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JGU launches new school focused on environmental studies

IANS, New Delhi | Published : 13th March 2020

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) on Thursday launched its ninth school -- The Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability (JSES).

The first interdisciplinary environmental studies school in an Indian university will be led by the renowned environmentalist, Professor Armin Rosencranz, formerly at Stanford University, as its founding Dean, JGU said.

The establishment of the ninth school of JGU, JSES is a significant step in the context of mitigating the immense challenges that are facing the environment in India and the world.

"The Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability hopes to lead India and the world towards a sustainable future with an innovative and interdisciplinary teaching pedagogy, cutting-edge research and practice-based engagement," C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, said in a statement.

The school aims to develop a strategic plan that builds a sustainable future in these challenging times. Through national and international collaborations, JSES will promote joint teaching and research programmes, and a comparative perspective on environment and sustainability issues, according to the JGU VC.

"There is a need for providing intellectual and academic leadership in the field of environmental studies and that is the institutional goal of JSES," said Professor Raj Kumar.

The world faces an increasing array of environmental challenges that require greater levels of innovation and collaboration among industry, government, academics and communities.

Speaking at the launch conference, Justice Michael D. Wilson, Judge, Supreme Court of Hawaii, USA said, "The establishment of the Jindal School of Environment & Sustainability is a significant step for India and the world. We need India to provide leadership on addressing the challenge of sustainability.

"The issue being faced by judges internationally is climate change. Executive branch has to work in correlation with the judicial branch in order to bring about a significant change. Do the right thing and change will happen," Wilson said.

Citing a study by the Centre for Climate Change at Cambridge, he called for deep and rapid emissions reduction, create new carbon dioxide sinks and re-freeze the North and South Poles.

The Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability will offer B.A .(Hons.) in Environmental and Sustainability Studies.

In the near future, JSES will integrate Study Abroad; Postgraduate (Master of Environmental and Sustainable Development, Master of Environmental Legal Studies, Master of Environmental management/Sciences and policy); Doctoral programme (Doctor of Philosophy in Environment and Sustainability), JGU said.

"A primary goal of the Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability is to offer undergraduate students a concentration in environmental studies with an opportunity to explore how humans interact with the environment, including physical, biological, philosophical, social and legal elements," said Profesor Rosencranz, Dean of the Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability.

"By attracting internationally qualified faculty members and pooling together interdisciplinary scholars under a single school, JSES is positioning itself as a producer of knowledge and shaper of careers in environment and sustainability," Rosencranz said.

Located in Sonipat, Haryana, JGU has been recognised as an "Institution of Eminence" (IoE) by the Indian government.

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