Endowed Chairs

Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies

The Clark A. Griffith Professorship in Environmental Studies was established by Clark A. Griffith and Geraldine M. Griffith in 1997 to recognize that attention to the complexities of the environment is essential to the teaching and learning that characterizes the college. It is awarded to faculty serving the Environmental Studies Program.

Sonja Pieck, Professor of Environmental Studies

Sonja Pieck arrived at Bates in 2007, joining the faculty of the Program in Environmental Studies. Her teaching program reflects the interdisciplinary nature of environmental studies as well as her training as a human geographer. Her core courses range from wildlife conservation to the environment, human rights, and indigenous peoples. Students find transformative educational experiences and a global perspective with Professor Pieck. She received her PhD from Clark University where she developed her interests in the cultural characteristics of nature – how it is produced, how it is consumed, and how it gains meaning. Her scholarship has explored the politics and policy of indigenous peoples and the environment in South America and Europe with her latest work focused on conservation in the German Green Belt. She brings a creativity to her intellectual pursuits, and has a novel perspective that is valued by scholars across the disciplines.