Ithaca College has created an official Department of Environmental Studies and Science, a subdivision of the School of Humanities and Sciences that will include the college’s degree programs in both environmental studies and environmental science.

Leslie Lewis, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, said there is a strong momentum for the program from student interest.

This year, almost 100 students are enrolled in one of the two degree programs housed by this new department, and with student interest in the department’s course offerings, enrollment is expected to exceed 120 during the 2009-10 school year.   

Last fall, the environmental studies program received a $500,000 Commit-to-Change grant from the HSBC in the Community (USA) Inc. foundation, a branch of HSBC Bank. Lewis said for the time being, all remaining funding for the new department will be raised through a reallocation of funds that will take place only within the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Lewis said the creation of the department is overdue.

“The faculty involved with the environmental studies program conducted a self-study a couple of years ago that included an external review,” Lewis said. “Really, this move we’re making now is following up on the recommendations that came through that process.”

The college first introduced the environmental studies major, a program that approaches the topics of climate change and environmental issues from a more sociological standpoint, in 1998. The environmental science major, created in 2005, shifts the focus toward a more science-specific curriculum.

Susan Allen-Gil, coordinator of environmental studies, said there will be benefits resulting from the creation of an official department.

“It will allow the college to offer a greater variety of classes to students interested in environmental studies and environmental science,” she said.

Lewis said public response to the announcement of the new department has been positive.   

“There is a widespread interest in environmental issues among the student body here at Ithaca,” Lewis said.

Freshman Jasper Adams, an environmental studies major, said the environmental field will be something to focus on in the future.

“The culture of sustainability will become a necessity,” Adams said. “We can’t keep living with the same energy sources we have today, and we can’t keep treating our natural resources the way we do now.”

 Adams also said the new department will help raise awareness about environmental issues.

“Having an official department gives the subject credibility,” Adams said.