Working Toward Sustainability beyond Smith:
Are Students Ready?
Hanh Chu
EVS 300
May 10, 2007
Project Report
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Abstract
This project sought to evaluate the Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P) program and the
Career Development Office (CDO) for their encouragement and preparation of Smith College
students for environmental careers after graduation. Two areas of the project’s focus were the
ES&P curriculum and the career development services by both the ES&P program and CDO.
The data were collected through a combination of personal correspondence, alumnae databases,
student surveys, and archival research. The study found that more Smith College students
majoring in natural science pursue environmental careers after graduation than those majoring in
social science or humanities. They also feel more encouraged and prepared by Smith College,
particularly certain individuals and the ES&P program, to enter the environmental field. The
study also found that the majority of seniors responding to the surveys want a more applied
ES&P curriculum. Results from the study indicate that the ES&P program can strengthen the
curriculum of the minor to be more applied for natural science, social science, and humanities
majors. The CDO can also help alleviate the burden of the ES&P program and improve its
image by disseminating information about internship and employment opportunities to students.
The project is within the context of preparing students to contribute to sustainability in the
workforce beyond Smith College.
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Introduction
Due to stricter regulations and the fear of class-action lawsuits, the U.S. economy has
been responding to the threats of environmental issues as the effects of their effects take a toll on
our society’s economic and public health. Now, and increasingly so, our society is eagerly
transitioning our dependence on environmentally damaging products and technologies to those
that are ecologically, socially, and economically sound. This results in both the greater number
of environmental jobs and the number of people seeking such jobs. According to the 2006-2007
Career Guide to Industries prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy is
projected to increase the total number of jobs from 145.6 million in 2004 to 164.5 million in
2014 (Department of Labor). Kevin Doyle (4/9/2007), National Director of Program
Development for the Environmental Careers Organization, reports that this overall growth of the
U.S. labor force is translating into more environmental jobs in the new “green” economy,
especially in the areas of – to only name a few – wind power and solar energy and environmental
consulting and engineering (Doyle 4/9/2007).
The growth of the economy and its embrace of environmental concerns also yield great
employment prospects for aspiring professional environmentalists. However, employers screen
potential employees for the most qualified candidate. In comparison to those who hold higher
education degrees or graduated from technical school, recent graduates from liberal arts
institutions may experience more difficulties getting hired due to lack of experience related to
job description (Scheetz and Stein-Roggenbuck 1994). In a Workforce Assessment Project by
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1999, the agency listed 10 competencies for
environmental work (Doyle 6/20/2006). The 10 competencies include communication skills,
collaboration abilities, innovative thinking, critical thinking, broad environmental sciences
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understanding, occupation-specific skills and knowledge, and mastery of information
technology. While the traditional liberal arts education can provide most of the 10 listed
qualities, it usually does not emphasize occupation-specific skills and knowledge, and mastery of
information technology. In a competitive job market, students possessing all 10 qualities would
be most attractive to employers and prepared for environmental work contributing to
sustainability.
Smith College has been heeding the call for a more sustainable society with the
establishment of the Sustainability Committee and the Green Team, the LEED certification of
the new engineering building, the purchase of more locally grown and produced food, and the
purchase of wind energy. All these efforts aim at reducing the ecological footprint of the
college. More importantly, however, how does the college encourage and prepare students to
become active contributors of sustainability outside the classroom walls and the Grécourt gates?
As an educational institution that prides itself in establishing leaders, Smith College has the
obligation to prepare and encourage its students to utilize his/her education in the workforce for
the betterment of society, which is a more sustainable world.
For my project, I seek to evaluate Smith College – particularly the Environmental
Science and Policy (ES&P) program and the Career Development Office (CDO) – on how well
they encourage and prepare current students for environmental careers after graduation. Two
areas of my focus are the ES&P curriculum and the career development services by both ES&P
program and CDO.
