At SNRE, we are committed to contributing both to the protection of the
earth's resources and to the achievement of a sustainable society. By
generating knowledge and developing techniques, skills and policies, we
aim to both help practitioners manage and conserve natural and environmental
resources and meet the full range of human needs on a sustainable basis.
The current rate and scale of environmental change are unprecedented.
There is no fundamental disagreement over this. To find and agree upon
solutions is another matter - it requires people armed with background
knowledge and skills that reach across disciplines. At SNRE we are uniquely
positioned to provide such training, and our undergraduate and graduate
programs underscore the multidisciplinary nature of environmental and
natural resource issues.
We have a long-standing commitment to environmental study and a strong
tradition of research that combines depth with breadth. Our core
areas of study range from forestry, fisheries, and ecological restoration,
to environmental policy, justice, education, behavior and economics. We
have innovative research programs
in global change and the Great Lakes; we are recognized leaders in GIS
and remote sensing, ecosystem management and green business.
We offer a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environment
and both Master's and doctoral degrees in Landscape Architecture. Additionally,
we offer several joint and dual graduate degrees in conjunction with other
Schools and Colleges at the University of Michigan. Through these partnerships
we arm our graduates to better serve as conduits between science and society
- be it through a joint degree program with the Law School, the Business
School or the Center for Russian and East European studies. In addition
to providing a strong science foundation, our programs allow students
to investigate the business, legal, political, and social context within
which environmental problems arise.
Our undergraduate program, the Program
in the Environment, offers a collaborative degree with the College
of Literature, Science and the Arts, integrating SNRE's commitment
to scientific literacy and environmental problem solving with the breadth
of an outstanding liberal arts institution. Students develop analytical
skills and a knowledge base in natural science, social science, and culture
and the environment, before pursuing their area of specialty--whether
that area is environmental law or journalism, natural resource policy,
or behavioral ecology.
If we expect new knowledge to effect change, every researcher has to
be able to explain to their family members and their colleagues and politicians
why what they do is important, and that means translating science into
useful information. Some of these seemingly intractable problems - climate
change, water shortages, invasive species, fisheries collapse, and habitat
fragmentation - are happening simultaneously. To understand how they interact
and then to figure out a path to manage these problems in ways that don't
create new problems or exacerbate old ones requires interdisciplinary
activity. Such activity is a great strength of the School of Natural Resources
and Environment and will be throughout the coming century.
Sincerely,
Rosina M. Bierbaum
Dean
