Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.55
Liaison Michelle Larkins
Submission Date Dec. 20, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Pacific University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Michelle Larkins
Director of the CSS
Center for a Sustainable Society
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Majors and Degree Programs

Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for undergraduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
Environmental Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:
The Department of Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary community of active scholars in the arts, humanities and natural and social sciences. We are dedicated to helping students and community members form a broad holistic understanding of the relationships between human and natural systems and give them the skills they need to identify and address the problems that exist within those relationships. This understanding is built on a foundation of valid, contextual knowledge informed by disciplinary study and experiential learning practices. Through faculty guidance and peer interaction, students gain an appreciation for the complexity of relationships between human, social and economic systems and natural ecosystems. Students in our program will learn to creatively apply both quantitative and qualitative methods to the complex environmental and social problems we currently face. Our innovative program produces broadly educated, highly skilled graduates who will become active and responsible citizens in the world community

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Additional Degree Programs (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
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The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
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Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):
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Minors, Concentrations and Certificates

Does the institution offer one or more sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates for undergraduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Environmental Policy

A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
The rapid development of industrial economies has often occurred at the expense of the natural environment. Citizens of rich countries increasingly demand healthy environmental conditions. Governmental authorities, private businesses and non-profits face the challenge of mitigating past damage and creating new modes of production that entail smaller environmental costs. The environmental policy minor seeks to educate students to effectively participate in decisions that affect scarce environmental resources. The consideration of environmental issues requires knowledge drawn from a variety of disciplines spanning the natural and social sciences and the humanities as well. Students with minors in environmental policy will possess basic knowledge of environmental science, economics, politics, history and ethics. In addition to the understanding of environmental issues, students will gain expertise in the practical skills employed by environmental policymakers. Such skills include proficiency in spreadsheet analysis, GIS mapping and lab sciences.

The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:

Additional Minors, Concentrations and Certificates (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused undergraduate minors, concentrations and certificates:
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Optional Fields  

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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