News from Member SchoolsWe want to hear about exciting developments or innovative programs at member schools that relate to the environment or sustainability. Send submissions to hfuchs@ncseonline.org for inclusion here and in weekly digest of announcements send to the CEDD listserv.
Op-Ed piece from David Schejbal, “When it comes to green jobs, let's debate the right issue”
Click here to read an op-ed piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel written by CEDD member David Schejbal from University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Northern Arizona University’s M.S. in Climate Science and Solutions Approved as Professional Science Master’s Program
July 16, 2010
The Council of Graduate Schools has reviewed and approved the application submitted by Northern Arizona University for its Professional Science Master’s program in Climate Science and Solutions.
The M.S. degree in Climate Science and Solutions is housed in Northern Arizona University’s School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies, within the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences. The program is designed to give students the academic background and the professional skills needed in sectors of the economy dealing with sustainability, climate change mitigation, and carbon markets. This non-thesis 36 credit hour program addresses the science of climate change, and the policy, economics, and technology of climate change mitigation. A key component of the program is an internship that will provide students with professional development through on-site direct experience with a private firm, NGO, or government agency working in climate change mitigation and adaptation.The objectives of this degree are to help students develop:
- An interdisciplinary understanding of climatic change and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
- An appreciation of the scientific basis of climatic change and the strengths and weaknesses of policies, processes, and tools involved in climate change mitigation.
- Practical experience in the development and verification of greenhouse gas inventories and carbon offset projects.
- Professional knowledge of greenhouse gas protocols and the implementation of International Organization for Standardization practices in a professional setting.
- Real-world experience through a summer internship with industry experts.
For more information about the program, contact Dr. Ramona Mellott, Professor and Dean, Graduate College, Northern Arizona University, 928-523-6534 or Ramona.Mellott@nau.edu.
New Master's of Science in Climate Science and Solutions, Northern Arizona University
June 18, 2010
Dear Colleagues,
I’m pleased to announce our new Master’s of Science program in Climate Science and Solutions at Northern Arizona University and would appreciate your help in bringing it to the attention of colleagues and prospective applicants. This interdisciplinary program provides training in addressing the climate challenge by deepening and broadening understanding of climate change science and the regulatory and market contexts for developing climate solutions. A key feature of the program is a summer internship – in private industry, in government, or the non-profit sector – in positions working directly on the climate challenge. An NSF grant provides fellowships for our initial cohort of students, who we expect to draw from undergraduate programs in the natural sciences, business, and engineering as well as from professionals seeking to enhance their skills in the climate solutions industry.
Inquiries are welcome now, with full applications accepted beginning June 10 for the Fall 2010 semester. Further details and application instructions are at http://climatesciencesolutions.nau.edu/.
Thanks for your help in spreading the word and directing top candidates our way.
Sally Evans, C.R.A.
Operations and Contract Manager
Northern Arizona University
Student Interest in Green Degree Surges at UCLA
April 16, 2010 - When UCLA professor Glen MacDonald helped design the environmental science major in 2006, he knew students' growing involvement in sustainability would make the degree appealing, but resigned himself to the assumption that the rigorous requirements would dissuade many undergrads from signing up.
Boy, was he wrong — and delighted to be so. The Environmental Science B.S. degree, offered by the Institute of the Environment (IoE), has become one of UCLA's fastest growing majors.
"I think the growth caught everyone by surprise," said MacDonald, the IoE director and a geography professor.
The major surged from its inaugural 10 students in 2006 to 74 the next year. Now in its fourth year, roughly 230 students major in environmental science. Maybe it's something in the water — sipped from reusable bottles made of recycled content, of course — that has inspired this rapid growth. But MacDonald thinks it's about awareness and job opportunity.
"Students are more environmentally aware. They're hearing about the environment in high school, in the news and from the Sierra Club," he said. "They're seeing that many companies and the government are focused on it. There are career and entrepreneurship opportunities, and the students want to get in on the ground floor."
Formed in 2000, IoE began offering a minor in 2003 to three students. Now, the institute serves hundreds with its popular major, summer courses and a certificate series for grads, which law students and M.B.A.s are fond of piling onto their towering workloads. The new Corporate Partners program is giving students opportunities to work with companies like Disney and Boeing for their senior projects. A student-led, for-credit class connects undergrads to faculty and staff committees seeking environmental expertise. A new GE class gives wary north campus students an enticing peek into the science-heavy major. In another sign of its success, this will be the first year that IoE is big enough to host its own graduation ceremony.
