Yesterday evening the Committee of Chairs voted unanimously to approve the creation of an Environmental Studies major, and discussed the increasing number of Dartmouth applicants who are interested in the sciences.
The committee, comprised of the College's departmental chairs, debated a proposal prepared by the Environmental Studies Department regarding the feasibility of an Environmental Studies major. Currently there is no major in Environmental Studies.
Included in the proposal was a provision to advise interested students that the major's requirements would not necessarily be sufficient to prepare them for further study.
James Hornig, a professor of chemistry and environmental studies, spoke in support of the proposal. He said yesterday was a fitting day to approve the proposal because it was Earth Day.
The committee also discussed the fact that there are four different environmentally oriented majors at the college, two in the Earth Sciences department, one in the biology department, and the new Environmental Studies major.
After unanimously voting to approve the proposal, the committee discussed the apparent decrease in incoming students interested in the humanities and the accompanying increase in those interested in science.
English Professor Donald Pease suggested the admissions office change the admissions process to encourage equity in the admission of students interested in the sciences and in the humanities.
Pease called for "some initiation by the admissions office to establish a correction," in the disparity.
According to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenberg, the admissions office pays "little attention to [students' proposed] choice of major" during the admissions process.
Furstenberg also summarized the admissions results this year for the committee, noting the College received about 11,400 applications, about 1,400 more than last year.
These numbers suggest that "the message about Dartmouth is out there," Furstenberg said.
Furstenberg also said that this year's group of 2,200 admitted students was academically the strongest group ever accepted to Dartmouth.
