Academic Freedom at Faith-Based Institutions of Higher Education:
A Colloquium on Faith and the Academy
March 6-8, 2025
Malibu, California
Registration
In March of next year, Pepperdine will welcome representatives from faith-based institutions to join in an intimate 2.5-day colloquy on academic freedom. Apart from the plenary events, participants will be organized in seminar-sized groups of 12-18 led by trained facilitators.
Each of the two main colloquium days will be structured around contentious contemporary issues that challenge faith-based educational institutions’ identities and priorities. First, participants will attend a conversation between two educational leaders who share different perspectives on a contentious topic. Second, participants will have a chance to discuss that conversation in their small groups. Third, participants will role-play a scenario that is connected to that contentious topic. And fourth, participants will reflect on the role-playing experience.
The agenda for the colloquy includes:
- Thursday, March 6 | 6 – 8:30 PM | Welcome Dinner and Plenary Speaker | Hyatt Regency Westlake
- Friday, March 7 | 8 AM – 5 PM | Seminar on Contentious Topic number one | Pepperdine’s Malibu Campus
- Saturday, March 8 | 8 AM – 4 PM | Seminar on Contentious Topic number two | Pepperdine’s Malibu Campus
In addition to times for rigorous intellectual engagement, participants will have opportunities for worship and reflection. Pepperdine faculty are also invited to register for this conference at a discounted rate. A limited number of funded registrations will be made available in early January subject to capacity.