Frankly, said Cully Nordby, IoE's academic director, the growth is so fast it's overwhelming, especially since university resources are getting scarcer. "But we're overwhelmed in a good way," she added. "There's a hunger among the students to understand our planet and find ways to live sustainably."
For full story, see http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/environmental-major-grows-157052.aspx. This week of Earth Day, the story was featured as the primary Spotlight on the UCLA homepage, http://www.ucla.edu/.
Ramapo College Announces Masters in Sustainability Studies, starting Fall 2010
April 2, 1010 - Ramapo College of New Jersey is proud to announce the initiation of its Master's of Arts in Sustainability Studies, commencing Fall 2010. This is an interdisciplinary program, designed to turn students of sustainability into practitioners, with a firm grounding in Sustainability Literacy and Communication, Methods in Sustainability Research, and Sustainability Practice.
More information on the two-year program can be found at http://www.ramapo.edu/masters-sustainability/
Andrew Millington Appointed Dean, School of the Environment, Flinders University in South Australia
March 26, 2010 - Flinders University has boosted South Australia’s environmental expertise and capacity with the appointment of Dr Andrew Millington as Dean of the University’s new School of the Environment. Flinders Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Barber, has announced that Dr Millington - currently Director of Environmental Programs in Geosciences and Professor of Geography at Texas A&M University in the United States - will take up his new role in July.
Professor Barber said attracting Dr Millington to Flinders was not only an excellent academic appointment but also a boost to the State’s environmental knowledge and research capacity.
“Dr Millington will bring great energy and innovative ideas to the role and provide a strong impetus to the contribution that Flinders new School of the Environment will make in both research and teaching in this important area,” he said.
Dr Millington said the creation of a new School of the Environment underscored Flinders commitment to research and teaching in this field and was one of the appealing features of the position. “Flinders University has put a strong focus on the environment in its recently published, five-year Strategic Plan and I look forward to making a contribution towards meeting those goals,” Dr Millington said.
Dr Millington started his academic career in 1978 as a geography lecturer at the University of Sierra Leone with subsequent appointments at University of Reading, University of Leicester and Texas A&M University. He has also consulted for the World Bank, United Nations and the European Union. Dr Millington’s research has focused on the impact of people on vegetation and land use-land cover change, landscape fragmentation and biodiversity. Dr Millington uses remotely sensed images from satellites and aircraft extensively in his research, and developing this technology with the School of Environment will be a major thrust of his research when he takes up the post.
Flinders new School of the Environment brings together staff and resources from the University’s highly respected undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in the areas of environmental sciences, management and health. The School also incorporates the recently established National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training and Airborne Research Australia, a facility based at Parafield Airport that provides unique environmental research and monitoring capability.
For more information, see http://blogs.flinders.edu.au/flinders-news/2010/02/22/flinders-strengthens-environmental-focus/.
Barbara Knuth named Vice Provost, Graduate School Dean at Cornell University
March 22, 2010 - Barbara Knuth, Cornell professor of natural resource policy and management and senior associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), has been named vice provost, effective April 1, and dean of the Cornell Graduate School for a five-year term, beginning July 1, Provost Kent Fuchs announced today.
Knuth will succeed Alison "Sunny" Power as dean of the Graduate School, and in her role as vice provost, she will assume some of the responsibilities held by Deputy Provost David Harris, who will be taking an extended leave of absence from Cornell to work in the administration of President Barack Obama in the Department of Health and Human Services.
"I am delighted that Barbara Knuth has agreed to accept this new role in the central administration and with the Graduate School," Fuchs said. "She has a record of truly outstanding leadership as senior associate dean and previously as department chair. I look forward to working with her and benefiting from her knowledge, insight and considerable experience."
"I am honored to be taking on this dual role in university leadership at such a critical time for setting the future direction of Cornell," said Knuth. "As dean, I look forward to working with the graduate faculty, students and the university leadership to increase the visibility of the Graduate School and ensure Cornell continues to provide an excellent graduate education through our research and professional graduate degree programs and postdoc positions. As vice provost, I welcome the opportunities and challenges working with the provost, president, deans and other university leaders toward positioning our university strategically as we approach our sesquicentennial."
