Mission, Facts, and Stats
Discovery
Discovery is at the heart of our vision. Spanning the forests to the seas, from the depths of the earth to the edges of the solar system, the College is an unrivaled constellation of environmental research, education, and application. In partnership with industry, government, and non‐profits, we are committed to creating future leaders, steeped in basic science and critical thinking, and focused on developing sustainable solutions to the critical challenges of our time.
Composition
For decades the UW has been recognized as home to one of the strongest constellations of environmental and intellectual talent in the world. In fulfillment of a vision for a bold, resourced, enduring, and effective environmental hub, the UW created a college, the highest level of academic organization with the leadership of a dean. The College of the Environment was designed to foster existing and new collaborations between outstanding faculty, staff, and students who are engaged in the study of:
- the earth’s dynamic land, water, and atmosphere systems;
- the development and application of engineering and technological advances; and
- the impact of policy and human dimensions on the environment and the management of natural resources.
The College is comprised of the following core units:
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences
- Program on the Environment
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
- School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
- School of Oceanography
- Friday Harbor Laboratories
- Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean
- Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium
- Washington Sea Grant Program
In addition to these units, the College is partnering with many university and external organizations in the Pacific Northwest and beyond to meet the needs of our students, our faculty and society.
Education
The College of the Environment combines academic rigor and advanced learning methodologies to provide the best educational programming possible for approximately 1400 undergraduate and graduate students.
The extent to which students routinely work, both individually and on interdisciplinary teams, under the close guidance of faculty and other professionals to address significant real‐world research and application problems are hallmarks of our programs. The integration of both the undergraduate and graduate educational experience into the faculty research and public service functions make the College of the Environment a highly desired place to be for students and faculty alike because of opportunities to learn from and collaborate with some of the most influential leaders in their fields.
Our graduates are highly recruited by industry, government agencies, public/private companies, and educational institutions. In addition, we offer a broad spectrum of general education courses that reach thousands of students every year.
Faculty
The 200 members of the college faculty are some of the most well‐respected and productive within their respective fields and their work ranges from fundamental process studies to the implementation and evaluation of solutions. College of the Environment faculty honors include:
- Six members of the National Academy of Sciences
- Four Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Fifteen Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellow
- 2006 Volvo Environmental Prize
- 2005 Heinz Foundation Award for the Environment
- Five Fulbright Fellowship since 1998
- One National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator in Atmospheric Sciences
- Two Presidential Early Career Awards in Science and Engineering
- Six Washington State Academy of Sciences Members
Financial Highlights
- External public funding exceeded $74 million in FY09.
- Tuition represents $12.4 million or 12.7% of total revenues and state operating appropriations were $13.2 million or 13.4% of total revenues in FY08.
- Instruction & research comprised 89.6% of the total College operating expenses.
- More than $3.0 million was provided to students in scholarships and stipends in FY08.
- Private support in FY09 for all units in the College totaled more than $20M.
