There are several fine academic programs in Environmental Journalism in the United States. Due to the particular university, its location, and the faculty, each program has different strengths that should be considered by prospective students. The following are some of the qualities of Loyola's program that set it apart from other such programs:

LOYOLA'S PROGRAM IS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS

Instead of focusing only on journalism, the Loyola program includes the following sequences: print journalism, broadcast journalism, broadcast production, public relations, advertising, photojournalism, and film studies. This diversity allows students to interact with faculty and students who approach communications issues with different perspectives.

A student in this program will become part of an award winning heritage. Over the past several years, groups of Loyola students have excelled in national competitions - Public Relations Society Student Association (Bateman Competition: 1997 - 1^st in the nation; 1998 - 2^nd in the nation), National Student Advertising Competition (1995 - first in nation; 1996 - 2^nd in nation; 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 - first in district), Society for Professional Journalists (1998 - Outstanding Campus Chapter), and the Maroon, our school newspaper, has been a consistent national competitor since 1944, having placed first in the Associated Collegiate Press competition (basically the Pulitzer Prize of college newspapers) many times and normally finishing as a finalist.

LOYOLA'S PROGRAM IS INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY

A hallmark of Loyola's program is the Institute of Environmental Communications (IEC). Citizens from business, the scientific and environmental communities, government, and the rest of the Greater New Orleans community are encouraged to participate. The IEC consists of a semester's worth of meetings during which participants will be exposed to a variety of environmental concerns and issues with discussion led by the region's environmental leaders.

Additionally, Loyola faculty and students are actively working on several projects that are increasing the communication among industry and its many stake-holders. This environmental intervention is intended to enhance the potential for win-win solutions to environmental issues.

LOYOLA'S PROGRAM FOCUSES ON CRITICAL ISSUES THAT, AS A GROUP, ARE UNIQUE TO LOUISIANA BUT HAVE NATIONAL IMPACT

Louisiana has a number of nationally important natural resource related activities that may, if improperly managed, be very environmentally damaging. If managed well, they will fulfill their locally and nationally important roles, thus supporting a strong economy while minimizing harm to the environment. The primary areas of concern, which, taken as a group are unique, include:

• the impact of coastal and offshore oil and gas production
• the presence of the nation's largest petrochemical corridor
• coastal erosion (Louisiana has 40% of the nation's coastal wetlands and is experiencing 80% of the loss)
• the precarious future of our coastal fisheries (the largest in the continental U.S.)
• the impact of products that enter our state and associated waters via the Mississippi River.
• enviromental justice

No other region of the country has this much environmental pressure exerted on its resources and populace! Entities outside Louisiana's borders own and govern more than 80% of Louisiana's coastal zone and nearly 100% of Louisiana's petrochemical businesses.

Loyola's Center for Environmental Communications will focus on these issues, as well as those traditionally targeted by environmental programs (population, global warming, ozone depletion, etc.).

LOYOLA'S PROGRAM IS DIRECTED BY A PH.D. SCIENTIST WHO HAS A VERY BROAD BACKGROUND IN THE COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

One of the benefits of having a variety of university programs from which to choose is that one can select a program with a particular emphasis. Some programs are directed by persons with vast experience in environmental beat coverage. Others are headed by persons with expertise in the field of communications research.

The Loyola program is headed by Dr. Robert A. Thomas, Loyola Chair in Environmental Communications. Dr. Thomas has a Ph.D. in vertebrate zoology and has a continuing research program studying the snakes of Latin America. He was founding director of the Louisiana Nature Center and has been locally and nationally involved in environmental education for 30 years. During his work in the nature center field, he helped found a national organization for nature center administrators and served on the American Association of Museums Accreditation Commission. He has been very active on environmental and business related endeavors, and has served government in such capacities as being a member of the Governor's (and several different Mayors') Environmental Task Force. Dr. Thomas is also involved in ecotourism through his association with Cypress Swamp Tours. As a tropical biologist, he is active in Trinidad (on the board of the Asa Wright Nature Centre) and Belize (teaching tropical biology).

Due to his interest in the tropics, Dr. Thomas involves his students in projects abroad. Recently, his students have produced a video entitled "Trinidad: An Island of Conservation" (under the production direction of Dr. Mary Blue), a brochure on medicinal plants for H'Men Botanical Gardens in Maya Centre, Belize; and they are currently working on a public relations/advertising portfolio for a Maya village in Belize.

Over the years, Dr. Thomas has played many roles in the local environmental movement. He presently involves himself in projects that encourage active and fruitful communication between industry and stake-holders.

The Department of Communications at Loyola has an excellent faculty offering theory and practical experience in print journalism, broadcast journalism, broadcast production, photojournalism, public relations, advertising, and film studies. The department's labs are very modern and Loyola's communications students never lack for opportunities for projects and internships. They are highly employable - even before graduation!

The university has a diverse Environmental Studies Program that includes courses and faculty in the fields of biology, chemistry, philosophy, sociology, religious studies, and business.

This range and depth of faculty experience, coupled with the enormity of environmental concern for Louisiana's environment, gives Loyola students an endless array of potential projects and practical experiences.