As professor of natural resource policy and management and associate director of the Human Dimensions Research Unit in the Department of Natural Resources, Knuth oversees a research program focusing on human attitudes and behaviors related to the environment, specifically associated with the use and management of natural resources. As senior associate dean in CALS, Knuth oversees and helps facilitate faculty and department programs and planning efforts in half of the college's departments and units focusing on applied social sciences, environmental sciences, and food and nutritional sciences.
Knuth holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech (1986), which recognized her with the Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award in 2007, and an M.En. (1982), B.Phil. (1980) and B.A. (1980) from Miami University. She currently is on the Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies, and has served on numerous scientific panels and advisory boards.
She also has held a variety of leadership and service positions at Cornell, including Faculty in Residence for Balch Hall, speaker of the University Faculty Senate, co-chair of the Campus Planning Committee, and she currently is a member of the Middle States Accreditation Planning and Steering Committee.
For full story, see http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March10/KnuthDean.html.
Colorado State University is Lead Institution of New NSF Project: Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network
March 12, 2010 - Colorado State University is the lead institution of the newly formed Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network funded by $500,000 from the National Science Foundation. The network brings together 15 universities and institutions in the intermountain West to pique the interest of undergraduate students in science, biology, and global sustainability by developing experience-based learning opportunities.
Environmental challenges in the West include the growing impacts of climate change manifesting on a large-scale such as the:
- pine bark beetle outbreak
- increased wildland fire
- long-term drought
- invasive species
All these issues, many of which interact with changes in land use, are impacting communities that depend on natural resources for recreation, jobs and economic stability.
“The issue facing educators today is how can we prepare the next generation of public land stewards with the multidisciplinary skills needed to address impacts of climate change?” said Gillian Bowser, assistant dean in the Warner College of Natural Resources at CSU and lead principal investigator. “The Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network will combine real-world careers and biological education using field experiences to address critical issues for the sustainability and ecological integrity of public lands.”
The broader impacts of this network focus on undergraduate understanding of biological and sustainability concepts and their application to public land management. The network will strive to increase the number of multicultural students in these areas of student in western states by engaging minority-serving institutions and purposeful outreach.
Bowser, along with a co-principal investigator, Mark Brown, director of the Office for Undergraduate Research and Artistry in The Institute for Learning and Teaching, will direct Colorado State’s involvement in designing and implementing the network.
Members of the Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network along with Colorado State are:
- University of Wyoming
- University of Montana
- Utah State University
- University of Arizona
- American Museum of Natural History
- Texas A&M University
- University of Colorado-Boulder
- University of Colorado-Denver
- Student Conservation Association
- National Park Service
- National Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units
- American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Metropolitan State University
This NSF project is supported jointly supported by the Biological Sciences Directorate and the Division of Undergraduate Education.
New Masters in Climate Science and Policy at Bard
February 4, 2010 - The Bard Center for Environmental Policy is offering a new MS Degree in Climate Science and Policy, beginning Fall 2010. This new degree will help to provide the trained workforce critical for businesses, non-profit organizations, and governments at all levels as they face the increasing challenges posed by climate change. We hope to be awarded six very generous NSF fellowships to support students entering this program in the Fall of 2010, 2011, and 2012. These Fellowships will provide 100% tuition support plus a $15,000 stipend for living expenses during the first year of study. We will receive notification of these awards in March.
Program Description
The international community has set a consensus goal of holding global warming to the low end of 2 degrees C above 1990 levels. Meeting this target will require dramatic transformations of energy, forest, agricultural, transportation and urban systems, transformations of unprecedented scale and speed. These initiatives will require a large workforce with comprehensive training in both climate science and policy. Yet, relative to this need, the number of students with an interest in climate solutions who are also receiving rigorous, in-depth graduate level education in climate science is very small.
While retaining the policy strength of our existing Masters in Environmental Policy degree, the new Masters in Climate Science and Policy program has a focus on climate science, specializing in the interactions between climate change, ecosystems and agriculture. This focus addresses the critical need for policy-makers in the areas of offset markets; biofuels; ecosystem services; forest and soil sequestration; agricultural and livestock life-cycle emissions; ecosystem and agricultural adaptation; crop, livestock and human diseases; and crop, livestock and forest management.
