At its August meeting, the American Bar Association (ABA) granted Pepperdine's fledgling School of Law provisional approval, making it the only ABA-approved law school in Orange County. ABA approval meant that graduates of the school would be permitted to take the bar exam in any state. Previously, the school was only accredited by the California State Bar, meaning graduates were eligible to take the bar only in California. The same week, dean Ronald Phillips announced a new record enrollment of 389 students.¹