Pepperdine University was recently awarded R2 status by the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education (Pepperdine Newsroom, Feb 13, 2025). Though this status is a reflection of the university's increased scholarly output as a whole, the current presentation will reflect on the efforts of the Center for Global Partnerships and Learning (CGPL) in cultivating a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) that embraces and aims to facilitate student, alumni and faculty participation in scholarly communication. CGPL, which is now in it's 5th year, is part of Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP), offers students, faculty and alumni multiple avenues to showcase research they are working on via, for example, a podcast, and a Journal, Scholarship Without Borders, that encourages both experience in peer reviewing and writing for publication. Additionally, workshops and certificate programs offered by CGPL assist students in areas such as the development of research topics, preparing submissions to conferences, leadership development skills and more. Many of these programs are alumni developed and run, offering further connection for alumni with current students, faculty and alumni within the aforementioned Community of Practice (CoP). Studies have demonstrated the usefulness of CoPs in facilitating development of students' scholarly identities (Allen et al., 2016; Bedeker & Kerimkulova, 2024; Cauffman et al., 2016; Cotterall, 2013; Leshem, 2007). In one of his early, heavily cited publications (over 2500 citations within the Scopus research database), Wenger (2000) presents three modes of belonging that characterize key dimensions of participation that an individual experiences within a CoP. These include a. Engagement b. Imagination, and c. Alignment (pp. 227-228). GSEP, likewise, maintains a foundational belonging document, "Belonging - A call for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice" which affirms "...the inherent value and dignity of every member [of GSEP] to create one body that does not only exist, but functions and thrives in community" (GSEP, 2020). "Belonging" is thus a central tenet in GSEP's pedagogical approach, further aligning our work with the Communities of Practice theoretical framework. Finally, GSEP Dean, Dr. Farzin Madjidi, frequently shares his personal belief that the hallmark of a good educator is that their students' successes exceed their own (personal communication, 2024, 2023). This viewpoint further facilitates students' (in CoP terms, "newcomers") advancement, flourishing, and sense of belonging within the scholarly Community of Practice.

Keywords: Scholarly identity, communities of practice, graduate students, belonging.