Bard College has developed a collaborative partnership with The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. The Cary Institute is one of the world’s premier research institutions focused on applying ecosystem analysis to policy challenges. Cary’s scientists, combined with the strengths of the faculty at Bard CEP, provide students in our new degree program with access to world-class scientific research opportunities, classroom education, and field experiences related to agricultural and ecosystem impacts of climate change. At the same time, building off our existing policy expertise, and on our signature close collaboration between natural and social scientists in curriculum design, students also gain the sophisticated graduate level training in policy solutions demanded by employers.
In the private, non-profit and public sectors, there is fast growing demand for workers with both strong climate science training, and the skills to design and implement policy solutions. The Bard CEP, in partnership with the Cary Institute, offers our new degree program to help close this gap.
FAMU's Larry Robinson Nominated for NOAA Post by President Barack Obama
January 29, 2010 - President Barack Obama announced Friday his intent to nominate Florida A&M University (FAMU) Vice President for Research, Larry Robinson, to serve as Assistant Secretary of Commerce (Conservation and Management), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
The U.S. Senate must confirm Robinson's appointment.
"I am not surprised that he has been tapped for this position," said FAMU President James H. Ammons. "While I am very happy for him, it is going to be a tremendous loss for the university. Dr. Robinson has had an outstanding career and has served as a professor, researcher, vice president for academic affairs and as a vice president for research. I am certain that he will do an outstanding job when confirmed. This nomination brings honor to not only Dr. Robinson and his family, but FAMU as well."
An administrator at FAMU since 1997, Robinson has served in various posts including Director of the NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center (ECSC) headquartered at FAMU since 2001, which is a multi-institutional consortium of predominantly minority-serving institutions which conducts research, education and outreach to improve the scientific basis of coastal resource management. From 1997 to 2003, Dr. Robinson directed FAMU's Environmental Sciences Institute, where he led efforts to establish B.S. and Ph.D. degree programs in 1998 and 1999, respectively. He served as FAMU's Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2003 to 2005. Between 1984 and 1997, Dr. Robinson also served as a research scientist and a group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He was appointed vice president of Research at FAMU in May 2009.
If Robinson is confirmed in the post, he will be seeking a leave of absence to retain his professorship in the FAMU Environmental Sciences Institute.
Robinson attended LeMoyne-Owen College in 1975, graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in chemistry from Memphis State University in 1979, and earned a Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis in 1984.
Rutgers’ Little Yellow Submarine that Could Featured on NBC News
December 10, 2009 - A little yellow submarine from Jersey crossed the sea to make a historic trip. A mini submarine launched by Rutgers University back in April finally crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in Spain last week after an amazing journey. "The bear is in the igloo,” as the college kids who worked on the project would say. The code phrase describes the safe arrival of RU-27, codename “Scarlett Knight,” in Spain. At 04:04 a.m. the data-collecting underwater robot was fished out of the water by the ship “The Investigador."
Scarlett is the first mini sub to make it to Europe -- several others tried but were lost at sea. Since its deployment from Tuckerton, N.J. the unmanned sub spent 221 days in the water and “swam” about 4600 miles. The whole adventure was documented by Rutgers’ Writers House. A trailer for their upcoming documentary can be seen on their Web site. Photos of the journey can be found on the project’s flickr page and on their blog.
For full story and video, see http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Rutgers-University-Submarine-Crossed-the-Atlantic-Ocean-78996507.html
Dickinson and Ithaca Colleges at COP15
December 7, 2009 - Dickinson and Ithaca Colleges are sending delegations of students and faculty to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen. The Dickinson students are part of a course titled 'From Kyoto to Copenhagen' and will be interviewing government and other delegates as part of a team research project. They will be blogging about their observations of the negotiations at http://blogs.dickinson.edu/copenhagen/ and would welcome comments from your students and colleagues. The Ithaca students are part of an International Environmental Policy class and intend to bring voices of the people to the delegates and the press. The Ithaca and Dickinson students have joined up to conduct an online public opinion survey, POPCOP15. Each day of the conference (December 7 through 18) there will be a different yes/no question; results will be tallied and displayed online and at their exhibit booth at the conference. The goal is to get 1 million responses - so please visit the POPCOP15 site at http://www.popcop15.com, vote, and help publicize the poll.
Blog Launch: Climate Inc., Devoted to Business and Climate Change
Friends and colleagues,
I am starting a new blog devoted to the discussion of business and climate change. Climate Inc. aspires to be the resource for discussing the numerous ways that climate change will affect business in the coming decades. It will examine how business is (or is not) responding, the steps business can and should take, and how public policy can support action on climate change. For academics, Climate Inc. should provide a useful resource for classroom use and student research.
