Staples Center, a must-see destination for tourists and the place to be for local sports fans, now houses an educational facility through a partnership with Malibu’s Pepperdine University and Anschultz Entertainment Group (AEG).
Though the classroom has already been used for events, a small who’s-who crowd of Pepperdine and AEG staffers gathered at the Staples Center on Thursday, Oct. 18, to officially unveil the new facility.
While explaining the importance of the classroom, Pepperdine Chief Marketing Officer Rick Gibson said, “… we want to position Pepperdine squarely in the exciting, unfolding Downtown Los Angeles story. This is an amazing story.”
Pepperdine and AEG first became partners in late 2016 to offer a unique educational experience for students and host alumni events. The deal named Pepperdine “the exclusive education partner of STAPLES Center, L.A. LIVE, and the LA Kings,” per an online statement from the university at the time. (AEG owns the Staples Center.)
The classroom was designed by personnel at the Pepperdine University Department of Design and Construction. It will be able to sit 30 people, and hold events for up to 50 people.
Students will never feel far from home—in the back corner of the classroom, they will find a panoramic view of Pepperdine’s Malibu campus.
As of the 2018-19 school year, the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School offers a MBA concentration in entertainment, media and sports management; officials hope to have students in the Staples Center classroom regularly. Additionally, undergraduates studying sports administration or School of Law students focusing on entertainment, media and sports law will have use of the facility.
“Downtown: It’s really the epicenter of sports and entertainment, between L.A. Live—and we have all of the four teams that play here at Staples Center … I can’t think of a better time than now with the Olympics coming to LA and Pepperdine hosting the basketball [tournament] March Madness here at Staples Center,” Whitney Williams said to The Malibu Times.
Williams, the sole student speaker at the ceremony, now attends Pepperdine School of Law after having completed her undergraduate study at the university. She was also an intern for AEG prior to attending law school.
The company’s president and CEO, Dan Beckerman, spoke at the ceremony, recalling his own experience.
“I think back to when I was a student, and how passionate and interested I was in the sports and entertainment business, but really there were no resources back then for me to learn about the business,” he described. “There was no classes. There was no curriculum. There were no degrees, no programs. And there certainly were no classrooms like this.”
Beckerman and Luc Robitaille, president of the LA Kings franchise, presented University President Andrew K. Benton with a personalized jersey—complete with “Pepperdine” emblazoned on the back.
The classroom unveiling is a crowning achievement for Benton, who earlier this year announced his upcoming retirement.
“And now, here we are, in the heart of one of the most exciting cities in America, in one of the great and iconic facilities in Los Angeles. Here we are with real estate in Staples. It’s a dream that we began dreaming three, maybe four, years ago and tonight, [it] becomes a reality,” he said.
