Missouri State University’s College of Natural and Applied Sciences has recently changed the name of one of its departments. 

The department of geography, geology and planning has a new name: the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability (SEES). This name better connects student interests with the school’s degree offerings. 

About the change 

The SEES Director Dr. Toby Dogwiler shares the motivation behind the name change.  

“Most people know little about what geoscientists do and the new names emphasizes that our students are training for careers related to the environment and sustainability.”.  

The school’s faculty believes this name change better reflects the programs offered. 

One of the school’s goals is to inform and address public issues related to the environment with knowledge from physical and social sciences. 

“The new name reflects how students in this generation understand the things our disciplines have always focused on: the Earth, the environment, and sustainability,” Dogwiler said.  

What does the change affect? 

The change is mainly to the school’s brand.  

“To successfully recruit majors, we must clearly communicate who we are to our students because this generation is very interested in the environment and sustainability,” Dogwiler said. “Our new name communicates that these are the things we focus on.”   

The school’s academic programs will not change.   

The SEES currently offers 18 certificate programs in addition to majors in geography and sustainability, geology, geospatial science and community and regional planning.  The certificate programs include environmental science, globalization and sustainability, environmental education and many others. It also offers seven minors, including sustainability and sustainable tourism development.  

Graduate programs include an MS in geography and geology and certificates focusing on topics like environmental monitoring and sampling.  

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