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Derek Larson
Assistant Professor of History and Environmental Studies Program Director
Growing up in Oregon, with easy access to the mountains and the ocean, Derek Larson has always had a great appreciation for the environment. "My family was very outdoor oriented and very political. As a result, I was always conscious of environmental politics and the need to protect resources like wilderness."
With this lifelong commitment to the environment, it is most fitting then, that Larson is the director of the environmental studies program at CSB/SJU, where the tradition of stewardship can be traced back to the founding of the Benedictine order.
"The desks, doors and bookcases [at CSB/SJU] are still made from our wood, by our monks," Larson explains. "People who come here quickly absorb the sense of place, understanding how much the physical setting means to the community, and the fact that much of our built environment comes literally from the place, makes the connection even more meaningful."
This Benedictine-style stewardship, joined with environmental education and a remarkable natural learning laboratory—form one of the most effective and innovative environmental studies programs in the country. And now, students have the opportunity to further expand their interests and involvement with the environment through the environmental studies major.
Larson describes the major as being "balanced between the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, while also including experiential components (required internships, the Learning Community, lots of service learning outdoors, etc.) that push students to apply what they learn in the classroom in the real world."
"The major is designed to broadly equip students with the ability to talk to scientists, policy makers and ordinary citizens about environmental issues and to understand the wide variety of factors that shape human interactions with the environment."
Derek Larson has been at CSB/SJU since 1998, when he was first hired by the history department. In 2001, he was appointed environmental studies program director. He is an environmental historian by training and also broadly trained in environmental studies.
To learn more about environmental programs and stewardship, read "Evergreen!" in the winter 2003 issue of the Saint John's magazine.