"In 1900, Gifford Pinchot and Henry Graves were motivated by a passionate commitment to the conservation of forests in the United States when they founded the first American school of forestry here at Yale. Today, we are driven by a wider vision: to build a school with a global mission, educating global leaders to conserve and manage the world’s natural resources."

–Richard C. Levin
President, Yale University

Building on an incomparable 100-year history of excellence and innovation, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies today looks to provide national and international leadership in environmental education, management, and policy in response to the urgent and increasingly complex challenges of the new century. Reflecting the vision of Dean James Gustave ("Gus") Speth, the diverse talents of its faculty and students, and the commitment and support of Yale University, the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies is now underway with a major effort to become the preeminent instititution worldwide for forestry and environmental studies as well as the finest and first truly global school of the environment.

In pursuit of this vision , the School has committed itself to achieving the following Strategic Goals:

• Professional Education and Training – Offer the finest education and training available anywhere on the globe to a new generation of environmental professionals and leaders.
• New Knowledge – Conduct outstanding scholarly research and, through it, generate new knowledge and understanding relevant to major problems in environmental management and sustainable development.
• Global School of the Environment – Build a truly global school of the environmental with the capacity to address global-scale environmental problems and the linking of developmental and environmental objectives in developing regions. Build a more international faculty and student body at home while also increasing the presence of the School abroad.
• Leadership and Service to Yale - Offer leadership and service within the wider Yale University community, providing an opportunity for all Yale students to develop a basic familiarity with leading environmental concepts and issues.
• Advancing Public Understanding and Discourse -- Contribute importantly to public understanding and discourse on environmental issues; serve as a key convenor for the major environmental stakeholders; provide advanced knowledge to policymakers to assist in formulation of wise, science-based policy,
• Development of Necessary Resources – Build the human, financial, and physical resources needed to realize this vision.

To meet these critical goals, the School is reaching out to its own alums, to members of the wider Yale community, and to friends and partners here in the U.S. and throughout the world for their assistance and support.