MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: Looking Backward and Forward
Friends of Geography, Planning and Environment,
Warm greetings from the ‘A’ wing of Brewster Building! As I write this, the summer is moving swiftly by, and I can begin to hear the growing murmur of excitement as the start of the fall semester draws near. It is a busy time for me, as I mark the completion of my first year serving as Department Chair and look forward to what lies ahead for year two.
Glancing Back
Reflecting on the past year, the first thing that comes to mind is student success. A total of 47 students received bachelor’s or master’s degrees last year in Atmospheric Science, Community and Regional Planning, Geography, or Geographic Information Science and Technology. We are proud to see these students across the finish line and look forward to celebrating their future career accomplishments. Last year was also a banner year for research in our department. Our faculty currently hold more than $2 million in grants and are engaged in transformative research on topics such as rainfall dynamics, health disparities, seal level rise, hazard communication and environmental justice. When I consider the impact of this work, I am especially proud of the fact that so much of what we do supports ECU’s mission of regional transformation. From our student internships and capstone projects to community-engaged and citizen-informed research, our department’s time and talents are making a meaningful positive impact on communities in Eastern North Carolina.
Looking Forward
As I look forward to the new academic year, a pertinent theme is change. For starters, our Department will look quite different next year after the retirements of three valued faculty colleagues—Burrell Montz, Karen Mulcahy and Yong Wang—and of long-time office manager Jolene Evans. Their presence will be greatly missed in the Brewster hallways, but we offer our congratulations and best wishes to each of them. At the same time, we are delighted to welcome three new colleagues to the department team. Steven Richter brings expertise in environmental planning as a new faculty member in our Community and Regional Planning Program. Rachelle Berry is a community-based geographer whose research examines racialized landscapes and social justice. And Chanel Higgins has joined our talented office staff.
The fall semester, of course, also represents an important transition for new students, and I would like to offer a personal word of welcome to all of the first-year and transfer students entering our degree programs. I had the pleasure of meeting many of you during this summer’s orientation sessions and I came away extremely impressed by our incoming cohort. We look forward to helping you to achieve success along your pirate journey!
This fall also brings some exciting new curriculum developments. Most notably, we welcome our inaugural cohort of students into our new online M.S. degree in Planning and Development. At the undergraduate level, we have made changes to streamline our degree programs, and we intend to put forward several new accelerated ‘4+1’ programs, providing students the opportunity to earn both their B.S. and M.S. degrees in five years.
Finally, I want to note an important institutional milestone: this past year marked the 100-year anniversary of our department! Founded in 1921, and known back then simply as the Department of Geography, we have in the decades since grown, diversified, and made invaluable contributions to ECU. We intend to spend some time this coming year celebrating our centennial, touting our achievements, and reconnecting with our alumni and our many friends. Please keep an eye out!
Jeff Popke