Ronald Phillips

In the fall of 1972, Ronald Phillips began his third year as dean of the Pepperdine School of Law. A graduate of sister-school Abilene Christian College, Phillips received his legal training at the University of Texas. In 1970, Norvel Young hired him to be the first permanent dean of the law school, taking over from interim dean Vincent Dalsimer, who continued on for a year after Pepperdine bought the Orange University College of Law in 1969.¹

Phillips served as dean for 28 years, taking the school from an unaccredited night school in Orange County to a nationally recognized school in Malibu. Improbably, Phillips remains on the Pepperdine payroll through the time of writing (2022), making him perhaps the only Pepperdine employee from 1972 who is still in the university's employ. Today, he serves as senior vice chancellor and dean emeritus.

The Phillipses have been one of Pepperdine's great extended families over the past fifty years, with the affiliation stretching across three generations. Today, Ronald's son Phil serves as COO and senior vice president for administration. Other Pepperdine Phillipses include Shannon (dean of admissions at the law school) and Sean Michael (associate vice president of human resources and business services).