Our Mission
The Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences (ESS) is an interdisciplinary community of scholars -- composed of faculty, staff, and students -- dedicated to understanding the interactions between humans and the natural world. We serve local and global communities by addressing environmental issues through education, research, and leadership. Our program challenges undergraduates to integrate social and natural science approaches with ethics and service to promote a sustainable world. Our mission is to train leaders and citizens, develop new knowledge, and promote inclusive, collaborative problem-solving to sustain humanity and the environment.
Program Goals
- To provide transformative educational opportunities that examine relationships between humans and the natural world.
- To foster critical engagement with environmental issues and potential solutions.
- To promote an inclusive, broadly interdisciplinary community of scholars dedicated to environmental education, research, and leadership.
- To cultivate wisdom and passion to serve the common good.
Student Learning Goals and Objectives
Environmental Studies
- Recognize the relationships that link biophysical and social processes which shape
environmental problems. - Integrate concepts from the biophysical and social sciences to address environmental issues, injustices and advance the common good.
- Critically evaluate environmental issues and propose policy responses.
- Collaborate and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds to examine human-environment relationships.
- Produce and interpret environmental data using the appropriate mixed methods.
Environmental Science
- Apply the scientific method in designing, conducting and evaluating environmental research.
- Apply principles from the life sciences and physical sciences to understand Earth's environment.
- Produce and interpret environmental data using the appropriate methods and statistics.
- Understand how cultural, socio-economic, political, and ethical contexts impact progress toward just environmental solutions.
- Evaluate sources of information for quality, relevance, and fairness.
- Communicate complex environmental issues to diverse audiences.