Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative

The Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative will transform Wellesley’s campus into a “living laboratory.”

The Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative inspires and prepares Wellesley College students across disciplines to engage with their natural environment and develop a sense of place on our iconic campus to enrich their academic experience, well-being, and community, and become change agents who cultivate sustainable landscapes and communities around the globe.

Learn more about the work of the Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative in our2018-19 Year in Reviewand in ourBlue Heron Quarterly, a journal to engage the reader in the Wellesley College landscape and beyond.

The Paulson Initiative is committed to anti-racism and decolonization in our work. We are partnering with the Frost Center for the Environment, the Botanic Gardens, Environmental Studies Department and the Sustainability Office to develop Students for Intersectional Environmental Justice (SIEJ). This group, led bypaid student leaders and facilitated byfaculty mentorAshanti Shih, plan and implement changes across and within our units.

Find calm in this time of uncertainty by connecting more deeply with nature outside your door with ourNature Wellness Practices.

Wellesley College Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that Wellesley College is built on ancestral and traditional land of the Massachusett people. We also recognize that the United States’ removal, termination, and assimilation policies and practices resulted in the forced settlement of Indigenous lands and the attempted erasure of Indigenous cultures and languages. We further acknowledge the oppression, injustices, and discrimination that Indigenous people have endured and that there is much work to be done on the important journey to reconciliation. We commit to strengthen our understanding of the history and contemporary lives of Indigenous peoples and to steward this land.
We further recognize the many Indigenous people living here today—including the Massachusett, Wampanoag, and Nipmuc nations—who have rich ancestral histories in Wellesley and its surrounding communities. Today, their descendants remind us that they are still here, where they maintain a vital and visible presence. We honor and respect the enduring relationship between these peoples and this land, as well as the strength of Indigenous culture and knowledge, the continued existence of tribal sovereignty, and the principle of tribal self-determination.

Contact Us

苏珊娜兰格里奇博士Director

781.283.3431

slangrid@wellesley.edu