Mission

The mission of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies is to encourage responsible and creative decisions in society by providing an objective source of marine and environmental science and fostering an understanding of the natural world among people of all ages.

With generous donations from the Wrigley family, the University of Southern California created the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies (WIES) to unify and advance USC's efforts in environmental education and research. Under the directorship of Dr. Donal T. Manahan, the institute brings together new and veteran faculty, programs and facilities with a renewed commitment to objective and relevant environmental science.

The Institute serves as an environmental headquarters for the university. WIES gives interested faculty and students from all disciplines a physical center for their work and a set of innovative programs to focus their attention on goals that are meaningful. It is here that researchers from areas such as biology, economics, public administration, medicine and many more can work together at understanding and solving society's toughest environmental problems and preparing for future issues. Perhaps our most important objective is to effectively communicate the findings of this truly interdisciplinary center to the public and especially those who can effect positive environmental change.

History and Future

The University of Southern California has a long history of involvement in environmental issues. USC hired its first marine biologist, Albert Ulrey, in 1901. In 1910, USC carried out studies on water contamination off Venice Beach, the first of many environmentally focused research projects. In 1965, USC created a marine lab on Catalina Island, now known as the Wrigley Marine Science Center. USC administers the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the nation's premier award in the field. For more than 25 years, USC has run the USC Sea Grant Program, a federally funded program which coordinates and funds research and education on the "urban ocean."

Currently more than 80 experts are studying the environment in the departments of Anthropology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Economics, Geography, Political Science, and the School of International Relations; as well as in USC's professional programs at the Law Center and the schools of Architecture, Business Administration, Engineering, Medicine, Public Administration, and Urban and Regional Planning.

The Wrigley family also has a long history of commitment to conservation, especially on Santa Catalina Island, which is largely protected as a result of their environmental vision. The Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) at Big Fisherman's Cove on Catalina Island was established following a 1965 grant (made possible by the Wrigley and Offield families) of more than 14 acres of land to USC. In 1995, William and Julie Wrigley continued their family legacy of conservation by providing USC the capital to initiate the Wrigley Institute. Their generous gift provided for an endowed directorship, an endowed chair, and the funds to renovate the WMSC on Catalina Island. Today, the WMSC is the centerpiece of the Wrigley Institute.

The University demonstrated its commitment to environmental studies by matching the Wrigley contribution and by actively working toward a $60 million fund raising goal for the Institute.