St. Lawrence University

www.stlawu.edu/

Founded in 1856, St. Lawrence, the oldest coeducational institution of higher learning in New York State and home to one of the oldest environmental studies programs in the country, has championed progressive ideas such as critical thinking, sustainability, and a commitment to equity and inclusion since its founding day.

At St. Lawrence, the university community believes liberal arts education—no matter what you choose to study—holds the key to solving environmental questions that are at the heart of some of today’s greatest shared challenges. That’s why St. Lawrence has launched the new Center for the Environment.

Combining existing programs with innovative new initiatives, the Center for the Environment expands on decades of research, teaching, and experiential opportunities for students, and spans the globe—from its beautiful 1,000-acre green campus in the heart of the North Country to the university’s living/learning compound in Nairobi, Kenya.

Location

Canton, New York

Student/Faculty Ratio

11:1

MAJORS/ AREAS OF STUDY

St. Lawrence University offers 47 majors, 41 minors, and several pre-professional programs.

St. Lawrence has long offered a wide array of environmentally themed courses across the disciplines, outdoor leadership experiences, and unique experiential learning opportunities focused on the North Country region of New York, including the Adirondacks and the St. Lawrence watershed, as well as east Africa (through the Kenya Semester Program or shorter-term summer courses), and the neotropics.

St. Lawrence recently inaugurated the Center for the Environment, which seeks to empower the next generation of leaders to develop the skills necessary—through education, advocacy, and action—to be agents of change in their communities, the region, and the world. The university has an environmental literacy requirement for all students, and there are over 70 courses across the curriculum designed to meet the associated learning goals. Many first-year program offerings focus on topics of sustainability or environmental justice. With the launch of the Center for the Environment in 2024 as a major component of the institution’s strategic framework, it is the university’s goal to provide expanded skills-based, leadership and career-focused opportunities related to the environment, and to further develop and leverage robust connections to alumni and employers in environment-related fields – on and off campus.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

SLU utilizes a semester system (16-week semesters) with Mid-Semester Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break folded into the academic year

NOTABLE ACTIVITIES IN SUSTAINABILITY

  • Center for the Environment: St. Lawrence recently inaugurated the Center for the Environment, which seeks to empower the next generation of leaders to develop the skills necessary—through education, advocacy, and action—to be agents of change in their communities, the region, and the world.
    • SLU’s Center for the Environment supports the following initiatives:
      • Green Innovation Grants
      • Green Internships
      • Environmental Scholars Program
      • Nature Up North
      • Outdoor Studies Minor
  • Environmental Literacy: The university has an environmental literacy requirement for all students, and there are over 70 courses across the curriculum designed to meet the associated learning goals.
  • Theme Houses: Live with students who are just as committed to being environmentally responsible as you are in the Green House. This low impact living community also hosts legendary locally sourced dinners for different students each week.
  • Official Tree Campus: A student-faculty research project found that St. Lawrence’s campus tree population is growing—with special emphasis on planting trees that are native to the North Country. The Arbor Foundation recognized our commitment to maintaining and growing green spaces by naming us a Tree Campus.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS, FACILITIES & RESEARCH

  • The Living Lab: The lab is a beautiful 127-acre tract of land located on Route 68 within the Village of Canton, less than 1 mile away from SLU’s main campus; the map in the photo gallery at the right shows how the LL can be accessed via SLU’s recreation trails. The site includes fields, forests, wetlands, and streams complete with a three-story house (the Wight House), outbuildings, and a small garden. Several courses that cover topics such as agroecology and renewable energy utilize this living laboratory over the course of the year.
  • Nature Up North: This project connects people to the North Country environment through citizen scientist projects and offers internship and volunteer opportunities for students.
  • Wachtmeister Field Station: The field station was built specifically to study the wetlands and river in the North Country. Today, the field station has been built to model sustainability and ecological research.
  • Kenya Semester Program: Coordinated by SLU’s Center for International and Intercultural Studies, the university’s 50-year-old Kenya Semester Program gives you the chance to explore the culture, environment, and development of East Africa while living and studying on our home base in the suburbs of Nairobi.
  • The Adirondack Semester: Not everyone has the Adirondack park in their backyard. As part of the Adirondack Semester, you’ll 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.