The Governor's School on the Environment
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Pomona, New Jersey

The Program

• The Governor's School on the Environment is a unique and intensive academic program for rising high school seniors hosted at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. The scholars are challenged to explore the natural world and man's impact and influence on the natural environment. In addition, scholars are challenged to discuss and integrate ideas and information leading to a more complete understanding of the complexities of our environment.
• The program is centered around several academic classes in core areas such as coastal marine biology, sustainable energy, fresh water biology, land-use policy, urban/rural ecosystems, etc. Class work is supplemented by intense field activities in the rivers and forests of the New Jersey Pinelands and along the southern New Jersey shore. Past fieldtrip destinations have included: the Wetlands Institute, Sedge Island, Batsto, Wharton State Forest, Wading River, and Island Beach State Park. During the first week members of Stockton's Environmental Science faculty participate with the Governor's School in a special 25 hour field-based orientation to the ecology of the Pinelands. Scholars are awarded 1 college credit for this activity and receive a Stockton transcript at the end of the program.
• Speakers are invited to present topics of general interest in the evenings. The scholars and faculty are encouraged to participate in discussion and then to carry the discussion into classroom activities. The speakers are chosen for their knowledge in particular areas. Speakers come from the Stockton College faculty, and a variety of local organizations.
• The culminating activity for the GSE is the student-run conference that occurs in the final week of the program. Each class is asked to prepare an abstract of what they have accomplished in their course and any outcomes they have generated. The classes present this information in a conference format to the rest of the community. It is a special opportunity for these young scholars to share their hard work and new insights.