William “Bill” Slater Banowsky (1936- 2019) began his preaching career in 1958 ministering to a Church of Christ in Weir, Ky. He pursued a master’s degree in communications from the University of New Mexico in 1959 and a PhD in communications from the University of Southern California 1963. In 1995, he received a master's degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
In 1968 Banowsky served as Executive Vice President Pepperdine College and in 1969 he became the Chancellor, with his primary focus on raising money to relocate the campus from inner city Los Angeles to Malibu. A year later, Banowsky was named Pepperdine’s 4th president. In addition to his service in the ministry and in higher education, Banowsky became one of the most influential political leaders in California. In the early 70’s he was named Republican National Committee Chairman for the State of California.
Banowsky served Pepperdine as President for 10 years, leaving in 1978 to become President of the University of Oklahoma, where he served until 1985.