AU created the Department of Environmental Science as a separate program from the Department of Biology this year and is working to increase the program's curriculum offerings. The move comes as other schools nationwide have started to strengthen their environmental programs because of increased interest in the green energy field.
The National Wildlife Federation released their Campus Environment 2008 Report Card on Aug. 21, which reviewed 1,068 colleges, AU was not included, and gave them an average grade of C- for the quality of sustainability-related education offered.
However, these weaker environmental studies programs will soon get more federal funding. President Bush signed legislation Aug. 14 that will offer grants to colleges and universities wanting to expand their sustainability programs.
AU's Department of Environmental Science, which offers a degree in environmental studies, is working to increase the awareness of the program on campus, according to Kiho Kim, the department's director.
"We have a very strong science program, and the university administration is very interested in expanding the program," he said. "The clear identification of a major in environmental science is an acknowledgement of the importance of the environment in all aspects of our living. It's an effort by the university to acknowledge broad environmental issues."
Karen Bushaw-Newton, a professor in the department, also touted the strengths of the students in the program.
"Our undergraduates are highly competitive and scholarly," she said. "For the past few years, we have had Morris K. Udall scholars and students inducted into the prestigious honor society, Phi Beta Kappa."
The interest in the program has already grown. Twenty-two students were majoring in environmental studies when Kim took over the program in 2003; 50 students are majoring or minoring in the subject this fall, Kim said.
One of the classes AU added to the expanded program this year was a University College program called "Green Living Community," which Kim said combines residential life and academics. The group of 16 freshmen, who live together in Letts Hall, learn about sustainability in a class taught by Kim and have parallel environment-related programming on the floor. The class will create a composting program as one of their projects.
Kim said he would like to expand the faculty and increase the depth of the program. He said he wants to utilize D.C. resources next semester by bringing in an expert from Conservation International to teach a class on conservation.
Students say they have mixed feelings about the current curriculum in the program, but say they have high hopes for the future of the program.
Julie Munro, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences who is majoring in environmental studies, said she would like to see environmental issues taught in other areas of study.
"I feel that teachers from all different disciplines should incorporate more about the environment because it's a problem that's easily relatable to other fields," she said.
Casey Roe, a senior in CAS and the School of Public Affairs who is an environmental studies and political science double major, said she would like to see an increase in the number of environmental classes offered in the program, particularly with a focus on climate change, sustainability and environmental policy.
Furthermore, she said, "I would also like to see a general education requirement that includes a class in environmental issues to ensure that all students graduating from AU have a basic understanding of environmental issues."
The department is discussing the addition of a doctorate program in environmental sciences, increasing the graduate program and creating research projects for undergraduate and graduate students, Kim said.
Students can currently only receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies, but Kim said the department would like to offer a curriculum that awards a Bachelor of Science degree in the future. He said graduate students get a Master of Science degree in environmental science.
Anna Chapin, a sophomore in CAS who is an environmental studies major, said she would also like AU to offer a Bachelor of Science degree.
"I would really like to see more of a focus on the sciences," she said. "In the post-collegiate world, a B.S. seems to be worth more compared to a B.A. these days."
You can reach this staff writer at rkern@theeagleonline.com.
