The University of Iowa’s largest academic unit, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), is planning its most significant structural changes in recent years.
Beginning next fall, students interested in studying the environment and sustainability from natural science, social science, or policy perspectives will be able to do so in a planned School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability. Additionally, the college will combine several language-related departments and programs into a new Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures. The changes, approved by the Board of Regents during its September 2024 meeting, will support student success, simplify administration, and enhance faculty collaboration.
“Our vision as a college is to deliver world-class education and research across a comprehensive array of programs,” said Sara Sanders, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “The alignment and teamwork enabled by these changes will help us build on our strengths and serve future students even better.”
A front door for environment and sustainability programs
The planned School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability (SEES) will combine the departments of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences (GSS) and Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES), with the Environmental Sciences program. This is a more integrated approach than Iowa’s peer institutions which offer similar programs but typically house them in several different departments or even different colleges. This will make it easier for students to explore the issues from different disciplinary lenses and discover the academic and career path that is right for them.
Responding to growing student interest in these areas, the school will offer a newly updated set of undergraduate majors across three core areas of study: Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, and Environmental Policy and Planning. While each major will have a distinct focus, all will share a set of four introductory courses to give students a common foundation of knowledge.
“The interface between natural and social science is critical to understanding our environment and addressing countless challenges,” said Emily Finzel, professor of earth and environmental science. “This school is an exciting moment for students interested in any of these areas, as well as for our faculty who will be able to do more collaborative research.”
“At the national level, the agencies that fund research in these areas recognize the complexity of environmental issues and are awarding major grants to institutions that can bring diverse expertise to bear on a given challenge,” said Joshua Weiner, associate dean for research and infrastructure in CLAS. “Establishing this school will better position Iowa to compete for those grants by growing capacity for the interdisciplinary approaches that have long been a strength of the college and the university.”
New structure for world languages maintains breadth of programs while providing stability
The college is also planning an administrative reorganization of language-related programs by combining the four departments of German, French and Italian, Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Linguistics, along with programs in American Sign Language, International Studies, and Translation, into one Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures (LLLC), alongside the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The two departments will replace the current Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. All majors, minors, and areas of study would be maintained, giving students access to the same wide range of world language and cultural offerings.
“Bringing these programs together in one department will help us build on our legacy of world language, literature, and linguistics offerings while making way for innovative new curricula in response to student interest,” associate professor and current DWLLC director Jill Beckman said.
As home to a relatively larger number of majors, as well as a nationally renowned MFA in Spanish creative writing, Spanish and Portuguese would remain its own department, with the addition of the Latin American Studies program.
The streamlined structure was informed by input from faculty and staff and aligns with the college’s recently adopted criteria for departmental status, which is based on total faculty and student enrollment. It also builds on the newly added pathways for the college’s world languages general education requirement, which can include a culture-based course in combination with third-level foreign language coursework to fulfill the requirement.
“We know through feedback from students and employers that learning to understand other cultures is an important part of how we prepare students for their next step after graduation,” said Cornelia Lang, associate dean of undergraduate programs in CLAS. "Whether they plan to pursue further studies in graduate or professional school or enter the workforce right away, exposure to world languages and cultures is essential.”
“There is no denying that cultural and global competency are essential,” Roland Racevskis, associate dean for the arts and humanities, added. “This new structure supports our teaching and scholarly pursuits by allowing us to collaborate even more in our work moving forward.”
Changes will take effect next academic year
With the approval of the Board of Regents, both new structures will go into effect July 1, 2025, ahead of the fall semester for the academic year 2025-2026.
“These changes are the result of a collaborative process that involved faculty input every step of the way,” noted Dean Sanders. “This is an exciting time to be part of CLAS—together we are building capacity and strengthening the college for decades to come.”