2010/2011
PROPOSED MANDATE
FOR
UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
TITLE: Concentration in Environmental and Sustainability Studies for the College of
Professional and Liberal Studies
OBJECTIVE: To introduce a new concentration in Environmental and Sustainability Studies to
better serve the needs of the current and future adult and part-time student population in the
College of Professional and Liberal Studies. This six (6) course concentration would be offered
as an option for students pursuing a B.S. in Professional and Liberal Studies.
REASONS FOR PROPOSED MANDATE:
1.
2.
3.
4.
To increase enrollment in the College of Professional and Liberal Studies.
To meet the needs for an area of study that reflects the prevailing market demand.
To integrate existing courses within various academic areas into a marketable
interdisciplinary concentration.
To raise the profile of the Environmental Science and Studies Programs in CA&S.
RECOMMENDED FOR STUDY BY WHICH BODY?
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Faculty Senate:
Academic Policies and Procedures Committee
Faculty Senate:
Faculty Policies and Procedures Committee
College Council:
College of Arts and Sciences
College Council:
Haub School of Business
Standing Committee on Student Affairs, Full-time Undergraduate
Standing Committee on Student Affairs, Part-time Undergraduate/Graduate
Administrative/Staff Council
Signature:
Jean Smolen and Judy Gallagher
Date: March 3, 2011
Please forward to the Vice President of Academic Affairs who serves as Chair of the University
Council, along with complete documentation to substantiate the need for the proposed mandate.
Mandate to Establish a Concentration in Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Rationale
1.
Career trends indicate job growth and increased interest in environmental areas which
holds the potential for increased enrollment.
2.
To date, there is no university in the Philadelphia region offering an environmental
studies program for the undergraduate adult and part-time population.
3.
There would be a limited need for resource allocation as the majority of courses are
currently being offered in PLS.
4.
The implementation of this concentration in PLS would give greater visibility to the
university’s commitment to environmental and sustainability issues.
Goals and Objectives of the Concentration
Students will (be able to):
•
Understand the natural environment as an integrated system of complex biological,
geological, chemical, and physical interactions and how human activities affect that system.
•
Understand the connections and interdependency of ecology, economics, society,
governmental regulation, and politics in the modern world and the implications of this for
environmental problem solving.
•
Develop skills in addressing moral and social dilemmas implicit to solving environmental
problems.
Review of Similar Programs at Competing and Area Institutions
Programmatic research of other Philadelphia area colleges and universities indicates that an
environmental studies program – major, minor or concentration – is not offered through a
division that serves the adult and part-time student population. Research includes the following
eight (8) institutions: Drexel, Holy Family, LaSalle, Neumann, Penn State, Philadelphia, Temple
and Villanova Universities.
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Requirements for the Concentration at Saint Joseph’s University
Students must take six (6) courses for the Concentration in Environmental and Sustainability
Studies. Courses taken to fulfill requirements of the concentration may also fulfill the GEP or
overlay (Ethics, Globalization/Diversity) requirements.
All students will take (in this sequence):
1. Environmental Science - ENV 101 and
2. Environmental Theory and Ethics Seminar - ENV 102
*These courses are not presently offered through CPLS, but will be offered to satisfy the
requirements of this concentration.
To ensure the interdisciplinary nature of the program, students are required to take four (4)
additional courses from the following three groups (Groups A-C). Courses do not need to be
taken in any particular order, but some courses may require prerequisites. No more than two (2)
courses can be taken from each group.
Group A: Natural Sciences (all courses below are offered in PLS)
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BIO 160 – Heredity and Evolution
– Offered spring and summer
BIO 161 – The Human Organism
– Offered fall and summer
BIO 162 – Plants and Civilization
– Offered summer
CHM 100 – Chemistry for the Consumer
– Offered summer and Intersession
PHY 110 – Physics: Concepts and Applications
– Offered fall, summer and intersession
PHY 111 – The Astronomical Universe
– Offered fall and spring
PHY 205 – Energy: Problems and Promise
– Offered spring
*Some of these courses will be phased out with the implementation of the new GEP. However,
the science requirement for CPLS will continue to be 2 lecture-based courses. CPLS will need to
work with the natural science departments to ensure that enough sections of these courses are
offered for all CPLS students.
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Group B: Economics and Business
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ECN XXX – Environmental Economics (pending departmental approval)
 To be offered annually
MGT 220 – Business, Society & Ethics
 Offered fall and spring
MKT 150 – People, Planet & Profit
 To be offered staring 2012
Group C: Societal
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ENG 443 – Special Topics in Writing-Nature Writing
– Offered in summer and intersession
HAD 110 – Public Health and Epidemiology
– Offered fall and summer
IHS 280 – Global Health Disparities
– Offered spring
POL 327 – Environmental Politics in America
To be offered annually
Eight (8)-week courses will be offered if agreed upon by the departments.
This two-year roll out is proposed based on a model of 8-week courses. Students do not need to
take natural science courses only in the summer as these are also offered during the regular
academic year.
Proposed Roll-out:
Year One
Fall: ENV 101 and Group B or C
Spring: ENV 102 and Group B or C
Summer: Natural Science
Year Two
Fall: ENV 101 and Group B or C
Spring: ENV 102 and Group B or C
Summer: Natural Science
Administration of the Concentration
The administration of this concentration will be accomplished by a director compensated by
CPLS with a yearly stipend of $3,000.
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Evaluation Criteria
In order to evaluate the success of the concentration, careful records will be kept on student
enrollment at various points in the process. We will monitor outcomes such as placement of our
students in jobs or in programs of advanced studies that are related to the concentration. We will
also design an instrument to measure students’ knowledge about environmental and
sustainability issues before and after participating in the concentration.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we maintain that initiating a Concentration in Environmental and Sustainability
Studies will benefit the entire campus community and keep Saint Joseph’s University
competitive with other schools that offer or fail to offer similar programs.
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