The School of Arts & Sciences fosters an intellectually vibrant environment through a diverse range of interdisciplinary programs, such as the Environmental Studies program. The Environmental Studies program encourages students to explore complex issues from multiple perspectives, prepares them for a wide array of career paths, and equips them with critical and creative thinking skills.
Giving to the A&S Interdisciplinary Program fund directly impacts the Environmental Studies program and has a profound and immediate impact on student lives. Donations fund research opportunities, travel grants for student presentations at professional conferences, and high-impact programming.
The Environmental Studies Program requires that all majors participate in an experiential learning opportunity before graduating. The most standard ways to satisfy this requirement are to conduct supervised, independent research on an environmental topic with UR faculty (ENVR320, ENVR406, or an approved equivalent course from another department), or participate in an approved environmental internship off-campus and complete ENVR388 during the fall semester.
Each year the Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability, the Environmental Studies Program, and Global Studies Program partner to bring noteworthy speakers and scholars to Richmond to present lectures related to our global environment. All events are free and open to the public.
We are pleased to recognize our 2025 winners for the Christopher L. Stephenson Award for Excellence in Environmental Studies:
Rowan Keller and Laneah Gordon
For goal-oriented students who are dedicated to earning at least a master's degree in environmental studies or forestry, the University of Richmond offers dual degree programs with Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. For the Dual Degree program, students complete three years at Richmond and then two years at Duke; at the end of their fourth year, they receive their undergraduate degree from Richmond and at the end of their fifth year, they receive their master's degree from Duke.
We have cooperative agreements with Duke University’s Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina, and the Marine Biological Laboratory Semester in Environmental Science (MBL SES) program in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Additional opportunities for off-campus research include the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), which connects students with environmental research projects in the natural and social sciences.
David Salisbury, associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, received the Conference of Latin American Geography (CLAG) Enlaces Award in recognition of his success and commitment to improve relationships between geographers and geography departments throughout Latin America.
Melinda A. Yang, assistant professor of biology, Stephanie A. Spera, associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, and Beth Zizzamia, spatial analysis lab GIS operations manager, along with students Flora Yi, '27, and Elliot Delroba, '24, published "The AADR Visualizer: an ArcGIS online visualizer for ancient human DNA from the Allen Ancient DNA Resource" in the Bioinformatic Advances. The AADR Visualizer is the associated tool.
Stephanie Spera, associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, and David Salisbury, associate professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, published “Transboundary Road-Building in the Southwestern Amazon” in the Journal of Latin American Geography.
Carrie Wu was promoted to professor of biology. Her research investigates the mechanisms of adaptive differentiation and speciation and examines how environmental variation influences phenotypic and genetic variation among natural plant populations.
Stephen Nash, a visiting senior research scholar who teaches environmental studies, is quoted.
Geography, sustainability, and environment professor Mary Finley-Brook, an expert on the environmental impact of data centers, is interviewed.
Geography, sustainability, and environment professor Mary Finley-Brook, an expert on the environmental impact of data centers, is interviewed.
Geography, environment, and sustainability professor David Salisbury is quoted.
Mailing address:
Environmental Studies Program
Carole Weinstein International Center, Room 307
211 Richmond Way
University of Richmond, VA 23173
Phone: (804) 484-1473
Fax: (804) 484-1577
Program Coordinator: Todd Lookingbill
Academic Administrative Specialist: Nancy Propst