Overview
The PEF Fellows Program is a selective undergraduate fellowship designed to create a community of students committed to serious engagement with economics, public policy, markets, entrepreneurship, and the institutions that shape free and flourishing societies. The program seeks to create an environment where students can ask difficult questions openly, develop confidence in expressing ideas, engage disagreement respectfully, build meaningful academic and professional relationships, and grow intellectually through dialogue and reflection.
At a time when artificial intelligence has made information widely accessible, the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and engage ideas thoughtfully has become even more
important. Through seminars, research, reading groups, policy discussions, mentorship, and networking opportunities, fellows will engage competing ideas, develop independent thinking
skills, and connect academic learning to real-world policy and professional environments.
Program Objectives
- Foster sustained undergraduate engagement with economics, public policy, and the liberal tradition.
- Create an intellectual community where students can engage openly with competing ideas and perspectives without fear of retribution.
- Develop students’ analytical, communication, and leadership skills through active participation in seminars and discussions.
- Expose students to careers in economics, policy analysis, research, law, entrepreneurship, finance, and think tanks.
- Build mentorship relationships between students, faculty, visiting scholars, and professionals.
- Prepare students for graduate study and professional leadership through research, networking, and experiential learning opportunities.
The fellowship creates multiple avenues for students to engage with classical liberal principles through reading groups, seminars, dinner discussions, and undergraduate research. For example, students reading Why Nations Fail may explore how institutions shape longrun economic development and political stability, while discussions around Capitalism and Freedom may help students examine debates surrounding regulation, markets, and individual choice. Educational visits to policy institutions and think tanks will further expose students to how these ideas influence real-world policymaking and public discourse.
The activities are designed to move beyond passive learning by creating a small intellectual community centered on discussion, mentorship, and independent inquiry. Monthly discussions with faculty, invited scholars, university leaders, and policy professionals will expose students to competing perspectives and real-world policy debates. The undergraduate research component, including poster presentations and journal submissions, will further help students develop analytical reasoning, communication skills, and intellectual confidence as they prepare for life after school.
Fellow Responsibilities
Fellows will be expected to:
- Attend Pepperdine Economic Forum seminars, lectures, and discussion events throughout the academic year.
- Participate actively in seminar discussions, question-and-answer sessions, and cohort meetings.
- Complete assigned readings, including books and policy-related materials, and submit short reflection essays that engage critically with the ideas presented.
- Conduct an independent undergraduate research project under faculty mentorship during the academic year.
- Prepare their research for submission to undergraduate journals such as Global Tides and other appropriate undergraduate research outlets.
- Present their research through poster presentations at campus research events and, where possible, at external conferences and undergraduate research forums.
- Engage visiting scholars, policy professionals, and invited speakers during networking opportunities and discussion dinners.
- Assist with event organization, outreach, and the development of an intellectual community within the Pepperdine Economic Forum.
- Participate in mentorship meetings and professional development activities related to graduate school, policy careers, research, and leadership.
How Me Measure Success
Success will be measured by the extent to which Fellows develop and advance independent undergraduate research under faculty mentorship. Key outcomes will include the number of students who develop term papers or other research projects into publication-quality work, submit their research to undergraduate journals such as Global Tides, and present their findings through campus poster presentations or undergraduate research conferences.