Climate Inc. will enhance the mission of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness ( SERC) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, College of Management. SERC’s mission is to foster a transition to a clean, sustainable, and prosperous economy by engaging in collaborations among businesses, universities, and policymakers to promote teaching, research, and service.
Climate Inc. will be strive to be informative, insightful, provocative, witty, analytical, and accessible. It will bring together the views of academics, business managers, policymakers, journalists, professionals, and other thought leaders on climate change. Please contact me if you are interested in contributing a guest post.
Above all, Climate Inc. will pursue a serious exploration of the risks and opportunities created by climate change, corporate response strategies, and how policymakers and NGOs might collaborate with business to advance creative and systemic solutions. Along the journey, we’ll look at a host of topics, including: the growth of carbon markets; renewables and the clean tech sector; low-carbon technology and market strategies; government and public relations; the growth of carbon accounting, finance, and consulting; and implications for workforce training and management education.
I look forward to your participation and engagement - and please feel free to share this with others who might be interested!
Regards,
David
David L. Levy
Professor and Chair
Department of Management and Marketing
University of Massachusetts, Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA
http://www.faculty.umb.edu/david_levy/
Climate Inc. - Business and Climate Change Blog
Rutgers Scholars Call for Public "Energy-Grant University System" in Science
August 7, 2009 - Paul G. Falkowski and CEDD Executive Committee Member-at-large Robert M. Goodman propose the creation of a public “energy-grant university system” devoted to energy education and research in the most recent issue of Science. An excerpt: "The landmark energy bill wending its way through congress this summer seeks to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and supports the development of alternative energies, including solar and wind power. It’s a bill that aims to create both a “green” U.S. economy and a sustainable environment. At this critical juncture, America must take an equally sustainable view toward investing in the brainpower required to confront the world’s complex energy issues."
For the full article, see http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/325/5941/655.pdf
University of Montana Announces New Minor in Climate Change
The University of Montana announces the creation of one of the nation’s first undergraduate degree programs devoted to the challenges and opportunities global climate change presents. The new minor in Climate Change Studies will combine rigorous training in sciences with course work in ethics and policy to offer students a unique, multidisciplinary understanding of climate change. Students will examine the scientific and social dimensions of global climate change, as well as explore potential solutions.
“The climate change topic is rapidly evolving from only an earth science issue to a technological, economic and sociological issue for humanity,” said UM Regents Professor of Ecology Steve Running, who will direct the new program. “We have designed this broad interdisciplinary curriculum to reflect this expansion of focus.”
Students pursuing the minor will take an interdisciplinary introductory course and six credits in each of three areas of study: climate change science; climate change and society; and climate change solutions. The minor draws on the expertise of faculty both at UM’s main campus and the College of Technology in Missoula to teach traditional courses and develop applied learning opportunities that are the cornerstone of the program. It was initiated at the direction of UM Provost Royce Engstrom, with input from 29 faculty members from 18 departments. The new minor will begin fall, 2009.
Information about the Climate Change Studies minor is online at http://www.cfc.umt.edu/CCS/. For more information, call Program Coordinator Nicky Phear at 406-243-6932 or e-mail nicky.phear@umontana.edu.
Sustainability Externships: A service community at Colorado State University and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
February 27, 2009 - How do you combine eagerness to learn, sustainability and National Parks? Colorado State University (CSU) just launched an exciting new partnership with the National Park Service to train incoming college freshman on issues of sustainability through experiential learning at a national park. Visit Green Buy Local! is a new program designed to provide the next generation of stewards with an understanding of the complexity of sustainability issues facing national parks, and the skills to be leaders in the emerging green collar workforce.
The Live Green community was first launched at Colorado State University the fall of 2008. The Live Green community is a residence hall space where students with a common interest are housed together. The community follows the model of a key academic community with associated activities for the students focused around a theme. It quickly became apparent that the space allocated to the students interested in sustainability was too small (the 35 slots filled immediately) and that we needed to incorporate an academic function that tied the community to a service project. We approached Great Sand Dunes National Park with the idea of having students address some of their sustainability issues and Visit Green Buy Local was started.
