Maryville College’s location as the four-year liberal arts college closest to the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains has long infused its culture with an interest in conservation and environmental protection. Respect for the region’s indigenous Cherokee heritage, and for the 19th century Scots-Irish Presbyterian immigrants to East TN who founded the college, both fostered the school’s long-standing tradition of community service, faith and justice. Scientific research on the flora and fauna of this biodiverse region, and measurement of humanity’s impact on this space has been a touchstone of the work of the college for decade. Whether through traditional liberal arts majors, through courses in discipline specific majors or the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies major, applying lessons learned in class through internships off campus and around the world, or in our Sustainability Studies Minor, Environmental Science Major, or Outdoor Studies and Tourism major, students can find multiple paths by which to study and reflect upon nature and our impact on it. You can also consider coming to Maryville College as a high school student to participate in the Great Smokies Experience and get college credit.
The college maintains a 140-plus acred Maryville College Woods (MC Woods), the largest forested space in the City of Maryville and designated as a TN Stewardship Forest. Its wood-chip powered steam plant was built as a cogeneration demonstration project for the 1982 World’s Fair. MC students, staff and faculty have traveled together to almost every continent, studying how culture, science and economics intertwine in rural China, the valleys of Venezuela and Tibet, towns in Thailand, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden or in the rainforests of Costa Rica.
Students work for an outdoor leadership company, Mountain Challenge, located on site in the solar-powered and LEED Gold certified Crawford House and are part of their Fit. Green. Happy.® initiative. And our alumni work as rangers in national parks, as renewable energy entrepreneurs, environmental lawyers, ecologists and nature-based writers and sustainable artists.
Explore this site and learn about MC’s sustainability journey as well as student-organized programs like the Maryville College Food Recovery Network combating food waste and fighting hunger. Come and join us each year as we celebrate Earth Week at Maryville College (in April) or join us on campus anytime throughout the year as we hope to see you on campus, so you can help create the next chapter in our story.
American Campuses Act on Climate
On Nov. 19 2015, Maryville College officially took the The Obama Administration’s White House’s American Campuses Act on Climate pledge, which promises a transition to low-carbon energy while enhancing sustainable and resilient practices across our campus.
AASHE STARS
Since 2010 Maryville College has been an institutional member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and a Charter Participant in the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS). Maryville College has received Silver and Bronze ratings for sustainability as part of STARS. To see a snapshot of our most recent report, please visit the MC STARS REPORT.
