Photo Courtesy of Lynn Sleiman ‘24
By Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23
Science & Environment Editor
Earth-loving students of the future will not leave Mount Holyoke College with a degree in geology, geography or environmental studies, but rather earth, environment and sustainability studies. According to Chair of Environmental Studies Tim Farnham, students may join the new major starting in fall 2023.
Increasing course options for students was one motive behind the decision to merge the departments, both by giving students more flexibility in how they complete their major requirements and by creating new courses that span the three disciplines.
“For [environmental science], we’ve always counted a majority of the geology and geography courses for the major,” Farnham explained, adding that a number of students from the geology and geography department also take environmental science classes, such as Political Ecology. Due to the increasing collaboration between the departments, merging was a practical option, Farnham explained. For example, the departments already share a department coordinator, who facilitates intradepartmental communication.
Faculty turnover also played a large role in the decision to merge, with several retirements in the three departments creating an opportunity to re-envision its direction, according to Farnham. There are currently two active ongoing searches for new faculty, one for a position as an environmental justice professor and another for a geoscientist, which have already received hundreds of applications. The earth, environment and sustainability studies department aims to hire five new professors within the next five years. Farnham was enthusiastic about the directions in which new hires could take the department.
“We are hoping they will be young, diverse, dynamic and researching topics that will be cutting edge,” he commented, and further explained that the areas of specialty for future faculty were chosen in response to student interest. Farnham envisioned that these new professors and the courses they teach will be a cause for growth in the department, remarking that those planning the merger are expecting there to be 150 students in the new major.
Student response to the merger has been mixed. Lucy Manlick ’22, a geology and biology double major, is concerned about its implications for the integrity of the individual disciplines.
“The [environmental science] major is huge,” Manlick commented. “By merging both [geology and geography] into [environmental science], they are just going to become overpowered.” Manlick added that having individual majors in the three disciplines is attractive to many students and that the merger may alienate prospective students. “It is sad that we might be losing a chunk of the scientific community,” she said. According to Manlick, the geology and geography departments have “a very historic place in the school,” and that Mount Holyoke’s sciences are unique in their distinction.
These concerns are not new to Farnham, who acknowledged, “that’s the hard part of consolidation … we lose distinction of all three departments.” To reconcile this, Farnham explained that the new major will include enough course offerings and flexibility in requirements that students can still take the majority of their classes in one discipline. Farnham added that faculty will be instrumental in maintaining depth and distinction in the more specific disciplines, saying, “the fact that our first search is for a geoscientist shows our priority in that.” The team working on planning the new department has tried to take student perspectives into account through the use of focus groups and written surveys.
The department aims to release the course catalog for the new department in fall 2023, along with the requirements for the new major. Students who declare their major in environmental, geology or geography before the earth, environment and sustainability major is officially introduced will be able to complete their degree with the preexisting requirements.
As it is still in the planning stages, the creation of the new department is yet to be officially announced, and there are still many opportunities for students to participate in the development of the department. To provide feedback or find more ways to get involved, students should contact the environmental science or geology and geography department chairs.