Materials & Methods
The data gathering process for my project consists of a combination of personal
correspondence, alumnae databases, student surveys, and archival research. I interviewed
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Joanne Benkley, coordinator of the Environmental Science and Policy Program (ES&P), to better
understand the ES&P curriculum and extra-curricular services. Although the Spatial Analysis
Lab (SAL) is part of the ES&P program, Jon Caris oversees the SAL facility and programs as a
GIS specialist and the coordinator of the SAL. I interviewed Caris for his views on the programs
and GIS courses offered by SAL. For the better understanding of the Career Development
Office (CDO) and its services to students, I interviewed Stacie Hagenbaugh, director of the
CDO. I also interviewed Robert Newton, Professor of Geology at Smith College and a member
of the ES&P Steering Committee, for his view on the ES&P curriculum. Instead of a formal
interview, I personally corresponded with Kevin Doyle at the “Making a Difference While
Making a Living” event on April 13, 2007. The “Making a Difference While Making a
Living”event was an on-campus environmental career development event that I had organized
and for which Doyle was the main speaker. Doyle offered information on employment prospects
for environmentally related careers in the current U.S. economy.
Aside from personal correspondence, I obtained alumnae databases from the ES&P
program and the Smith College Alumnae Association. The alumnae database from the ES&P
program contained information on the graduation year and undergraduate major of all declared
ES&P or Marine Science and Policy minors since 1996. The alumnae database from the
Alumnae Association contained the most recently updated information – as of March 15, 2007 at
least – on all alumnae who graduated from Smith College in 2002, 1997, 1992, 1987, 1982, and
1977. In addition to graduation year, the database contains information on their undergraduate
major, job title, occupation description, employer, and zip code. Of the alumnae who reported
their employment information, I classified each alumna as having an environmental career or
not. I based my classification on the job title, occupation description or employer. I interpreted
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alumnae with environmental career are those whose work activity or whose employer directly or
indirectly address environmental issues.
I also conducted two surveys to explore the influences of Smith students’ interests in
environmental careers and their perceived preparedness level for environmental employment.
One of the surveys targeted Smith College seniors. The other targeted people who attended the
“Making a Difference While Making a Living” event. I used Microsoft Excel and Access to
statistically analyze the survey data.
To examine the growth of the ES&P curriculum at Smith College, I surveyed past course
catalogues for official ES&P courses offered since the 1996-1997 academic. Results of the
course survey were analyzed in Microsoft Excel and Access.
Results
ES&P, CDO, SAL and their services
Through interviews and personal correspondence, I come to understand that the ES&P
program offers both curricular services to Smith College faculty and current students. In terms
of academic, the ES&P program officially oversees the ES&P minor curriculum, the Marine
Science and Policy minor curriculum, the Spatial Analysis program. The program also
establishes partnership with environmentally related study abroad programs to broaden the
environmental education of Smith students. Extra-curricular programs and activities that the
ES&P program organizes include an email listserv offering at least bi-monthly announcements
about environmentally related events and internship and employment opportunities. Other
programs include monthly “lunch-bag” lectures about environmentally-related topics and biannual panel discussion featuring Smith College alumnae in the environmental field.
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While the ES&P program focuses on the specific issues of the environment and
sustainability, the CDO focuses on the general career development services. While they do not
offer career placements, the CDO staff offers workshops on resume and cover letter writing,
interviewing skills, salary negotiations, and the like. The CDO staff does not specialize in any
academic or professional field, except for medical and law schools. The office is starting the
process of keeping a more detailed record of who comes to them for help in order to better serve
the customers’ needs. The CDO is also in the process of collaborating with difference academic
departments to help the specific career needs of their students.
The Spatial Analysis Lab is a computer facility equipment with state-of-the-art GIS
software. The SAL staff assists in teaching GIS to new users in both classroom and workshop
settings. Additionally, the staff maintains the equipment and oversees the smooth operation of
the lab. They also work on projects needing GIS for various offices and departments on campus.
Alumnae data
Of the 2,916 alumnae from the 6 graduation classes, 527 (~18%) did not report any
employment information and 11 (0.4%) did not report an undergraduate major. Of the 2,389
alumnae who did report their employment information, I found 65 alumnae (2.7%) with current
environmental career. I also find the trend that young alumnae tend to have environmental
careers than older alumnae (Table 1).
