Schwarze, McDonough to Lead Climate Change Studies
Climate Change Studies will start the 2019-2020 academic year with new leadership.
Steve Schwarze is serving as the new director of UM’s interdisciplinary minor program in Climate Change Studies program. Schwarze is a Professor of Communication Studies who specializes in environmental communication. His research investigates the persuasive strategies and appeals used to influence public perception of environmental issues.
Steve has a deep and long-standing commitment to promoting the study of climate change and supporting the CCS program. He served on the initial task force that created the CCS program in 2008, has served on the CCS faculty steering committee since its inception, and each spring teaches a 300-level course on Communication, Consumption and Climate. His priorities as director of the CCS program will include enhancing the transdisciplinary character of the program, expanding applied learning opportunities and elevating UM and CCS as a trusted center for quality public discourse on topics of climate change.
Peter McDonough is serving as the new coordinator of CCS. Peter will teach the Intro to Climate Change: Science and Society class, CCS 103 (be prepared if you are a guest speaker in that class!). He will also teach the Energy and Climate class (ENST 391), an Intro to Honors and Ways of Knowing class for the Davidson Honors College, and a seminar and capstone class for the Global Leadership Initiative. Peter will be based in the Davidson Honors College, will be the primary advisor for CCS students and will work with students on internship and practicum projects. 
Peter began teaching as an education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, where he lived and taught high school for three years. Service brought to light the global and human reality of environmental crises and the challenge of energy development. Since returning home, Peter has worked primarily in climate change education, introducing a climate and energy class to Stanford’s summer institutes and developing similar courses at UM within Environmental Studies, Climate Change Studies, and the Global Leadership Initiative. Outside of school, he can be found interpreting Swahili for refugees resettling in Missoula, or drumming with the local bagpipe band. Peter holds a BS in Physics from the University of Puget Sound, a MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford, and a MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. He identifies as a dog person.