Malibu's Pepperdine School of Public Policy Launches Project on Future of Conservatism

MALIBU, CA -- Pepperdine University's School of Public Policy announced Tuesday it is launching a two-year program "designed to propel innovative ideas for re-imagining the future of America's conservative movement."

This spring, SPP "will gather America's leading conservative activists and thought leaders at Pepperdine's Malibu campus to assess where the conservative movement stands today and imagine its healthy future," according to a statement released by the school. "Following this gathering, participants will produce essays and media pieces offering innovative insights on conservatism in an age of rising populism and socialism."

"The American Project: On the Future of Conservatism" will be hosted under the leadership of SPP Dean Pete Peterson.

"As a program founded by the likes of James Q. Wilson, Jack Kemp and many other leading center-right leaders and scholars, Pepperdine School of Public Policy is honored to be chosen to be the home for this critical initiative," Peterson said. "This is a critical time in our nation's history to be considering the impact America's conservative movement can and should have on our politics and policy."

Rich Tafel, a trained facilitator and a pastor at Church of the Holy City in Washington, D.C., will be the program's director. According to the School of Public Policy, he "has a history of bringing together people with divergent viewpoints to work toward common goals."

The School of Public Policy said it has begun inviting conservative thinkers and leaders to take part in the program, and plans to finalize the schedule next month.

"This is a moment of both risk and opportunity for American conservatives, and navigating through it in a way that best serves the country's interests will require serious thinking," political analyst and author Yuval Levin said in a statement released by the school. "Such thinking is hard to do in a time of change, and that is why efforts like the Pepperdine School of Public Policy's initiative can be so important."

Initial funding for the project comes through a two-year grant from the Democracy Fund.

-- City News Service, photo credit: English Wikipedia user Wolffystyle