Andrew Benton

Mr. Benton has been engaged in the work of higher education for 45 years, retiring in 2019. Raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Mr. Benton attended The University of Kansas, Oklahoma Christian University, and Oklahoma City University School of Law. He received his Juris Doctor in 1979 and passed the bar later that same year. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar, the United States Supreme Court Bar, and the American Bar Association.

Early in his career, he spent 10 years in an administrative role at Oklahoma Christian University and then accepted a position at Pepperdine University in 1984 as Assistant Vice President of Advancement. He was then appointed Vice President for Administration in 1986, Vice President for University Affairs in 1989, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 1991, and, finally, President and CEO beginning in 2000, a position he held until retirement. He serves today as President Emeritus.

Mr. Benton’s Pepperdine career allowed him to represent the university in large, complex, and oftentimes controversial land use and regulatory approvals leading to the development of significant portions of the Malibu campus and educational centers throughout Southern California. He worked with a remarkable team of colleagues and appeared in federal, California state, and Los Angeles County matters regularly. He also taught American Constitutional Law for 30 years, including four assignments internationally, and remains engaged in mining the depths of that important and guiding document in the past, present, and future of our nation.

On behalf of Pepperdine University, Mr. Benton had the privilege of leading the acquisition efforts to purchase foreign-study properties in London, England (1987), Florence, Italy (1994), and Lausanne, Switzerland (1998). Under Mr. Benton’s leadership, the university also acquired a property in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a leasehold interest in Shanghai, China, and a property in Washington, D.C.

His Pepperdine assignments, particularly during his presidency, provided Mr. Benton the opportunity to chair the American Council on Education (ACE), which is the largest convening organization in American higher education, serve on the board of the Council on Higher Education (CHEA), which is the accreditor of all accrediting organizations, and to chair the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). He was chair of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) and continues to serve on the board in an advisory capacity.

In retirement, Mr. Benton serves as a trustee of Oklahoma City University, is on the board of directors of The Christian Chronicle, and serves on the board of Ensysce Biosciences, a public company listed on NASDAQ. Effective January 1, 2023, he agreed to serve as Interim President of the University of Central Oklahoma until the Regents concluded a successful search in May 2023.

Mr. Benton and his wife of 50 years, Debby, have two grandchildren who attend Casady. He was an active musician for more than 50 years.