The University of Washington Board of Regents today approved the creation of a College of the Environment, a unit with the potential to be one of the nation's largest programs focused on environmental science, policy and management.

Dennis Hartmann, professor and past chair of atmospheric sciences, has been named interim dean of the new college, subject to approval by the regents at their July meeting. Hartmann will help conduct discussions to formulate the new college's mission, configuration and academic programs as well as determine which units want to join the new venture.

"The regents' approval today allows us to continue the intense discussions needed to build the best environmental college in the country," said Provost Phyllis Wise, who presented the proposal to the regents.

The UW's environmental expertise comprises more than 400 faculty members on three campuses and extends across fields of study ranging from the geosciences to natural resources, and from climate dynamics to environmental policy. The UW's environmental expertise spans more fields than Duke, Michigan, Stanford or Yale -- all with existing environmental colleges -- as well as 17 other universities known for their environmental programs.

The ultimate composition of the new college has yet to be determined. If all the units proposed for the college choose to join, the college would have one of the largest groups of environmental scientists and scholars in the country, Wise said. The college would have three times the faculty and four times the external funding of existing colleges such as Duke's Nicholas School of Environmental and Earth Sciences or University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment.

The new college will bring together experts and degree programs that are currently distributed across numerous schools and colleges without overarching coordination. The units will keep their existing degree programs, with the new college providing students a single place to turn for help with their degrees and to find research opportunities concerning the environment, Wise said. It also will give businesses, state agencies, non-governmental groups and others a focal point for environmental information and problem solving.

One new academic unit is proposed that would draw on faculty from the social sciences who are involved with the environment, a unit currently labeled "Environment, Society and Culture."

The UW expects there to be an increased focus on joint appointments between the new college and other, existing units on campus.

The UW also proposes creating a central institute within the college where university researchers can build on the strengths of the core units and collaborate with off-campus experts and groups to promote fundamental advances and formulate real-world solutions for pressing regional, national and international problems, Wise said. The UW will launch the institute in the fall using a gift of $1 million from an anonymous donor.

Concerning the importance of cross-disciplinary work envisioned for the new college, Regent Craig Cole said, "Universities are organized around the world view of the time . . . The issues of the planet don't contain themselves to the convenient silos that we created 50 years ago."

The Web site for the College of the Environment is http://depts.washington.edu/coenv.

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For more information:
Hartmann, (206) 543-7460, dhartm@washington.edu