graduate program at Kentucky State University is designed to cut across traditional academic disciplines and colleges and to provide sound and effective graduate education and research on these important environmental issues.

A number of studies show that African-Americans suffer disproportionately from health problems caused by environmental pollution, primarily because most industrial complexes are located near urban centers. Since Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve a large segment of the urban African-American population, HBCUs should take a leading role in developing environmental studies programs and integrating such programs into the curricula.

The liberal arts mission of Kentucky State University, combined with its land grant mission and the geographic location of KSU at the center of state government activities in Frankfort, will allow KSU to take a leadership role in the emerging field of environmental studies in the Commonwealth and among HBCUs. The developers of the proposed MES program believe it supports and complements KSU's three missions: HBCU, Land Grant and Extension, and Liberal Studies.

The interdisciplinary nature of the program will allow students with diverse undergraduate preparations to pursue the MES degree at Kentucky State University. It is anticipated that the MES program will attract students with backgrounds in physical or natural sciences or related fields, including earth sciences, social sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

Section B of this proposal details the MES program followed by a summary of the resources available for the program in Section C. Section D addresses the key indicators of progress toward postsecondary reform in Kentucky, specifically the five questions posed by CPE as it relates to the proposed MES program at KSU. Additional supporting documents, including library resources and core faculty biographies, are provided in the appendices.

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