Visit Green Buy Local focuses on core beliefs: (1) Students learn best through hands-on experience; (2) Our National Parks are threatened by climate change and human induced environmental stresses; (3) Sustainability is a natural resource issue beyond light bulbs and green buildings; (4) Sustainability includes community. To address these core beliefs we developed a series of criteria:
Students would work as a cohort on a problem whose solution was immediate applicable to land management in Colorado
Students would work in teams with graduate students from other universities across the nation for “cross-fertilization” of experiences and values
Park managers would receive a useable product while training future park stewards.
Projects were designed as multi-year with clear steps that could be accomplished by each cohort of students.
Community members and lead scientists would interact directly with students
The resource would speak for itself so the class must take place at the resource.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The first cohort starts their field immersion piece in a couple of weeks but the excitement of the project is reported here:
The staff of the National Park and US Geological Service are committing significant time and resources to spend time with the students and greatly enjoy the interactions.
Several students have already landed summer internships with scientists and park staff.
Community members of the valley are quite excited and will meet with the students in a community forum event at the park itself.
Other parks have already approached the university interested in repeating the model.
LESSONS LEARNED
This generation of students seems very engaged in the opportunity to do service. As a land grant institution, Colorado State is particularly interested in focusing the development green collar workforce on the interaction with community and service to the people of the state. By introducing freshman to service oriented projects on sustainability that fit with the view of the rising green economy, we are providing critical skill sets at the start of the academic career. Visit Green Buy Local! is one example of teaching sustainability through service and community.
View Vodcasts of Thin Ice: An Exploration of the Bering Sea in the Age of Climate Change
February 27, 2009 - Smith College Clark Science Center Director Thomas Litwin forwarded the following announcement regarding an International Polar Year project:
Our Thin Ice vodcasts have just launched on NOVA, and I think the CEDD membership would be interested.
Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/extremeice/, and click "On Thin Ice in the Bering Sea---Watch a short video series on how the melting is affecting Yup'ik Eskimos."
The full-screen, individual vodcasts can be seen on NOVA's You Tube
channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYvj6wvY4Vw&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWVLOeKUGIk&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT5rJtZncGc&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Csznkqvizk&feature=channel_page
Eban Goodstein to Head Bard Center for Environmental Policy
February 2, 2009
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Eban Goodstein, currently Professor of Economics at Lewis & Clark College, has accepted the position of Director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, starting Fall 2009. Many of you know Dr. Goodstein through his work the last couple of years running The National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions (the 2009 event is upcoming on February 5th), or through his undergraduate textbook, Economics and the Environment. Eban will continue to run a national educational initiative on global warming from BCEP
There is still time to apply for admission to our Masters in Environmental Policy program for the fall of 2009. Because of Dr. Goodstein's appointment, we are extending the application deadline until March 15th. If you have students who might be interested in joining Eban in his inaugural year at Bard, please forward this e-mail along to them. For interested students who might not yet have taken the GRE, please urge them to contact Molly Williams, and discuss with her deadline dates for submitting test scores.
Here is what Dr. Goodstein recently wrote to our current applicants:
"Why am I packing up and moving my family to Bard next summer? Because your generation has a profound responsibility to see us all through to a sustainable future. By the time you reach my age (49!) you will bring an end to the fossil fuel era. You will rewire the entire planet with clean energy technologies, redesign every city on earth, re-imagine the global food system, re-invent transportation. In doing all that, you will create tens of millions of jobs, help lift billions of people out of poverty, and stabilize the global climate.
Ready?
I took the job at BCEP because I believe that to prepare for the work ahead, you need the highest quality education and training that my generation can provide. Bard has a unique, integrated curriculum: faculty with expertise in the sciences, politics and economics collaborate closely to deliver a year of intense and demanding graduate courses in environmental policy. We admit a very small class, insuring excellent access both to your professors, and to cutting-edge research. Following your course work, internships provide high-level engagement and hands-on practice. And through the thesis experience, you will leave the program with deep expertise in your field of choice.
Bottom line: BCEP is training leaders for the heroic tasks that face your generation, and I am excited and honored to be a part of that effort."
We are very pleased to welcome Eban Goodstein to the Directorship at the Bard Center for Environmental Policy.
Mara A. Ranville
Interim Director and Assistant Professor
Bard Center for Environmental Policy
Bard College
PO Box 5000 (express mail 30 Campus Rd)
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
Ph: 845-758-7321
Fax: 845-758-7636