We're Now the Center for Energy and the Built Environment

The scope of work at the well-respected Center for Energy Policy and Management at Washington & Jefferson College is expanding as it continues to meet the region’s evolving needs.

Today, the center will take on a new name, the Center for Energy and the Built Environment, as its focus shifts to include themes that frequently intersect with its work on energy policy and research. Increasingly, the center’s work includes energy systems, sustainable design, infrastructure, climate resilience, and the built environment, all of which will be encompassed in its new mission.

Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, president of Washington & Jefferson College, said the Center’s new name reflects both the direction of its work and the questions communities are asking today. “Energy decisions shape our buildings, infrastructure, and neighborhoods. This expanded focus strengthens W&J’s role in bringing people together to explore those challenges through research, dialogue, and practical solutions.”

“We are excited about this change as we have come to realize that communities weren’t asking questions just about energy, but also about how it intersects with various systems, from roads and buildings to broadband and water infrastructure,” said Dr. Corey Young, director of the Center for Energy and Built Environment. “This new name will better reflect the scope of our work.”

For 14 years, the center has provided trusted energy information, education, and outreach to local communities. That work now expands into a forward-looking vision that reaches beyond energy production and policy to encompass the full spectrum of the built environment.

“Built environment” refers to the surroundings for human activity, encompassing buildings, infrastructure, environment, land use, and community planning. These themes frequently intersect with energy decisions and policy, which is recognized as the center moves forward in its mission.

The Center for Energy and the Built Environment will better reflect the center’s work, which extends beyond energy policy to include urban and rural development, climate adaptation, infrastructure, the environment, and sustainable development. Local community leaders seeking guidance on integrating energy and community goals can use the center as a value-added resource. In addition, the center will continue its work with W&J students on energy research and in other interdisciplinary fields as they learn and grow in knowledge and will continue its energy policy and education mission. Its website will remain wjenergy.org.