One of the only environmental journalism majors in the nation offered by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is in a state of moratorium; the program is no longer accepting new majors, according to the 2011-12 catalog published by the college.
The moratorium is an indefinite hold on the program, meaning new majors will not be accepted, but students who have already declared can graduate with an environmental journalism degree.
The program was placed in moratorium because of the resignation of a tenure-track faculty member, a hiring freeze and budget constraints, according to the College.
When Pulitzer Prize-winning professor and The Planet magazine adviser William Dietrich announced that he will be retiring after spring quarter, Huxley College was faced with the difficult and expensive decision of replacing him.
Carolyn Dale, an associate professor in the journalism department and chair of the Student Publications Council, said Rebekah Green, a research associate for the Environmental Studies program, has been named next year’s adviser for The Planet.
Dale said The Student Publications Council has approved its budget of $34,750 for The Planet next year, the same budget it received this year. The budget has been proposed to the Department Related Activities Committee, she said.
Until three weeks ago, Western senior Mason Watt thought he was going to be an environmental journalism major. He said he decided two and half years ago to pursue the degree and had to take a whole new set of prerequisites to get into Huxley College.
“I needed to take one more course to be able to apply to be in Huxley College,” Watt said. “Once I was accepted by Huxley College I would’ve been able to declare as a major.”
“I didn’t have a formal contract with the university,” Watt said. “So they weren’t required by any means to grandfather me in.”
Watt said he plans on proposing his own major to the journalism department that will closely mirror the environmental journalism major.
“When I found out my program was no longer going to be available I was shocked; I was angry,” Watt said. “It definitely changed my emotional state on how I view the university and the university administration.”
This was Watt’s first experience where budget cuts directly affected his academic career.
“It is not the faculty’s fault, it is not even the department’s fault,” Watt said. “This is a statewide problem that has to do with the value that we put on education as state and society.”
The future of the environmental journalism major at Western is undetermined at this time. Huxley College Dean Brad Smith said more information would become available once the budget comes back from the legislature.
This story was edited March 18, 2011.
