About

Professor Besnard holds a Master's in International Marketing from Neoma Business School and a Master's in Applied Language Science from the University of Grenoble. Having lived in France, Germany, and England before settling in Switzerland, she brings a rich cross-cultural perspective to her teaching — from beginner French to Business French. She coordinates the Homestay Upper French Division and Internship programs, and outside the classroom enjoys hiking, skiing, and a good book.

Dr. Izzo holds a joint Ph.D. from Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, and a Master's in French Pedagogy from the Haute École Pédagogique in Lausanne. She has taught languages and literature at Harvard University — where she won the Levenson Teaching Prize — the University of Durham, and the Université de Lausanne. Her research focuses on comparative literature in French and Italian, and she has authored and edited several books, including a children's book rooted in ancient epic tradition. She is also a literary translator with a special interest in Swiss novels.

Dr. Marcant holds a Ph.D. in the Didactics of Foreign Languages and Cultures from the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris. Passionate about pedagogy and language learning, she specializes in collaborative learning, student autonomy, and intercultural communication. Her teaching career spans France, Chile, Palestine, and Switzerland, bringing a genuinely global perspective to the classroom. Outside of teaching, she enjoys reading, running, cooking, and exploring different coffees with her husband and daughter.

Professor Plank teaches sociology and religion for the Switzerland Program. She holds master's degrees in sociology from Linköping University and in theology and religion from the University of Notre Dame, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where her research focuses on children in ancient house churches in Corinth. A Pepperdine alumna who majored in Liberal Arts and completed her teaching credential there, she also studied abroad in Heidelberg — giving her a personal connection to the transformative power of international education. Outside the classroom, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her three teenage children, and two cats.

Dr. Stauder holds a master's degree from the University of Geneva and a Ph.D. from Basel University, and brings over 20 years of teaching experience at both undergraduate and graduate levels. An accomplished historian, her expertise centers on ancient Egyptian history and languages — particularly inscriptions from private tombs of the Pyramid Age. She has directed major research projects and received a Swiss National Science Foundation Professorship, one of Switzerland's most prestigious academic honors. At Pepperdine, she shares her deep knowledge of Swiss history and culture with students. Outside academia, she cherishes her role as a mother to three daughters.

Dr. Van Zalinge holds a Master's degree from Utrecht University and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Bristol. Deeply passionate about the natural world, she is committed to taking students outside and connecting them with the beauty and vulnerability of the Swiss landscape. An avid hiker and wildlife enthusiast, she finds endless inspiration in Switzerland's mountains and nature reserves — and is determined to never stop learning about the wonders of planet Earth.

Dr. Delgado is an architect and researcher whose work explores more inclusive approaches to urban design amid ecological crisis. She holds a Ph.D. from EPFL, a Master of Architecture from Harvard's Graduate School of Design, and a B.A. from Stanford. Through her Art classes, she challenges students to actively observe and reimagine themselves and the world around them — drawing on years of teaching design students across the United States, Mexico, and Switzerland. A Gabriel Prize recipient, she first fell in love with the Alps while drawing en plein air, and hopes her students' lives will be similarly shaped by creative practice and the study abroad experience.

Professor Middelmann earned a L.L.M. from Freiburg University in Germany and a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Middelmann has authored numerous books and articles and currently serves as the International Scholar in Residence for Nyack College in New York City.