St. Lawrence University Appoints Leader of New Center for the Environment
St. Lawrence University President Kathryn A. Morris and Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs Alison Del Rossi have announced the appointment of Diane White Husic, Ph.D. as the inaugural leader of the new Center for the Environment. She will take the helm as the Richard ’64 and Gail Stradling Executive Director of the Center for the Environment starting in July.
Husic will join St. Lawrence from Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she is a proven administrative leader, teacher, and scholar. She currently serves as the founding Dean of the Center for Scholarship, Research, and Creative Endeavors and previously as the founding Dean of the School of Health Sciences. She is also the Director for the Environmental academic programs at Moravian and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Her recent research spans a wide range of topics, including reframing sustainability in higher education, climate change impacts on ecosystems, the transformational role of undergraduate research experiences, and developing climate change leaders.
“Diane demonstrated to our search committee that she possesses the kind of passion, expertise, and innovative thinking required to provide visionary leadership for our new Center for the Environment,” said President Morris. “We look forward to welcoming her to our community, and to collaborating with her as she guides the development of a strategic plan for the Center.”
In addition to her administrative and academic work, Husic has extensive experience working with environmental non-profit and non-governmental organizations. She currently serves as a member of the steering committee for the Research and Independent NGOs constituency group for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She is also a member of several groups focused on early warning systems and the nexus of technology and food security as nations adapt to climate change as a part of the Technology Executive Committee under the UNFCCC. During her work with the UNFCCC she has brought students with her to UN climate change meetings. She currently serves or has leadership roles on the boards of non-profit organizations as varied as the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and Wildlife Refuge, the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Camaquiri Conservation Institute (Costa Rica), and the Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network.
Husic has been recognized with numerous honors, including as a Senior Fellow, Global Council for Science and the Environment, and she was President of the Council on Undergraduate Research and President of the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (for the NCAA).
Trained as a biochemist, Husic earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Northern Michigan University and her doctoral degree in biochemistry at Michigan State University. She has authored nearly 60 scholarly articles and contributed to numerous state, national, and international reports. She is co-editor of a new book about her work on the ecological restoration of a Lehigh Gap Superfund site, which is collaborative work that involved undergraduates, colleagues, community groups, and government agencies.
“Our Center for the Environment will benefit from the deep engagement of our faculty and staff,” said Dean Alison Del Rossi, who co-chaired the environmental center task force. “Diane’s knowledge and experience in environmental stewardship principles and practices, her connections with systems-change entrepreneurs and advocates working on solutions to environmental challenges, and her ability to work collaboratively across disciplines with students, faculty, and staff will ensure the Center’s success. Her commitment to engaging undergraduate students in meaningful research, advocacy, internship, and leadership experiences will be invaluable to all students who engage in the Center’s activities and programs. ”
Introduced at the end of 2023, the Center builds on decades of research, teaching, and experiential learning opportunities that will empower the next generation of leaders to develop the skills necessary—through education, advocacy, and action—to be agents of change in their communities and around the world.
Leveraging the University’s unique location nestled between the Adirondack Mountains and the St. Lawrence River, with a campus in Canton, the Canaras Conference Center on Upper Saranac Lake, and a compound in Nairobi, Kenya, the Center for the Environment offers opportunities to all students, regardless of major, with potential to earn an Environmental Distinction at graduation. Some of the new initiatives include scholarships for qualified first-year students with special opportunities, such as pre-orientation activities and First-Year Program courses with environmental themes; Green Internship Fellowship stipends to provide financial support for students engaging in professional opportunities within the environmental sector; and Green Innovation Grants that provide funding to undergraduate students who create projects that improve energy use, reduce waste and increase recycling/composting on campus, and otherwise contribute to enhancing our campus environment and lower our environmental impact.
Reporting to the vice president of the university and dean of academic affairs, the founding executive director will work closely with the senior leadership team, faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders to develop and implement a strategic vision and plan for the Center. Husic will be responsible for developing new projects and opportunities that will advance St. Lawrence University’s sustainability commitments and provide opportunities for integrative experiences for all students. More than $4 million has already been raised to support new initiatives to add to a robust slate of environmental programs and activities at St. Lawrence that will be unified and amplified within the Center for the Environment. The leadership position is permanently funded by a $1.5 million endowment gift from Richard “Dick” ’64 and Gail Stradling.