Table 1. Distribution by class year of alumnae with environmental
careers.
Percentage of all
alumnae within class
Class Percentage of total alumnae with
year
Year
environmental career
2002
30.8%
3.6%
1997
23.1%
2.7%
1992
13.8%
1.7%
1987
9.2%
1.5%
1982
12.3%
1.8%
1977
10.8%
1.6%
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Total
100.0%
12.9%
By looking at the undergraduate major, results show that the common undergraduate majors of
alumnae with environmental career are biology and geology (Table 2). However, alumnae with
a Geology major are most likely to have an environmental career.
Table 2. Distribution by major of alumnae with environmental careers.
Percentage of total
alumnae with
Percentage of total
Popularity
environmental career alumnae per major
Major
Rank
Biology:
5th
24.62%
7.6%
Geology:
18th
20.00%
28.9%
Government:
History:
Math
Economics
English
1st
8th
10th
2nd
3rd
Total
9.23%
6.15%
4.62%
4.62%
4.62%
73.85%
1.8%
3.8%
3.8%
1.0%
1.1%
47.9%
Results from the database of alumnae who have a declared ES&P minor show that the
number of student with an ES&P minor has increased overall since the establishment of the
ES&P program in 1996 (Fig. 1). Slightly more students from the social science departments
have declared an ES&P minor than those from the natural science departments. Within each
division, more Anthropology and Government majors declared an ES&P minor than other
Division II majors while Biology and Geology majors dominated in Division 3 (Figs. 2 and 3).
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ES&P Minors
14
Number of Majors
12
10
Division III
Division II
Division I
Total
8
6
4
2
0
96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
Year
Figure 1. The distribution between 1996 and 2006 of the academic divisions
of Smith College alumnae with declared environmental science and policy
minor. Division I is humanities, Division II is social science, and Division III
is natural science. Figure obtained from the ES&P Program.
Division II
Division III
4
3.5
Number of Majors
American Studies
Anthropology
Economics
Government
Sociology
2
Number of Majors
3
3
1
2.5
Biology
2
Chemistry
Geology
1.5
Psychology
1
0.5
0
0
96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
Year
Year
Figures 2 (left) and 3(right). The distribution between 1996 and 2006 of the major
undergraduate degree of Smith College alumnae with declared environmental science and
policy minor. Figures obtained from the ES&P Program.
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Student data
The survey to Smith College seniors had a response rate of approximately 11%, because
only 67 out of 604 Smith College seniors returned a completed survey (there are a total of 607
seniors). Twenty-one students filled out their survey indicating an interest in pursuing an
environmental career. Table 3 shows that most current Smith College seniors who are interested
in an environmental career are natural science majors (Division III), especially Biology and
Engineering majors. In Division II, Anthropology and American majors seem to be most
interested in having an environmental career. No Government major from the sample population
expressed interest in pursuing an environmental career.
Table 3. Distribution by primary major and secondary major or minor of
seniors who are interested in environmental career.
2nd Major
Divisions Department
Major
or Minor
I
Architecture
0
1
Art
0
1
Art Studio
0
1
German Studies
1
0
Italian Language and Literature
1
0
Landscape studies
0
1
Latin American Studies
1
0
Spanish
0
3
Total
3
7
II
III
Economics
American Studies
Anthropology
Total
1
2
2
5
0
0
0
0
Total
6
1
3
1
2
0
13
0
0
0
4
0
4
8
Biology
Chemistry
Engineering
Environmental Science and Policy
Geology
Marine Science and Policy
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Regarding ES&P courses, approximately 43% and 33% of the 21 aspiring professional
environmentalists have taken 1-3 and 4 or more ES&P courses, respectively. These 21 seniors
overall ranked the ES&P program and certain individuals as the most helpful parties in
encouraging and preparing them for environmental careers. They ranked academic departments
as third most helpful and the CDO as least helpful.
