MALIBU—On Wednesday, July 22, Pepperdine University announced that it would hold all classes online for the fall 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Pepperdine President Jim Gash said: “This was not the decision we had hoped or planned to make. Our faculty and staff and regents have worked tirelessly throughout the summer to prepare us for safe in-person instruction and on-campus housing. Although we are extremely disappointed that the renewed safety concerns are taking us in a different direction, we all believe this is the right decision for the health and safety of our Pepperdine family.”
He added that this was the result of Governor Gavin Newsom’s guidance for colleges and universities that “effectively prohibits in-person instruction…”
On July 14, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District stated that it would begin the fall 2020 year with only distance learning.
In June, Joseph Pinzon filed a class-action lawsuit against Pepperdine University for charging full tuition, fees, and room and board after his son was sent home. He seeks reimbursement of tuition and other fees. Other lawsuits have been filed against USC, Loyola Marymount, and the University of California and California State University systems.
Pepperdine University has not specified whether or not it will charge full tuition for the fall 2020 semester.
