The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Department is excited to welcome its new Department Chair, Dr. Laird Christensen, to Appalachian State University. A respected educator, scholar, and leader in environmental studies, Dr. Christensen brings a wealth of experience and interdisciplinary expertise to the department.
Since earning his PhD at the University of Oregon, Dr. Christensen has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to experiential and place-based education. His innovative approach to teaching has led him to develop interdisciplinary field-based courses that engage students in learning from locally distinctive experiences, including watershed restoration, natural history, and facilitating meaningful conversations on refugee resettlement. His scholarly contributions span ecocritical research, creative nonfiction, and poetry that explore the intersectionality of human communities and bioregional identity, with many of his works appearing in esteemed journals and publications.
Dr. Christensen has played a pivotal role in shaping graduate programs focused on environmental studies and sustainability, having served as the founding director of the MS in Environmental Studies and the MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Green Mountain College, as well as the Director of the MS in Environmental Studies and Sustainability at Prescott College. His leadership in these programs has helped create professionally focused curricula that empower students and faculty to engage with environmental challenges on both local and global scales.
Photo of Dr. Laird Christensen
Photo of Dr. Laird Christensen