Antioch University Los Angeles Announces New Provost

Culver City, CA -- August 1, 2011—New Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Luis G. Pedraja, comes to AULA with an impressive history of university administration and accreditation, scholarship and teaching, and a unique personal history. In his new role, Dr. Pedraja’s responsibilities include; providing leadership for the administration of all academic policies, monitoring the quality of student learning by overseeing programs, and overseeing academic and budgetary planning and priorities.

Driven by a strong desire to make a difference and live a life of integrity, Dr. Pedraja’s life vocation is in perfect alignment with AULA’s mission of social justice, diversity and socially engaged citizenship. He is the Co-Founder and Board Chair of two non-profit organizations; the Crystal Dove Foundation which assists cancer patients with basic living expenses, and WellPetUSA, a volunteer-based pet welfare organization. Other community service includes; translator for Amnesty International, American Red Cross Disaster volunteer, Habitat for Humanity volunteer, local emergency planning committee for Dallas County, and a volunteer reserve for the Memphis-Shleby County Emergency Management Agency.

From 2004 until 2011, Dr. Pedraja served as Vice President for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. While there he had oversight of more than 90 institutions of higher education in the region and abroad. From 2000 to 2004, he was the VPAA, Dean and Professor of Theology at Memphis Theological Seminary where he increased faculty and staff size by over 10% and significantly increased diversity. He served as Theology and Ethics Division Chair and Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 1994 to 2000. Prior he held the position of Assistant Professor of Christian Thought at the University of Puget Sound.

A native of Cuba, Pedraja’s family left when he was a child. With one suitcase of clothes and a teddy bear, his family immigrated first to Spain and then to Miami, where he was raised. Seeing the violence and poverty in the neighborhoods around him, Pedraja knew that education was his only way out. His parents, friends in the community and leaders in his church helped him envision a future beyond inner city life. Dr. Pedraja is quick to point out that Antioch University Los Angeles’ acronym is 'AULA' and in Spanish aula means classroom.

Dr. Pedraja is the editor of Apuntes the oldest US scholarly journal of Hispanic theology which is published by SMU.  He has received the Faculty Development Award from SMU, the Scholarly Outreach Award from Perkins School of Theology and the Fund for Theological Education Hispanic Dissertation Year Scholar and Doctoral Scholar.  He has had numerous publications including; books, contributions to edited books, journal articles and higher education publications.  He has also been asked to present scholarly papers, lectures and keynotes for a number of Universities, Seminaries, and societies.  He is a member of the American Academy of Religion and La Comunidad of Hispanic American Scholars of Religion.  

Dr. Pedraja received his bachelor's degree in Religion from Stetson University, a M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. His scholarship is in the postmodern fields of Process Philosophy and Latino theology. He is fluent in Spanish and English, and has studied French, German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

Antioch University Los Angeles (AULA) provides a rigorous progressive education to prepare students for the complexities of today's diverse societies. AULA, a not-for-profit institution, has served the greater Los Angeles area since 1972. The core values of social justice, service to the community and lifelong learning lie at the heart of the B.A. degree completion program and master’s degree programs in organizational management, education and teacher credentialing, psychology, creative writing and urban sustainability. AULA is part of the Antioch Universitysystem which has roots dating back to 1852 and was recently named one of the top 20 colleges most committed to community service by USA Today. Inspired by the work of pioneering educator Horace Mann, Antioch University was founded in 1964 andserves over 5,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and at five campuses in four states.  www.AntiochLA.edu