The seniors also weighed the issues of having an ES&P major and a more applied ES&P
curriculum. Survey results reveal that 52% believed that an ES&P major would help prepare
them for environmental employment. Eighty-one percent believed that the ES&P curriculum
should be more applied.
The survey targeting students who attended the “Making a Difference While Making a Living”
event had 31 responses. Thirty percent of those who filled out the survey were seniors. Another
35% were sophomores. Juniors comprised of 13%, and first years comprised of 19%. Figure 4
shows that, except for first years, the confidence level in Smith College for preparing students
for environmental career decreased as students approach graduation. When examining academic
divisions, the survey results indicate that more Division III majors than Division I and II majors
feel prepared by Smith to have an environmental career after graduation (Fig. 5).
Preparedness
Percentage
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2007
2008
2009
Class
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2010
Preparedness
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1
2
3
Academ ic Division
Figures 4 (top) and 5 (bottom). Distribution by graduation class (top) and academic division
(bottom) of students who attended the “Making a Difference While Making a Living” event and
responded that Smith College has encouraged and prepared them for an environmental career.
ES&P Curriculum
The archival search of official ES&P courses offered since 1996 provided the yearly
growth of the ES&P program since 1996. Figure 6 shows that the total number of official
courses continues to increase, especially for courses in Division III. Anthropology courses and
Government courses of Division II comprised most of the environmental policy courses for the
ES&P minor (Fig. 7). Within Division III, Geology and Engineering courses have experienced
the most growth in the ES&P program (Fig. 8).
40
Number of Courses
35
30
25
Division 3
20
Division 2
15
Division 1
10
5
19
96
19 199
97 7
19 199
98 8
19 199
99 9
-2
20 00
00 0
20 200
01 1
20 200
02 2
-2
20 00
03 3
20 200
04 4
20 200
05 5
20 200
06 6
-2
00
7
0
Academic Year
Figure 6. Distribution of official ES&P courses by academic division
over the year since the establishment of the ES&P program in 1996.
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Division II
Number of Courses
7
6
ECO
5
PPL
4
ANT
3
GOV
2
HST
1
SOC
19
96
-1
19 997
97
-1
19 998
98
-1
19 999
99
-2
20 000
00
-2
20 001
01
-2
20 002
02
-2
20 003
03
-2
20 004
04
-2
20 005
05
-2
20 006
06
-2
00
7
0
Academic Year
Division III
Number of Courses
12
10
CHM
8
BIO
6
GEO
4
EGR
2
19
96
-1
19 997
97
-1
19 998
98
-1
19 999
99
-2
20 000
00
-2
20 001
01
-2
20 002
02
-2
20 003
03
-2
20 004
04
-2
20 005
05
-2
20 006
06
-2
00
7
0
Academic Year
Figures 7 (top) and 8 (bottom). Distribution of official ES&P course within Division
II (top) and III (bottom) since the establishment of the ES&P program in 1996.
ECO = Economics; PPL = Public Policy; ANT = Anthropology; GOV = Government;
HST = History; SOC = Sociology; CHM = Chemistry; BIO = Biology; GEO =
Geology; EGR = Engineering.
Discussion
The profile of Smith College alumnae with current environmental career matches that of
current students. Analyses of both the alumnae database and student surveys indicate that past
and present Smith students who have an interest in pursuing an environmental career tend to be
natural science majors, particularly in Biology and Geology. This finding may be matter of fact
since both disciplines address fundamental issues pertaining to the physical and biotic earth.
However, since 1996, slightly more social science than natural science majors have declared a
ES&P minor. Where, then, are all the social science majors with environmental careers?
