Center for the Environment

Empowering the Next Generation of Change Agents

The creation of a new Center for the Environment will enable all our students—through education, advocacy, and action—to develop the skills necessary to be agents of the change in their communities and around the world. Regardless of their academic major, students will work closely with faculty, staff, and alumni who bring expertise on issues like climate change, energy, conservation, sustainability, environmental justice, and outdoor leadership.

President Morris, wearing a scarlet jacket, stands with a group of students in the woods and listens to their experience living off-the-grid.

LIBERAL ARTS IN ACTION

Our Center for the Environment expands on decades of research, teaching, and experiential opportunities for students, and spans the globe—from our beautiful 1,000-acre green campus in the heart of the North Country to our living/learning compound in Nairobi, Kenya. Your support will empower us to build on our existing programs, including more than 70 courses that meet the environmental
literacy requirement and several signature experiential learning programs, like:

  • The Adirondack Semester - Students live off the grid in a remote yurt village, forage food, cook meals, enjoy the wilderness, and take classes like nature writing and environmental ethics.
  • The Outdoor Program - This program educates students in outdoor leadership and skills, instills in them an environmental ethic, and empowers them through outdoor and wilderness exploration.
  • Kenya Semester Program - Students learn about the culture, environment, and development of East Africa while living and studying on the University’s compound in the suburbs of Nairobi, through home stays with local families and internships.

Learn More about the Center for the Environment


Gifts to the Center for the Environment of any amount may be made online. Please select "Sustainability Initiatives" as the area of support. 

Make a Gift

Investments With Impact

More than $4 million has already been raised to support new initiatives to add to a robust slate of environmental programs and activities at St. Lawrence. This includes the $1.5 million endowment of the Dick ’64 and Gail Stradling Executive Director of the Center for the Environment position. Your investment in the St. Lawrence University Center for the Environment will help support the following strategic goals for the program:

Two people stand in a field and examine a specimen they have captured with large net.

EMPOWER STUDENTS

Environmental Scholars Program
$150,000 gift minimum, many needed 

Fund scholarships for qualified first-year students with special opportunities, including a pre-orientation trip and First-Year Program courses with environmental themes.

Green Innovation Grants
$150,000 total funding needed

Provide funding to undergraduate students who create projects that improve energy use, reduce waste, and increase recycling/composting on campus, and otherwise contribute to improving our campus environment and lower our environmental impact.

Green Internship Fellowships
$150,000 gift minimum, many needed

Support stipends for students engaging in unpaid or underpaid professional opportunities within the environmental sector.

Environmental Fellows Program
$100,000 gift minimum, many needed

Back the development and launch of co-curricular, skills-based, and leadership opportunities students may pursue to achieve an Environmental Distinction.

Student Programming Fund
$100,000 gift minimum, many needed

Provide financial support for student-initiated, on-campus environmental programs.

A professor holds up a piece of paper in explanation to a group of students in a yurt.

CREATE INFRASTRUCTURE

Food and Farming Sustainability Program
$100,000 gift minimum, many needed

Fund the expansion of University sustainability initiatives like a campus garden, collaborations with local farmers, a commercial kitchen for student-use, etc.

Living Lab Improvements
$100,000 total funding needed

Provide funds to complete University Greenhouse project, and make improvements to Adirondack yurts and kitchen.

Environmental Theme Houses
$100,000 gift minimum, many needed

Support capital improvements for the Greenhouse, Outing Club, etc.

A person in a graduation cap and gown stands at a wooden podium, speaking into a microphone. The individual, who appears to be a faculty member or guest speaker, has white hair and wears glasses. In the background, colorful flags representing various countries or institutions are slightly blurred, creating a vibrant backdrop for the scene. The speaker's expression is focused and engaging, emphasizing the importance of the occasion.

RAISE OUR PROFILE

Environmental Excellence Awards Program
$500,000 total funding needed

Create a fund to attract renowned environmental leaders and experts to campus to speak and accept awards for their achievements, including a substantial monetary gift.

To learn more about supporting our Center for the Environment, contact universityadvancement@stlawu.edu

Gifts to the Center for the Environment of any amount may be made online. Please select "Sustainability Initiatives" as the area of support. 

Make a Gift