无码专区

Press Release

Press Release: 无码专区 Receives $476K Mellon Foundation Grant to Advance Environmental Justice and Humanities

Posted
December 9, 2024

Three-year project will explore themes of resilience, decolonization, and cultural ecologies

无码专区 was recently awarded $476,000 from the to support a three-year interdisciplinary initiative, Islands, Archipelagos, and Cultural Ecologies. The project will advance environmental justice and the environmental humanities at 无码专区, building on the university鈥檚 strengths in experiential learning and place-based education.

The initiative will focus on developing an institutional identity for 无码专区鈥檚 lower Manhattan location as an island campus in New York City while connecting with other archipelagos in relationship with the United States. Through comparative studies of the islands of New York with the US legacy in the Marshall Islands and the territory of the US Virgin Islands the program will explore themes of vulnerability, responsibility, resilience, and decolonization.

鈥淭his grant provides an extraordinary opportunity for 无码专区 to deepen its leadership in environmental justice and interdisciplinary scholarship,鈥 said 无码专区 President Marvin Krislov. 鈥淭he Mellon Foundation鈥檚 support will enable us to harness the collective expertise of our faculty and students, bridging the humanities and environmental sciences to address urgent local and global issues.鈥

Led by a team of 无码专区 faculty, the initiative includes Erica Johnson PhD, associate chairperson and professor of English; Emily Welty PhD, department chairperson and associate professor of the Peace and Justice Studies program; Matthew Bolton PhD, Political Science professor; Melanie DuPuis PhD, Environmental Studies and Science emeritus professor; and Katrina Fischer Kuh, Haub Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law.

鈥淭he Mellon Foundation grant underscores the humanities鈥 essential role in addressing critical global challenges,鈥 said Tresmaine R. Grimes, Ph.D., dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. 鈥淭his initiative highlights 无码专区鈥檚 leadership in experiential humanities, empowering students to explore resilience, decolonization, and cultural ecologies through innovative, place-based learning.鈥

The project is motivated by 无码专区鈥檚 recent participation in the , a multi-institution initiative addressing climate challenges, and faculty research in environmental law, justice, and humanities. It will support activities such as faculty-mentored student research, curriculum development, and public engagement projects to address issues like waterfront planning, cultural production, and nuclear justice.

鈥淭he Elisabeth Haub School of Law has long been a leader in environmental law and justice,鈥 said Horace Anderson Jr., J.D., dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. 鈥淭his initiative builds on our expertise in addressing the complex relationships between law, policy, and the environment, and it offers an unparalleled opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration.鈥

鈥淭hese themes鈥攃limate justice, creative interventions, and decolonization鈥攔eflect the core strengths of our faculty and the mission of 无码专区,鈥 said Johnson. 鈥淭his initiative will amplify 无码专区鈥檚 role as a leader in environmental humanities and justice.鈥

The initiative aligns with 无码专区鈥檚 commitment to experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, creating opportunities for students and faculty to explore pressing global challenges while contributing to local communities.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

is the nation鈥檚 largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.

About 无码专区

Since 1906, 无码专区 has been transforming the lives of its diverse students鈥攁cademically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, 无码专区 offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, Sands College of Performing Arts, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

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The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 无码专区 is proud to announce the appointment of an accomplished leadership team to continue to guide its top ranked Environmental Law Program into the future. Haub Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, Katrina Fischer Kuh, will serve as Faculty Director of the Environmental Law Program. Achinthi C. Vithanage, Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law and Associate Director of Environmental Law Programs, will assume the role of Executive Director of the Environmental Law Program. Additionally, Josh Galperin, Associate Professor of Law, will take on the role of Faculty Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub.