The Department is dedicated to a fostering a welcoming, supportive and collaborative educational environment. We are committed to increasing the diversity of the faculty, staff and student body through focused efforts in recruitment and retention.
The Department of Environmental Sciences condemns the ongoing acts of racism and violence toward black individuals, families and communities across the nation. We support the principles of justice promoted by the Black Lives Matter movement and stand with citizens who are angered, saddened and frustrated by the systemic social injustice ingrained in the fabric of our society.
Disenfranchisement on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age or ability cannot be allowed to continue. We resolve to seek meaningful, long-lasting political, economic, social and environmental equity for all people. And we seek it now.
We are prepared to take action, and have unanimously committed ourselves to the following framework.
The Department has revised its core mission statement in order to ensure that the Department of Environmental Sciences’ guiding principles incorporate inclusiveness, diversity and equity. This mission statement must be rooted in community and professional engagement to address issues of social and environmental justice. This commitment will be shared on course syllabi, social media and embodied in departmental decision-making.
Faculty, staff and student diversity strengthens the Environmental Sciences program and deepens the college experience for everyone. It is important that we welcome students, faculty and staff of any race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, beliefs, value and ideals. Exposure to different perspectives helps us all become better citizens and build a more just, inclusive and equitable society.
We stand with all marginalized groups who have suffered greatly from environmental and social injustices.
In fall 2020, the Department of Environmental Sciences committed to offering a 3 credit-hour course on social justice from an environmental perspective. The course examines the psychological, social and historical underpinnings and consequences of contemporary racism. Current and historical case studies are used to evaluate the social framework of racial bigotry and the tools by which it is enforced, particularly within environmental contexts.
The course relies on discussions with leaders and activists in the field of environmental justice. Discussions will culminate in local assessment of needs and analysis of barriers to addressing those needs. Emphasis will be placed on developing workable solutions in conjunction with the community to address discussed needs. The course meets requirements for upper-level elective coursework in both the BS and BA Environmental Science degrees.
All students in the Environmental Sciences programs are required to engage in applied learning. Beginning in fall 2020, the Department began offering a recurring opportunity for students to engage in applied learning experiences specifically addressing environmental justice.
A variety of opportunities have been created for students to fulfill their applied learning requirement while participating in environmental justice-oriented community engagement by partnering with relevant organizations.
The course will appear as a named course on academic transcripts, so students will be recognized as having participated in an environmental justice applied learning experience. This opportunity bolsters the ongoing applied learning experiences of many Environmental Sciences students who work in capacities that reach underserved and underrepresented groups in many diverse environmental contexts and locations.
We have requested approval for the creation of a new tenure-track faculty position within the Department of Environmental Sciences specifically targeting issues of environmental justice. UNCW stands to position itself as a leader in increasing diversity and finding creative solutions to address inequity by taking action. The field of environmental justice is the perfect venue for undertaking that effort. The faculty of the Department of Environmental Sciences have unanimously agreed that committing to such a hire would address our strategic, long-term plans for growth.
The new faculty member’s leadership efforts will complement and expand the ongoing efforts of the Department in addressing issues of environmental justice. There is no better department to incorporate this position and make use of the new faculty member in ensuring that UNCW is an institution ready, able and willing to move forward in commitments to social justice and diversity. This includes teaching, scholarship and community engagement.
The Department of Environmental Sciences will seek feedback from our students in effort to deepen our understanding of equity and diversity issues among our student body. To that end, the Department has formed a committee comprised of the Undergraduate Curriculum Coordinator, Graduate Curriculum Coordinator and an Environmental Sciences faculty member with experience in mixed method surveys as well as environmental justice research to begin the process.
Although many courses currently offered by the Department integrate issues of contemporary and historical social and/or environmental justice into their content, the faculty have committed themselves to not only seeking opportunities to expand these content areas but also to better align this content between courses.
The faculty have committed themselves to expanding engagement with the community to enhance research, service and funding for areas of social and environmental justice reform. This will complement the ongoing work of faculty in the Environmental Sciences Department that aims to support underrepresented individuals and communities in a variety of social, environmental and educational contexts.
The Department will continue to expand its scope of academic partnerships across campus, including academic units, student organizations and centers focused on addressing social and environmental justice issues.