Bruce C' Coull

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NCSE and CEDD Post Secondary Environmental
Education in the United States Presented to UK
Committee of Heads of Environmental
Science London, UK 19 March 2004
Bruce C. Coull Dean, School of the
Environment University of South Carolina Phone
803-777-9153 Email bccoull_at_sc.edu
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http//www.ncseonline.org/
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Brief History of NCSE and CEDD 1990 - (as
Committee for a National Institute of the
Environment CNIE) to bring science to
Washington and to increase federal funding for
environment 1998 - Became NCSE, instrumental in
getting legislation passed to double NSF budget.
50 of increase to go to Environmental Science
(approved but still not appropriated) 2000- NCSE
started initial discussions with University
affiliates to establish CEDD 2001 CEDD
established - Communication,
collaboration and conspiracy - 2 meetings/year
- Environmental academic presence in
Washington- lobbying?
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Committees
http//www.ncseonline.org/CEDD/
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Planning Group on Workforce
http//www.ncseonline.org/CEDD/workforce
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What drives eco-job creation?

• Maintenance of the eco-infrastructure
• Compliance with existing laws/regulations
• New laws and regulations
• Citizen concerns
• Consumer desires and business response
• Business need to save money
• Business need to reduce liability/exposure
• Retirements

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Environmental careers in 2002
Federal government 191,000 State
government 185,000 Local government 400,000
Environmental industry 790,000 All
other 125,000 Total 1,691,000
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Federal Government Employment Trends 2003
Agency Full/Part-time Employees
Projection Forest Service 42,653
Some growth Army Corps 34,367
Down National Parks 23,898
Down EPA 18,633 Down Energy
16,067 Some growth NRCS
12,188 Some growth NOAA
11,980 Down BLM 11,688
Some growth USGS 10,170
Down Fish and Wildlife 9,323
Some growth
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n 1061
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Higher Education Environmental programs added per
year
14 programs in 1958 1061 in 2003.
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2003
n 1257
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May 2003
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Taskforce on Curriculum
 Draft agenda for February 1, 2004 CEDD
Curriculum Discussion (includes summary of
Perspectives on Environmental Curricula) Study of
Environmental Deans' and Directors' Perspectives
on Environmental Curricula  (draft report from
initial findings Summer 2003) Benchmarks for
Earth Science, Environmental Studies and
Environmental Sciences Programs (from UK's
Quality Assurance Agency) Core Competencies for
Undergraduates in Environmental Programs (CEDD
Curriculum draft 1.15.03) Island Press Consortium
on Environmental Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education (report of 1999 panel of deans and
professors)
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Analysis of Core Requirements for Undergraduate
Programs (n 60)
From Manning, K. 1999. Consortium on
Environmental Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education Insights from the White Oak Symposium.
Center for Resource Economics/Island Press.
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Environmental Curriculum Perspectives
Will Focht, DirectorEnvironmental Science Grad.
Program CEDD Summer Conference July 16-18, 2003,
Keystone, CO
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Respondent Profile

• Institutional Locations
• Undergrad
• College/University-wide 41
• Within a University College, Division or School
  44
• Within a Department 15
• Grad
• College/University-wide 39
• Within a University College, Division or School
  35
• Within a Department 26

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Program Descriptions

• Career Preparation
• Undergrad 58 grad/prof, 48 govt, 39 NGOs,
  36 consulting, 33 educ, 30 industry, 30 ag,
  18 lab, 15 planning, 15 technical, others lt12
• Grad 69 govt, 56 academia, 55 consulting,
  38 industry, 31 NGOs, 31 research, 16
  technical, 12 ag, 9 grad/prof, others lt 7
• Program Has Own Faculty
• Undergrad Yes 39, No 61
• Grad Yes 62, No 38

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The Span Perspective

• Larger, more mature programs (ES ES)
• Favors breadth over depth
• Favor conflict appreciation
• Favors client involvement as a means to ensure
  breadth and gain support
• Opposed to a common core curriculum, favors
  flexibility and tailoring instead

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The Column Perspective

• Middle-aged and sized undergraduate studies
  programs
• Would like a synthesized meta program but that is
  impracticable
• Prefers flexible, tailored, multiple science
  options
• Opposes a single core curriculum
• Leans against client involvement

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The Monolith Perspective

• Science-based, younger and smaller programs
• Favors strong science depth and a scientific core
• Less interested in breadth, inclusiveness, and
  focus on human contexts
• Does not judge client involvement as important

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Stonehenge Metaphor

• Like Stonehenge, the three perspectives reveal a
  depth-in-science monolithic center, with multiple
  disciplinary-depth columns that are spanned with
  breadth beams along a fuzzy boundary

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CEDD CURRICULUM WORKSHOP SUMMARY
1 February 2004 SKILLS CONSENSUS Analytical,
critical thinking, synthesis, systems thinking,
field and/or lab experiences(s), literature
research DISSENSUS Project Management, conflict
management, computational BIMODAL Communication
(oral and written) DISCIPLINES CONSENSUS
Biology/ecology, economics, geology/earth
sciences, sociology (negative) DISSENSUS
Engineering, history, mathematics, toxicology,
psychology, statistics, physics BIMODAL
Chemistry, policy/law/public administration
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Future
issues for CEDD A common curriculum? -
Probably not do-able (or desirable) Minority
Education - National Science Foundation says Pay
attention Community/Junior Colleges
Environmental education role Tracking of
Graduates Surveys do not work! Good Workforce
estimates
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