History and Background

History

The Program on the Environment (PoE) was established by President Richard L. McCormick in Spring Quarter, 1997, on the basis of the recommendations of the Task Force on Environmental Education (TFEE).

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Environmental Studies and the Minor in Environmental Studies admitted their first students in Autumn Quarter, 1998 and received formal approval from the Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2001. 

As of Winter Quarter 2008, there are 180 majors and 20 minors in Environmental Studies.

In 2000, PoE partnered with the Graduate School to support and promote graduate certificate programs and graduate environmental education. PoE offers two Graduate Certificate programs: Environmental Management (EM) and Interdisciplinary and Policy Dimensions of the Earth Sciences (PDES).

Throughout its short but active history, PoE has held firmly to three operational principles: cultivating collaborative relationships with other units; responding to faculty, student and unit initiatives; and taking proactive steps to further the cause of environmental education. PoE has similarly held firm to one overriding educational principle: environmental education is inherently multidisciplinary and requires the collaborative work of faculty and students who bring diverse perspectives to the task.