On behalf of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI), Dr. Tony Lei is excitingly enjoyed and heartfeltlly thanked Dr. and Mrs. Andre Benton, President of Pepperdine University, for the creative Christmas card sent by them. WBTI's website is now available to the public at http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti. It is offered by the Community Link of Las Vegas Review Journal. This article is shown in the web at the first page of WBTI Newsbrief.
Dr. Andrew K. Benton earned his Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law. He served as the executive vice president of Pepperdine University from 1991 to 2000. A 47 years old native Kansas, he became the seventh president of Pepperdine University on June 16, 2000. The Inauguration of the president was held on September 23 at the Firestone Fieldhouse of Pepperdine in Malibu, California.
"Andy's leadership skills and experience have prepared him well, and I believe the University is in good hands. He is an outstanding choice to lead Pepperdine into the future," said the sixth President Dr. David Davenport at the time of his announcement. Dr. Davenport carried the torch of leadership for fifteen year. He had it led exceptionally well. Pepperdine has achieved an enviable position in the world of higher education.
"One of my priorities will be be 'telling the Pepperdine story' of quality and values to a large audience, reaching a broader demographic, and having a global range," said Dr. Benton. "We need to strengthen Pepperdine's diversity, its connection to its heritage, its sense of community and community involvement, and its scholarship and culture through faculty involvement in outside research and publishing."
"Chairman Thomas Bost of the Board of Regents believes that this new President is best equipped to lead Pepperdine into the next millennium with academic excellence and Christian values. Dr. Wiiliam Banowsky, the school's fouth president, assures that the new president would seek the higher standards for academic and spiritual excellence," said Dr. Lei who received his MBA and Ed.D. in Institutional Management from Pepperdine in 1969 and 1980, respectively.
Pepperdine was recently ranked among the top 50 national universities by U.S. News and World Report, placing it in the first tier with such schools as Harvard and Yale. It has held the 51st spot for years. As its reputation grows, Pepperdine's ranking climbs as well. It is now listed as tied for the 49th spot. Pepperdin is the youngest school among the 50s.
Dr. Lei received a beautiful calendar of 2001 signed by U.S. Senator Harry Reid from his Senate Office in Washington D. C. It was made by the United States Capitol Historical Society. How nice is this Christmas for WBTI! "Senator Reid loves heartily this country and our people. His leadership is accenturated with practical knowledge and diligent effort through his intelligence. We are honored to have him as our Advisor and Vice Chairman of our Advisory Board since April 10, 1998. He has achieved many years of accomplishments to improve the quality of life of all Nevadans and help people realize the American Dream. On December 5, he was re-elected by Senate Democrats to their leadership team. This has given the veteran lawmaker a strong voice in determining the direction of a body splitted likely 50-50 in the upcoming congressional session," said Dr. Lei.
Dr. Lei was joyful and thankful with the Faculty of WBTI to receive a letter from Mayor Oscar Goodman from the Mayor Office of the City of Las Vegas. It stated that, "I am writing to thank you for your recent correspondence and for your wonderful article. It was greatly appreciated. As Mayor, I will continue to devote my energies into the preservation and improvement of the standard of living enjoyed here in the City of Las Vegas. If I can ever be of assistannce with another situation, please do not hesitate to call. I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Elected in June 1999, Mayor Goodman leads one of the fastes growing cities in the United States into the next Millenium. The Mayor is a lifelong friend of the community. He and his family believe in education. He and his wife Carolyn helped created one of the finest educational institutional, Meadows School, in Southern Nevada. He has been honored as Executive Advisor of WBTI since May 1999. Mayor Goodman is committed to preserving Las Vegas' status as the 'most Livable City in America' for people to live an enriched and prosperous life. He is also committed to ensuring the city maintains its spot on Fortune Magazine's annual ranking of the 'Top Ten Places for Business'," said Dr. Lei.