ESF Announces Honorary Degree Recipient

Dr. Bryan Norton to be honored at May 7 commencement ceremony
5/4/2022

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), the most distinguished institution in the nation that focuses on the study of the environment, will present Dr. Bryan Norton with an Honorary Degree during the College's commencement exercises at 2 p.m. May 7 at the SRC Arena and Events Center.

"Dr. Morton's groundbreaking work in sustainability, endangered species, and biodiversity addresses the environmental issues we face today," said President Joanie Mahoney. "His work is inspirational to our students as they embark on the next chapter of their lives dedicated to the environment and we are proud to honor him."

Norton is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has done pioneering work in sustainability theory and published the much-cited books "Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management" and "Sustainable Values, Sustainable Change." His work on sustainability has been celebrated in a festschrift volume, "A Sustainable Philosophy: The Work of Bryan Norton."

Norton has published in journals in several fields, including philosophy, ecology, conservation biology, economics, and ecological economics. He has written several books on biodiversity policy and sustainability theory. He was one of the first scholars to address endangered species and biodiversity. "The Preservation of Species (edited, 1986)" and "Why Preserve Natural Variety" (1987) are both still in print at Princeton University Press.

Norton has been active in applications to public and governmental policy, having served on the Environmental Economics Advisory Committee of the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and served two terms on the Board of Directors of Defenders of Wildlife. He also contributed to the Risk Assessment Forum, Subcommittee on Ecological Risk, U.S. EPA.

About SUNY ESF

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.