The deadline for the Chris and Amy Doran Climate Fellowship is March 25.
Established in 2021 by Pepperdine professor Chris Doran, an alumni, donor and faculty member and his wife, Amy, the Chris and Amy Doran Climate Fellowship provides financial and academic support for students committed to educating the Seaver College community on the impact of anthropogenic climate change.
The fellowship, awarding a $7,500 scholarship to one rising junior or senior each year, was born from the Dorans’ personal experiences with philanthropy, according to the Chris and Amy Doran Climate Fellowship website.
“My wife and I had a close friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, and we started a scholarship in her honor,” Doran said. “After a decade, we wanted to redirect our philanthropic efforts toward something that could make an institutional impact, particularly in climate research.”
Jaydn Lucey, a senior Sustainability minor and founder of the Pepperdine University chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said that the fellowship is a needed investment for the campus.
“I think it’s a great reinvestment in our campus,” Lucey said. “I know many students use it to improve the sustainability of our campus.”
Unlike traditional climate-focused initiatives emphasizing the natural sciences, the fellowship embraces an interdisciplinary approach, Doran said.
“You don’t have to be a biology or physics major to contribute to climate-related work,” Doran said. “We wanted to create space for research on sustainability, food systems, energy consumption, and other aspects of environmental responsibility.”
Ella Vanevery, a first-year Sports Medicine major and Pepperdine nursing program aspirant said she thinks Pepperdine should be doing more to encourage building sustainable habits on campus.
“I feel they could do more things to improve by encouraging more recycling programs and beach cleanups,” Vanevery said.
The fellowship requires applicants to propose an academically rigorous project accessible to a non-specialist audience. Successful applicants must commit to community education and collaboration with faculty mentors. Fellows enroll in research-focused courses, participate in the university’s annual Climate Calling conference, and present their findings to the Seaver College community each spring.
The inaugural fellowship was awarded in 2022 to Mallory Finley, an Economics major and Sustainability minor, who focused on revitalizing Pepperdine’s community garden.
Finley’s research examined how participation in gardening influenced students’ understanding of climate change and food justice.
“Climate change exacerbates every other issue,” Finley said. “My project revolves around revitalizing the community garden from its past use to be used as a place to promote education surrounding gardening practices, food empowerment and food justice.”
Infographic by Alicia Stadler
While the fellowship is helping shape student-led environmental initiatives, Doran said he has concerns about the university’s reluctance to institutionalize climate action.
“Many universities our size use student research to inform sustainability policies, but Pepperdine has been resistant to making data readily available,” Doran said.
Lucey has also said she has frustrations with the University’s lack of transparency.
“The institution doesn’t even recognize climate change as an issue. I think acknowledgment would be a great first step,” Lucey said. “We have a ton of food waste on campus that is supposed to be composted by California law. It’s not.”
The Dorans said they hope to see increased funding and broader engagement from the Seaver College community as the fellowship progresses.
“Our initial funding is reaching full investment, but I’d love to see more resources allocated to support additional fellows,” Doran said. “This is just the beginning of what could be a much larger movement toward institutional sustainability.”
Despite challenges, the fellowship continues to attract students passionate about climate advocacy. Doran encouraged prospective applicants to design feasible projects within an academic year that were impactful beyond their tenure and clearly communicated.
“We all have a responsibility to talk about climate issues and connect the dots for others,” Doran said. “This fellowship is one way to empower students to lead that conversation.”
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Contact Alicia Stadler via email: alicia.stadler@pepperdine.edu
