For the faculty and students involved in Washington University’s Environmental Studies program, the past six months have been confusing. What began with a group environmental studies majors calling for big revisions to the program quickly grew into worry among some undergraduates that administrators would reduce or even eliminate the program. James McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, spoke at a town hall forum in April to reassure students that the major would not be abolished. Later, steps were taken to redesign and modernize environmental studies at Wash. U.

This process has culminated in the decision, announced earlier this month, to split the program into three majors—environmental biology, environmental earth sciences and environmental policy—a move we support. In April, we asked Dean McLeod, among others, to ensure that any changes made be positive, changes that advanced environmental studies and cemented the University’s commitment to an increasingly important area of scholarship. These new majors are a step forward, and will, in the words of program director Tiffany Knight, offer “more depth of study in each home department” and “prepare students for undergraduate research experiences, graduate school and environmental careers.”

We also wrote last spring that the University administration must give weight to student input when determining the program’s future, and we commend Wash. U. for answering our challenge. Though not everyone will be thrilled with the changes, student opinion seems to be on the whole supportive of the recent proposals. Our own analysis finds much to be happy with, including a maintained emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of environmental studies, the exposure that new environmental studies majors will have to the faculty and the unique modes of thinking present in each academic department.

Nevertheless, we are not without concerns, specifically regarding the environmental policy major, which is still in development. Though the major will be based in the political science department, we hope this will not distract from the need for a firm grasp of the fundamental science behind environmental issues such as global climate change. Knight says the major “will be quite rigorous, and I trust my colleagues in political science to create a curriculum that will prepare students to be leaders in this field.” We trust the faculty as well, but we feel compelled to request that students majoring in environmental policy be required to take courses in physics, geology and biology. Strong environmental policy demands strong students of science, students able to understand and analyze the environment from a political perspective while adhering to the fundamentals of good science.

We support the University’s plan for a more up-to-date Environmental Studies program; the modifications are needed to guarantee that Wash. U. students are prepared for an economy increasingly geared toward sustainability and “green” technologies. These moves should help to guarantee that Wash. U. remains a leader in higher education.