Professor of geology Marcia Bjornerud was recently announced as the first recipient of the Walter Schober Professorship in Environmental Studies. The position is made possible by a $2.5 million gift from Schober, a longtime Lawrence benefactor, and is the largest gift ever given to an endowed professorship in Lawrence’s history.
“This professorship really marks the coming of age of Lawrence’s environmental studies program, and opens up many possibilities for both the environmental studies professors and students,” said Bjornerud.
According to the Lawrence University press release, appointments to endowed professorships “are made in recognition of academic distinction through teaching excellence and/or scholarly achievement.”
Bjornerud is not only distinguished in both areas but was also a chief developer of the environmental studies major in 2000.
Bjornerud has been teaching at Lawrence since 1995. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and her master’s and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Her academic interests include the environment within the context of geologic time and the evidence of global climate change over time. She has published many works on these topics including “Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth” in
Bjornerud receives professorship
