About

Creative, coordinated, interdisciplinary programs are the liberal arts of the future. At Boise State, we have been growing our environmental expertise in conversations with each other for years across disciplines and degrees like biology, public policy, geosciences, sociology, economics and public health just to name a few. We have cultivated a shared vocabulary that has tremendous value—almost as if the “School of the Environment” has been at Boise State for a while.

In the summer of 2022, the Idaho State Board of Education approved the official “School of the Environment” within the College of Arts and Sciences at Boise State. The best part is that we don’t have to move faculty, researchers or students into or out of spaces across campus—we’ve been in conversations and collaborating with each other for years.

SOE is built around existing connections and resources at Boise State. Structurally, the School of the Environment is designed around an innovative organizational structure that nurtures connections in support of teaching, learning and research without having to physically move people or reorganize units. From this idea, we can create interdisciplinary opportunities for teaching, learning, research and service for anyone interested in helping to solve the environmental issues facing us today.

Designing the School

In this video, School of the Environment Design Team members Dr. Alejandro Flores, Dr. Kevin Feris, and Dr. Emily Wakild discuss the School of the Environment in the College of Arts and Sciences, how the school was designed, how the school aligns strategically with Boise State and the College of Arts and Sciences, and what’s next for the school.

Closed captions are available and you can access a descriptive transcript at Video Transcript – The School of Environment at Boise State.