Faculty Council Debates Proposal For Environmental Studies Dept.

The Faculty Council yesterday considered a proposed Environmental Science and Public Policy concentration, but decided to discuss it further before making a final decision, said Secretary to the Faculty Council John B. Fox Jr. '59.

Council members spent much of the discussion weighing different proportions of math and social sciences courses that would comprise the concentration's curriculum, Fox said.

Professors also discussed current concentrations that already incorporate environmental sciences. For example, students can study environmental sciences within the Applied Math concentration. Environmental Geoscience is an option for Earth and Planetary Sciences concentrators.

And Engineering concentrators can focus on Environmental Science and Engineering.

One council member suggested scrapping the concentration and instead revamping the applied math program to fit environmental sciences, said Rotch Professor of Atmospheric Science Michael B. McElroy.

"I don't think that's a good idea," said McElroy, who helped to develop the new concentration. McElroy visited the council's meeting yesterday.

Although he said he is "naturally impatient" about the concentration's approval, McElroy called the council's detailed review "a good process."

"This is a process where people are taking a very serious look at a new educational initiative," McElroy said.

McElroy said the council's failure to approve the concentration in one meeting will not thwart his timetable for the proposal. He hopes the full Faculty will approve the concentration by the end of the semester.

In other business, the council considered the committee on ROTC's report, but did not endorse or reject the report's recommendations. The full Faculty will discuss the report at its November 10 meeting.

The council also approved the creation of a standing committee on information technology, whose duties would include overseeing plans for a cross-faculty computer network. The full Faculty will vote on the committee's formation on November 10.

Ira E. Stoll contributed to the reporting of this story.