The modernization of the Environmental Studies program through the creation of three majors—environmental biology, environmental earth sciences and environmental policy—will help Washington University remain a leader in higher education.

Major changes are coming to the environmental studies program at Washington University. The program will be divided into three new majors: environmental biology and environmental earth sciences, which are pending final approval, and environmental social science, which is still in development.

Another major might soon bite the dust. Students, faculty and administrators met last Wednesday in a town hall forum to clear up confusion regarding the fragile future of the environmental studies program. With the departure of three professors in the field, the program’s structure is currently under review.

Dissatisfied with the variety of courses offered in the environmental studies program, a senior majoring in the subject turned in a five-page paper to the dean of Arts & Sciences explaining what Washington University could do to improve the the program. The author, Kady McFadden, expressed three concerns in the report.

As an environmental studies major (social sciences track—got to keep my sanity as the prototypical Wash. U. pre-med), it was always my dream to intern or work for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I had no idea I would get the opportunity right after freshman year. Interning at the EPA this summer, I learned the [...]