Welcome

Welcome to the new online home of the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) latest addition, the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences, also known as CAUSES.  CAUSES, provides a sustainable bridge from college to the world.  The new college manifests the land grant model, as it seamlessly integrates academics with relevant research and extension/outreach, a combination which serves as a powerful resource to help District residents improve their quality of life.   UDC, the nation’s only urban land-grant institution, provides innovative programs that prepare students to address 21st Century issues involving agriculture, nutrition and food safety, urban sustainability, urban architecture, environmental matters and water resource quality and management.

As the University’s first new college of the 21st Century, CAUSES uses an interdisciplinary framework to prepare students to enter the workforce with strong critical thinking and leadership skills.  Students will be equipped to address current issues both locally and globally, with a vision toward the future.   CAUSES strengthens the university’s effort to meet the needs of local residents and provide a visionary global perspective on education and a sustainable world.

The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences offers (6) six undergraduate degrees and (3) three graduate degrees within three divisions including the

• Division of Agriculture
• Division of Architecture and Urban Design
• Division of Environmental Sciences

In addition to the academic program, students and District residents benefit from significant research conducted by four research units.  Student researchers receive hands-on learning experience, while the research conducted by faculty and students provides solutions to important urban issues.  The research units are:

• Agricultural Experiment Station (AES, a land-grant unit)
• Architecture Research Institute (ARI)
• Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI)
• World’s  River Institute (WRI)

The Cooperative Extension Service (CES), an informal educational service, extends beneficial research based information to the community through outreach efforts, including providing free and fee based public programs (seminars, courses, demonstrations and one-on-one technical assistance) and publications (brochures, factsheets, newsletters, pamphlets).   CES includes four program units that address key issues found in the urban environment.  The program areas are:

• Family and Consumer Sciences & the Center for Nutrition Diet and Health (CNDH)
  
• Environment and Natural Resources & the Institute for Applied Urban Agriculture
  
• 4-H and the Center for Youth Development
  
• Community Resources and Economic Development and the Center for Cooperatives
  

Through integrated education, research and extension/outreach, the University of the District of Columbia’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences uses its resources to provide a sustainable bridge from college to the world.