Following on the heels of last April’s announcement that the Environmental Studies program would become a full-fledged major, the University is currently awaiting faculty approval of The College of the Environment (COE), which will encompass both an academic track and a think tank—the first in the nation. If approved, the COE will commence next fall.

The academic track, which was passed last year, includes the Environmental Studies Certificate and the recently approved major. The major is unique in the sense that it is a linked major, meaning that students must have a primary major in addition to the Environmental Studies major.

The other component, the think tank, will be the first in the nation. The Environmental Studies Department plans to bring in a variety of experts from different fields nationwide to participate in the think tank. These experts will teach seminar classes for students who have declared the Environmental Studies major or certificate, and they will offer a special colloquium for sophomores and juniors. Senior Environmental Studies majors will have the opportunity to participate in the think tank while working on their capstone projects.

“The COE task force is looking forward to the upcoming presentations to the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) and faculty,” Chernoff said. “The huge step was passing the major last year. The academic spine of what we are proposing has already been approved.”

If approved, the COE will be available to sophomores and juniors beginning next year. The COE, along with other recent initiatives such as trayless meals in Usdan University Center and composting green machines around campus, continues the University’s commitment to making sustainability a vocal point for future growth. Despite the current economic conditions and the endowment’s decline, plans to move forward with the COE remain on track.

“[The COE] is something that we will grow into as we develop funding,” said President Roth. “I think that there’s a lot of donor interest in this field and over time we will be able to develop the resources to start it in an exciting way. I’m very optimistic.”

Fifteen students, including seven of whom are seniors, have already declared Environmental Studies as their major.

“I’ve wanted to be an Environmental Studies major since I was a prefrosh,” said Caitlin McHugh ’10, who is also an English major. “It’s nice to have that official recognition now for all of the classes that I’ve taken over the years.”

For those students looking for postgraduate jobs in the environmental sector, the new major provides them with the official credit on their diploma for classes that they have taken throughout their four years at Wesleyan.

“It’s nice to have the capstone bringing all of these classes together,” said Sara Shor ’10. “Some of my favorite classes I’ve taken have been Environmental Studies classes.”

Many students hope that the COE will bolster the University’s reputation of leadership in environmental issues.

“I think it’s great to put Wesleyan on the map in terms of sustainability instead of trailing behind Middlebury and other schools that get a lot of attention,” said future Environmental Studies major Josh Levine ’12. “I think there’s a snowball effect—when you get the ball rolling on a national issue like sustainability and get that attention, it can really accelerate very quickly.”