Doak and Press will also use some of the funds from the endowment to bring in guest speakers, visiting professors, and in-residence scholars, and to offer courses that might not otherwise be available. It was their son Erik's experience as a UCSC undergraduate in environmental studies that moved the Gibersons to make the gift. The endowed chair honors Professor Emeritus James Pepper, whose teaching inspired Erik Giberson. The appointments embody what we were thinking of when we endowed the chair. Daniel Press and Dan Doak promote the kind of teaching and the kinds of skills that will make a difference in California and, with any luck, in the whole country.
Education is a key component in solving environmental problems.