Mellon Foundation Gives $254,000 to Support Environmental Studies at Wooster
Mellon Foundation Gives $254,000 to Support Environmental Studies at Wooster
Three-year grant will help new program chart path for long-term development
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John Hopkins
330-263-2082
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WOOSTER, Ohio, Sept. 7, 2010 - The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation has awarded a three-year, $254,000 grant to The College of Wooster
to support further development of its new environmental studies program.
The grant will provide two years of funding for a full-time
faculty position in environmental studies, which will be funded subsequently by
the college. It will allow the program to bring visiting scholars to campus
each year, support development of new courses and instructional resources, and
underwrite travel for faculty members engaged in environmentally focused
research. During its first year, the grant will also fund a planning retreat in
which the environmental studies faculty will develop a five-year plan and
design an administrative structure for the program.
“Not only will this grant allow the environmental studies
program to thrive and grow, it will also develop our existing strengths in a
way that reflects college priorities,” said Susan Clayton, professor of
psychology and chair of environmental studies. “Bringing in outside speakers
and enabling Wooster faculty to travel will promote a program that takes a
global, multidisciplinary perspective on environmental issues, exposes students
to a wide range of professional activity, and combines learning inside and
outside the classroom.”
Wooster’s environmental studies program was launched in 2008
and draws on the expertise and involvement of 11 academic departments and 17
individual faculty members. The college offers an interdisciplinary minor in
environmental studies.
The College of Wooster is an independent liberal arts
college, nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes
mentored, independent research. Each Wooster senior works one-on-one with a
faculty adviser to create an original research project, written work,
performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately
2,000 students.