College and University Environmental Programs as a Policy Problem (Part 1): Integrating Knowledge, Education, and Action for a Better World?

The environmental sciences/studies movement, with more than 1000 programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, is unified by a common interest—ameliorating environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. Unfortunately, environmental programs have stru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management (New York) 2011-05, Vol.47 (5), p.701-715
Main Authors: Clark, Susan G., Rutherford, Murray B., Auer, Matthew R., Cherney, David N., Wallace, Richard L., Mattson, David J., Clark, Douglas A., Foote, Lee, Krogman, Naomi, Wilshusen, Peter, Steelman, Toddi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Colleges & universities
Curricula
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Ecology - education
Ecology - trends
Education
Environment
Environmental education
Environmental impact
Environmental Management
Environmental science
Environmental studies
Forestry Management
Higher education
Humans
Interdisciplinary aspects
Interdisciplinary Studies
Knowledge
Leadership
Nature Conservation
Problem solving
Students
Sustainability
Trends
Universities
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
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Summary:The environmental sciences/studies movement, with more than 1000 programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, is unified by a common interest—ameliorating environmental problems through empirical enquiry and analytic judgment. Unfortunately, environmental programs have struggled in their efforts to integrate knowledge across disciplines and educate students to become sound problem solvers and leaders. We examine the environmental program movement as a policy problem, looking at overall goals, mapping trends in relation to those goals, identifying the underlying factors contributing to trends, and projecting the future. We argue that despite its shared common interest, the environmental program movement is disparate and fragmented by goal ambiguity, positivistic disciplinary approaches, and poorly rationalized curricula, pedagogies, and educational philosophies. We discuss these challenges and the nature of the changes that are needed in order to overcome them. In a subsequent article (Part 2) we propose specific strategies for improvement.
ISSN:0364-152X
1432-1009
DOI:10.1007/s00267-011-9619-2