MUNCIE, Ind. -- Students from diverse disciplines will explore critical environmental issues together in a new cluster of interdepartmental minors at Ball State University.

Innovative programs in technology and the environment, the environmental context for business, environmental policy and sustainable land systems are the first offerings of Ball State's Clustered Academic Minors in Environmentally Sustainable Practices.

Students can begin enrolling in the programs this spring. Other minors will be added in the future.

Developed through Ball State's Center for Energy Research/ Education/Service (CERES), the minors address the growing need for students to increase their environmental literacy.

"If we are to engage more environmentally benign practices in all aspects of life, we need to be reasonably informed citizens," said Robert Koester, director of CERES and co-chair of  Ball State's Green Committee.

"Such information must be presented at the university level," he said. "Ball State is uniquely suited with its history of greening efforts, spirit of cooperation and collaboration, and numerous other cooperative educational opportunities presented throughout the years."

Ball State has demonstrated leadership in environmental education with the Provost's Green Committee, two Greening of the Campus international conferences and summer professional development workshops for faculty members.

The clustered minors concept was unveiled at "Greening of the Campus II: The Next Step" last September. Academic colleges and departments across campus have been invited to participate.

"The clustered minors will offer exciting new opportunities for the university to build experiences in environmental studies crossing disciplinary lines," said Warren Vander Hill, Ball State's provost and vice president for academic affairs.

"Eventually they could allow students in each of the university's seven academic colleges to complement their major area of study with an environmental minor," he noted.

The new programs are built primarily on existing courses and draw on the success of Ball State's existing minors in environmental policy and energy.

Students in the clustered minors take three common core courses: Ecology (BIO 216), Environmental Economics (ECON 311/NREM 303) and Environmental Ethics (PHIL 230). The shared courses reflect the overlapping nature of environmental issues.

To this core, each program adds prescribed courses or selected electives to build depth of knowledge in the subject area. An anchoring course provides a unique focus for each minor.

Finally, students from all of the minors participate side-by-side in an integrated closing course or "capstone experience."

Creating a Sustainable Future (ID 400) lets visiting scholars work closely with students who share their diverse perspectives to develop solutions to holistic real-world problems.

The clustered minors concept parallels the spirit and intent of Ball State's Honors College structure, offering more universal opportunities to students campuswide, Koester said.

"Honors College education recognizes that students benefit from shared experiences and interchanges of ideas, transcending disciplines throughout the university," he explained. "In the same way, a clustered minors concept reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary exposure and the idea of a university education that reflects the needs of the future."

More details of each new environmental minor:

• Technology and the Environment: Unique in the United States, this minor explores the interrelationships between technology and the environment, including the environmental consequences of technological development. Coordinated by Ball State's Department of Industry and Technology.

• Environmental Context for Business: Course work educates students about environmentally compatible business practices and helps non-business students in environmentally related science disciplines apply their skills in business occupations. Coordinated by Ball State's College of Business.

• Environmental Policy: Courses examine the interconnected technical and societal issues influencing environmental decisions. The minor complements environmental law, environmental science, public affairs, planning and architecture studies. Coordinated by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

• Sustainable Land Systems: Students learn about regenerative land resource use and the development of spaces for human activity within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. Coordinated by Ball State's Department of Landscape Architecture. For information on the minors, contact the Center for Energy Research/Education/Service in Architecture Building Room 018 at (765) 285-1135.