Teaching Environmental Classes at Warren Wilson College: A Unique Experience Lived by Eric Griffin
Jules Goddet | March 2, 2023
Located in the Pisgah National Forest, Warren Wilson College (WWC) can be considered one of the most attractive places to teach or study environmental and biological studies. Many students taking classes in Morse, the natural science building, have probably noticed a new professor on campus, Eric Griffin. He grew up in north Georgia and received his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh before getting a Postdoctoral at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
While Griffin studied as an undergraduate at Berry College, a liberal arts college in northwest Ga., to come to WWC as an undergraduate was his ideal.
“I actually almost went to Warren Wilson as an undergrad way back in the day,” Griffin said. “For financial reasons, I had to go elsewhere. But I always said even in high school that I wanted to be a professor at a small progressive liberal arts school, and being a forester too, you know, this is the best area right? This just seemed like a really good fit,” he said.
Willow Solomon
Eric Griffin Ph.D.
Griffin always had an interest in science and majored in biology with minors in chemistry and sociology. However, studying and teaching classes related to the environment was not his original life goal.
“I was initially a pre-med student,” Griffin said. “Then, I had a great professor who introduced me to being an ecologist, doing research, being outside, enjoying nature, understanding the interactions, and how climate change is affecting those interactions. And so that's really what I gravitated towards, and that's what I've done ever since I was an undergrad. That's always been my joy,” Griffin said.
Even after years of studies, coming to WWC was still a desire and Griffin put a lot of effort to end up here.
“I have worked for a long time to get here,” Griffin said. “This is a college that I've always wanted to work at.”
Griffin arrived in August at WWC and taught three courses during the fall semester: forest biology, forest pests and pathogens and the introduction for ENS majors called perspectives and environmental studies. For the spring semester, Griffin is teaching a Gen-ed course called forest ecology in a changing world and an upper-level forestry course called silviculture.
Two points stand out for Griffin from his experience at WWC so far: the environment and the relationship between students and professors.
Regarding the environment, being a forestry professor and teaching at WWC is, according to him, special.
“I love the Warren Wilson forest,” Griffin said. “I love all of the trails here and just being outside and the landscape. Being up at dogwood, I mean, there are spots that are just truly beautiful. Being a field biologist and enjoying taking students outside is just beautiful.”
Kai DeLeon, a WWC student, has also always liked N.C. for the opportunities it gives regarding environmental studies. This was his first source of motivation to come to WWC. He is studying forestry with Eric Griffin in his Silviculture class.
“I'm studying forestry, and this area is really great for that sort of thing, because of the huge biodiversity around here,” DeLeon said. “That's why I came over here. Even the river trail right down there, you can see a great diversity of species.”
Griffin pointed out the possibility that a professor and a student have to create a sincere relationship that can lead to the success of the student.
“For me, this college is just about receiving a personal and intimate educational experience and being able to have close relationships with the students in your classes as well as your professors,” Griffin said. “That's something that is invaluable.”
WWC can be considered the perfect environment to study forestry. The classes are often organized in a manner where students first learn the theory and concepts around forest ecology and civic culture. This approach seeks to teach forestry management practices and how to understand the best ways to manage lands and to be stewards of the landscape. Then, after the theory, students and Griffin will go out in the field.
“I'm very much looking forward to, after spring break, just being outside and taking a lot of trips with students,” Griffin said. “We typically go up the Blue Ridge Parkway to look at the different forest types and go up to Mount Mitchell. In the civic culture class, there's an experimental forest called Bent Creek. We might go to the arboretum and we'll go down to DuPont recreational forest, and then we have a camping trip as well.”
DeLeon, from a student perspective, is convinced about this method of teaching and can attest to the productivity and comfort it provides in order to learn.
“It's very conducive to how I learn personally,” DeLeon said. “Sort of a mix between lecture and discussion styles. It's very also fieldwork oriented. Like every Friday we have a lab that's hugely out in the field. I usually say I learn the best with my hands, so it works out really well.”
The objective of teaching these classes is, according to Griffin, to help form the students to fulfill their career expectations. Some of his students want to become Park Rangers, to work for the Nature Conservancy, the Forest Stewards Guild and the U.S. Forest Service.
On a larger scale, learning or teaching forestry is important nowadays because of the constant changes in climatic conditions. As a result, Griffin and his students are trying to understand larger causes and find solutions to them, such as global warming.
“It is really to understand how climate change is impacting forests, and then how we can actually harness our forests to help mitigate against the negative effects of climate change,” Griffin said. “Forests are incredibly important carbon sequestration or carbon sinks, and so we can actually manage forests in a way that helps protect us from some of these negative effects of climate change.”
So far, Griffin is delighted with his experience at WWC. His teenage desire to come here to study has been transformed into a reality in which he teaches at WWC.
“I'm really excited to be here,” Griffin said. “I've tried so hard to get to this specific school, and in this particular area, the Asheville area. I think that I'm here for the time being and for a long time, hopefully. I love teaching and I love being an educator and so to be able to do that, but to also be able to conduct research is great.”
This love to teach in the environment field is felt by his students, who attest about his seriousness and ability to teach very much.
“His class is a good blend of serious, it stayed pretty consistent. He's a good professor, and he clearly knows what he's talking about” DeLeon said.
Besides teaching at WWC, another plan Griffin has for the next few summers will be to conduct research at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center with two WWC students.
“I'll be having a large National Science Foundation grant and I'm going to be doing research up at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on a big tree restoration experiment,” Griffin said. “Over 20,000 trees were planted about 10 years ago, and we're trying to understand forests at different diversities, how they go through succession. To be able to do that, I'm bringing up two Warren Wilson students with me as paid interns on that grant this summer, and next summer, which is exciting.”
Regarding DeLeon, his plans are also to work outside and understand species interaction.
“I'm really interested in ecology and researching how different species interact with each other,” DeLeon said. “I'm still sort of trying to piece together precise ideas about what I want to do but working outside is definitely up there on things that I would enjoy, you know, being out and about for work.”
According to Griffin, in order to succeed and get what you want, you have to find something that you are passionate about and work hard on it. By being passionate, according to him, you will be more productive and more goal-oriented in the areas that you are passionate about.
“You can make a lot come true,” Griffin said. “I encourage students to be able to just seek out their dreams and that it's really possible to get what you want out of life.”