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June 16, 1995 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408/459-2495)

PROFESSOR'S MENTORSHIP INSPIRES FAMILY TO ESTABLISH AN ENDOWED CHAIR IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AT UC SANTA CRUZ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--Inspired by the impact a professor's mentorship had on their son, a Los Gatos couple has pledged a gift of $250,000 to the University of California, Santa Cruz, to establish an endowed chair in environmental studies.

The gift from Dr. Alan G. Giberson and Margaret S. Lyons Giberson of Los Gatos, California, establishes the Pepper-Giberson Endowed Chair in Environmental Studies. The gift reflects the Giberson family's desire to foster greater public awareness of the need to protect and preserve the environment. It also honors Professor Emeritus James Pepper for his "pivotal contribution" to the environmental studies program at UCSC, said the Giberson family.

The Pepper-Giberson chair was approved at today's (June 16, 1995) meeting of the Regents of the University of California.

The Gibersons have previously supported UCSC's Annual Fund campaign, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Long Marine Laboratory, and the environmental studies program. But it was their son Erik's experience as a UCSC undergraduate in environmental studies that compelled them to fund an endowed chair. Erik Giberson graduated from UCSC in 1994 and now works for an environmental planning firm in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Environmental considerations have been close to our hearts for a long time," said Margaret Giberson, a trustee of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation. "We're aware of the importance of environmental quality to the quality of life in general, and education goes hand in hand with that. Erik's experience focused our convictions. He was so inspired by Jim Pepper's teaching--it really made it a living discipline for Erik."

James Pepper, who joined the UCSC faculty in 1972, specializes in land-use planning. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, he was widely praised for his role in organizing a series of public lectures that helped shape "Vision Santa Cruz," a community organization that was instrumental in the rebuilding of downtown Santa Cruz.

"This is a great honor," said Pepper, who retired in 1994 but continues to teach on campus. "My career has been enriched by working with exceptional students like Erik, and I am deeply grateful for this legacy to our shared commitment to environmental conservation and protection. It pleases me to know that this support will help maintain the high standards of teaching and research that are the cornerstones of the environmental studies program."

Erik Giberson's undergraduate thesis focused on the tension between California's need for affordable housing and the constraints placed on local government by growth-control efforts.

"It is a special pleasure to accept a gift that recognizes the excellence of a program and the particular contributions of one of our faculty," said UCSC Chancellor Karl Pister. "This campus places special emphasis on undergraduate education, and this gift reflects the best that we have to offer. This generous gift will enable UC Santa Cruz to build upon its role as a leader in the field of environmental studies."

Environmental studies is one of the most popular majors on campus, and last fall, UCSC became the first campus in the UC system to offer a doctoral program in environmental studies. Under the terms of the gift, endowed chair holders will be environmental studies faculty whose field includes environmental analysis in land- use planning; environmental policy and planning; environmental regulation; land-use planning and biodiversity; and political economy.

The creation of an endowed chair further enhances the UCSC program, said Environmental Studies Board chair Michael Soule. "The funds generated by the endowment can be used to help an existing faculty member's research or to bring in a new faculty member, or to offer courses that we wouldn't otherwise be able to offer," said Soule. "We rarely receive support that offers us this degree of flexibility."

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(This release is also available on UC NewsWire, the University of California's electronic news service. To access by modem, dial 1- 209-244-6971.)



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