The possible creation of a school of environmental science was a topic of interest at yesterday's Faculty Senate meeting that saw differing levels of support. According to University President John T. Casteen, III, the University has a donor interested in funding a school or institute of environmental science.
"The donor, I think, is ready whenever we are ready," Casteen said.
According to Casteen, the University is the only school with a distinguished environmental science department that has not moved in the direction of forming a school.
"The environment is too important not to be involved in," University Provost Arthur Garson said.
According to Garson, University leaders currently are uncertain if the endeavor to increase the significance of environmental science at the University will take the form of a separate school or a collaborative institute.
"The model [Garson} is looking at right now is not exactly a school," Casteen said. "It is intended to be multidisciplinary."
According to Faculty Senate Chair Ricardo Padron, the University should be "wary" of creating a new school.
"While it is true that the creation of a new school provides a clean slate upon which innovation might be easier than it would be with existing structures, it also draws upon resources that might have been directed to existing enterprises and often duplicates existing infrastructure of all kinds in the process," Padron said.
He added that creating new schools, rather than focusing on existing academic programs at the core of the University, often constructs "suburbs of strength" while leaving the "city center ... to crumble."
Padron said he supports the idea of creating an institute of environmental science as opposed to a school. An institute allows funding and resources that would be confined if placed within a separate school to be shared across schools and departments and would encourage collaboration throughout the University, Padron said.
"Creating a new school may very well represent yesterday's approach to solving the problems of today," Padron said, adding that he hopes whatever plans the University may have to create a school or institute of environmental science would be revealed clearly to the faculty through early discussion.
"In any case, our experience with the Batten School [of Public Policy] suggests that such pivotal decisions should be made in ways that are as open, inclusive and transparent as possible, perhaps even more so than the process we as an institution and as a Senate followed in the creation of the Batten School itself," Padron said.
Padron added that he feels the administration is attempting to increase the transparency of such processes with the discussion of creating a school or institute of environmental science.
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