Another vision is to recognize that the existing university landscape may not be optimal for the definition of new environmental positions, and to hire new faculty in areas that are not defined at all by disciplinary focus. For example, rather than hiring an economist who focuses on environmental economics, a program might hire someone trained in ecological economics. The problem with the approach, of course, is that it may lead to new hires who have no natural champion in any of the departments. The discussions ranged over a variety of topics. The target population for this course is primarily freshmen.
Students respond best to concrete examples followed by theoretical explanations.
Third, we also discussed service learning and internships. Some schools do not give academic credit for service learning because they feel students should do the work as part of their natural obligations as members of the community. Other schools give credit and find that students often continue their service work beyond the course requirements. In service learning, students gain the ability to test what they are learning in the class in a real-world setting. Alumni can be helpful in setting up service learning opportunities as well as internships.