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With 50% of Division I majors and 55% of Division II majors feeling that Smith College
does not adequately encourage and prepare them for environmental careers, perhaps the social
science curriculum has not been applied enough to prepare them with marketable skills in the job
market. The students may have critical thinking skill, one of the competencies identified by the
EPA, but they may not have gotten the chance to apply their skill outside of the classroom. An
applied curriculum would allow the use of such skill set in real life situations. The
overwhelmingly majority of students surveyed wanted a more applied ES&P curriculum. We
can still maintain the liberal arts education while offering students more experience in solving
real life environmental problems. Robert Newton suggests developing summer or J-terms
courses where students from all majors collaborate with fellow students and faculty to address a
real-life environmental issue or problem. In such a model, each individual works separately to
tackle each facet of the problem based on the knowledge they had gained from their major
studies. After specializing within majors, individuals convene as a team to exchange knowledge
and techniques. Not only will students gain valuable, practical experience solving real problems,
they also have the rare opportunities to collaborative with faculty members. The collaborative
work, after all, is another one of the 10 competencies.
Another aspect of an applied curriculum is technological literacy, especially about Global
Information System (GIS). Knowledge and experience with using GIS is much valued by
employers in the environmental field (Environmental Careers Organization, 2005). The ES&P
program currently offers an introductory course on GIS once each academic year. The course
has been very popular among students from diverse majors. The prospect of have higher course
levels in GIS is slim given the small size of the SAL staff. Expansion of the SAL staff is much
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needed in order to accommodate the large interest in GIS and provide students the resources for a
more applied curriculum.
The applied ES&P curriculum would benefit both social and natural science majors, and
could replace the need for an ES&P major. Although approximately half of the surveyed people
believe that having an ES&P major would prepare them for environmental employment, some
Smith College faculty, members of the ES&P steering committee and even Kevin Doyle disagree
on its effectiveness. While the major could give students a more holistic view of the
environmental issues, it does not provide students with a set of practical skills that is more
possible with a specialized and applied curriculum.
In addition to having a more applied curriculum, the preparation of students for
environmental careers should also assisted by having better access to employment information
and extra-curricular activities regarding environmental career development. A closer
collaboration between the CDO and the ES&P program should exist to provide internship and
employment opportunities to students. The majority of students who responded to the survey
ranked the CDO as the least helpful party in environmental career development. Although
ES&P program was ranked as the top two most helpful, the small staff size can only do so much
to help the career development needs of the students. The ES&P program currently consists of a
director, a program coordinator, and one student assistant. The program can need the help of
CDO to organize and disseminate information on internship and employment opportunities to
students. Because emails sent from the CDO reach all students, advertisements through the CDO
will reach more students than the approximately 300 student currently on the ES&P listserv.
Additionally, the CDO can organize workshops addressing specific concerns relating to various
environmental career tracts.
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With the current U.S. economy responding to the need for environmental considerations,
jobs in the environmental field are projected to increase significantly. Environmental issues are
awaiting us to find creative solutions and address them. With a liberal arts education, however,
Smith College students may difficulties competing with graduates of technical schools or
graduate schools for jobs in the environmental field. As David Orr wrote in his book, Earth in
Mind, “the liberal arts have come to mean an education largely divorced from practical
competence” (2004:109). However, when the ES&P curriculum becomes more applied and
students have more access to information on employment and career development in the
environmental field, more graduating Smith College students may enter the workforce more
prepared to address environmental issues.
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References
“2006-2007 Career Guide to Industries.” Bulletin 2601. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S.
Department of Labor.
Benkeley, Joanne. Personal interview. April 20, 2007.
Caris, Jonathan. Personal interview. April 18, 2007.
Doyle, Kevin. April 9, 2007. “Remaking a Living: Growing the Green Economy.” Gristmill
column. Grist Magazine. <http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/4/9/142055/1776>
Accessed April 14, 2007.
_____ June 20, 2006. “Remaking a Living: Defining the Environmental Workforce.” Gristmill
column. Grist Magazine. <http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/6/14/15361/8173>
Accessed April 18, 2007.
Hagenbaugh, Stacie. Personal Interview. April 30, 2007.
Orr, David. 2004. Earth in Mind: on Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect.
Washington: Island Press.
Scheetz, L. Patrick and Susan Stein-Roggenbuck. Jan/Feb94. “Wanted: Critical thinkers,
effective communicators.” Black Collegian. Vol. 24. 3:119-121.
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