to have kids, and they have to go to school somewhere.” Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford also hopes that Pepperdine’s reputation will cast a spotlight on the Antelope Valley. “Pepperdine is a prestigious school,” he said. “I believe there’s a niche up here that will take advantage of it. It will bring some notoriety. Pepperdine is a great name out there, and we’re very glad to have them as part of the Aero Institute.” Ledford also said that he believes additional educational opportunities will result from the Graziadio School’s expansion to the area. Other educational institutions may conclude that there is a demand in the region for higher education if Pepperdine’s expansion is successful. “It’s exciting to be involved with,” Ledford said, “and I’m proud the city of Palmdale has stepped up to provide a place for these classes to take a place.” For more information on the Antelope Valley MBA program, call (310) 568-5759 or visit http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/av
