Environmental Studies Remains Strong at 47

In the early 1960’s, Professor of Biology Howard E. Woodin, along with several other faculty members spanning the science departments, developed the idea for what would become the first environmental studies program in the country. By 1965, President Emeritus James Armstrong approved the proposal and the environmental studies (ES) program became the first interdisciplinary program at the College.

From 1965 until 1985, the major did not undergo many changes. Each subject encompassed by the program, including geology, geography, chemistry and biology, among others, was treated almost as its own unit.

From 1985 to 1991 the program underwent its most crucial period of growth. During these years, ES saw an increase in attention from the administration, which resulted in the hiring of new faculty and the training of current faculty with an interest in the program but who had not yet become involved.

According to Professor of Environmental and Biosphere Studies Stephen Trombulak, student interest in the program also grew tremendously during this period. Coinciding with the general rise in environmental awareness that occurred during the late 1960’s and 70’s, he explained that college students across the country began to realize the impact of their decisions on the natural world. By the 1990’s, many of these students were training the next generation of college-bound high schoolers.

By 1985, two decades after the establishment of the ES program, the world of academia was beginning to view environmental studies as less avant-garde and more as a legitimate discipline.

“We haven’t really changed the fundamental structure of the major since ’91,” said Trombulak.

Besides some tweaks to the 14 focuses and cognates, the program has remained largely unchanged since its inception. Dean of Environmental Affairs Nan Jenks-Jay, however, notes that the program is “growing in the direction of global environment with the new hires of [Visting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies] Cat Ashcraft and [Assistant Professor of Political Science] Kemi Fuentes-George.”

Ashcraft teaches courses in environmental studies that focus on tackling global challenges, and Fuentes-George teaches courses in political science, specializing in environmental policy.

Issues facing Middlebury and the larger liberal arts community — such as what it means to be a liberal arts institution in the 21st century and how to serve the needs of students in this day and age — have spurred the program to expand the range of issues addressed under the ES umbrella. Trombulak mentioned environmental justice and sustainable energy as two areas into which the program may expand.

In order to meet rising interest in the environmental field, the College is currently working on an initiative that would establish a summer program in environmental studies. A timeline for instituting such a program has yet to be set in stone, but Trombulak estimates that the launch date will be “sooner rather than later.”

“We are always looking to see what we can do better,” said Trombulak.

He explained that just as the English  and American literatures department does not want to be the only unit on campus that expects students to write properly, the ES program does not want to be the sole venue for discussing and teaching environmental issues.

A biology major specializing in conservation, Jake Nonweiler ’14 said that one of his favorite parts of the ES program is the way that the core classes provide a common foundation for all ES majors, while the various focuses ensure that a wide breadth of subjects are addressed.

“It’s an all-around yet detail-oriented approach to a subject that really makes this program shine,” he said.

Thanks to environmentally-conscious groups including Environmental Council, Sunday Night Group, Solar Decathlon, Campus Sustainability Coordinators, U.S. Green Building Council Student Chapter, Socially Responsible Investment Club and more, involvement in environmental causes has increased on campus. Not all of these campus groups are supervised by ES professors, nor are all of their student leaders environmental studies majors. Many groups draw participants from a wide range of academic backgrounds.

“I actually wasn’t interested in ES until I had already gotten into Middlebury. I left New Jersey and found myself engaging in more environmentally-driven activities,” said Jordan Collins ’15.5. “The ES [program] is so exemplary of a liberal arts education. I get to focus on something like religion or philosophy and take a breadth of classes within the major.”

Trombauk explained that because of the ES program’s wide reach, environmental studies have become a cornerstone of the College’s institutional identity.