About the Institute

Our Mission 
    The Reese Institute promotes leadership for service through a program that emphasizes regional environmental issues, economic development, and the conservation and use of natural resources. 
    The work of the Institute builds on the integration of the liberal arts and sciences in learning, service and scholarship. The Institute encourages the responsible use of the natural resources of God’s world in a manner that allows them to be protected and enhanced for enjoyment and use by future generations.

Academic Program
    The Reese Institute fosters a sense of respect and stewardship for our God-given natural resources.  To that end, we have developed a curriculum that's both hands-on and research intensive.  Based on the interdisciplinary model of the liberal arts, the academic program draws from the fields of biology, chemistry, economics, earth science, political science, business, education and ethics.
    Our goal: To help students understand the interconnectedness of the world around them and ultimately develop long-term, viable, meaningful conservation solutions.

Community Involvement and Partnerships
    Through sustained partnerships with the community, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a major contributor to the economic development of the local community and region by helping businesses and industry to address proactively environmental issues before they arise.  Our students will become responsible leaders who are able to exercise stewardship of resources in a changing world.  An established lecture series is offered to address student and community interests in conservation topics.
    Students and faculty engage in conservation scholarship that is directly applicable to western North Carolina. Research and scholarship is supported through long-term federal, state and local funding and long-term relationships with community partners.