University of Washington Plans Largest Environmental College in the World
Earlier this month, the University of Washington released a report detailing plans to create an environmental college that would rival similar colleges at Duke University, Stanford University, Yale University, and Western Washington University, according to an article in The Seattle Times (“UW Plan Merges Forestry School, 5 Others,” May 15, 2008).
"Certainly, higher education in general has a responsibility to tackle challenges that threaten the well-being of the planet," the UW report states. "The UW is strongly positioned to truly advance the contributions of academia to the very concrete problems of the world around us."
UW’s proposed College of the Environment would be the largest such institution in the world, with a $60 million budget, 97 faculty members and 1,135 students. It would merge six of the school’s existing academic disciplines, including those that focus on the oceans, the atmosphere, and forests.
The college will have the ability to grant degrees at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels. And, according to the report, no existing environmental program would come close to the scope of the school.
"The UW is better positioned to meet these [environmental] challenges than any other university in the country or the world."
UW regents are set to discuss plans and vote on the proposal for the new college next month. If approved, the environmental college could open its doors as early as fall 2009.
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