HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

McElroy is Named First Butler Professor

Michael B. McElroy, a scientist whose interests encompass a wide range of environmental concerns, has been named the first Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies.

McElroy, an expert on the Earth's atmospheric chemistry, is currently the Abbott Lawrence Rotch Professor of Atmospheric Science, chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and chair of the University Committee on Environment (UCE). In the latter capacity, he also heads the Interfaculty Initiative on the Environment, one of five efforts designed to focus University-wide resources on problems facing society.

The professorship represents part of a generous gift made by Gilbert Butler Jr. '59 to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to strengthen Harvard's capacity to teach environmental studies, and conduct research with the long-term goal of reducing environmental degradation. The chair, given in memory of Butler's father, Gilbert Butler '09, is the first endowed professorship at Harvard devoted exclusively to environmental issues. The gift will also support graduate fellowships in environmental studies through the Kernan Brothers Fund, given in honor of Butler's maternal uncles, Francis '24, Thomas S. '29, Richard D. '31, and Walter A. Kernan '36.

McElroy, who received his BA, AM, and PhD in applied mathematics from Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has taught at Harvard since 1970. He is known for his analyses of the changes in the atmosphere produced by human activities, with an emphasis on how these changes affect climate, degrade air quality, and alter the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth.

Having extensively studied the ozone hole over the Antarctic continent, McElroy is currently engaged in a long-term program to model the chemistry of the planet's atmosphere. He has also worked toward a better understanding of the environment's past behavior by building models based on observations from polar ice cores and deep sea sediments.

McElroy's leadership of the UCE figures prominently in Harvard's emergence as a leader in the interdisciplinary study of environmental issues. President Neil L. Rudenstine established the 40-member committee in 1991 to focus the University's considerable resources on the complex set of environmental problems confronting humanity worldwide.

The UCE organizes a number of events and projects, including a series of lectures by distinguished visitors. The UCE also sponsors the China Project, a University-wide research program seeking a balance between energy use and environmental protection in the People's Republic of China. The UCE has been instrumental in developing an undergraduate concentration in environmental science and public policy, which currently has 125 concentrators. There have been 49 graduates since the program started five years ago.

Commenting on the new professorship and the support that will make it possible, Rudenstine says, "We deeply appreciate this generous gift, which represents a major milestone for environmental studies at Harvard. We are very fortunate to have, in Gilbert Butler, an alumnus so dedicated to advancing learning in a field of such long-term importance to Harvard and to society. And we are very fortunate to have, in Mike McElroy, a distinguished and deserving first incumbent for the new Butler chair."

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles comments, "Michael McElroy's superb scholarship has distinguished him as an intellectual leader par excellence in matters environmental. Gilbert Butler's magnificent gift will anchor a program in environmental studies that grows stronger by the day."

On his acceptance of the appointment, McElroy emphasizes the opportunity it provides him for devoting even greater attention to the environmental implications of his work.

"The Butler and the Kernan families have a long and distinguished history at Harvard," McElroy says. "I first met Gilbert and his wife, Ildiko, several years ago. They are a remarkably generous and philanthropic couple with a deep commitment to the environment. It is an honor to be appointed to the first chair at Harvard University specifically designated to environmental studies."

Gilbert Butler came to Harvard from Utica, N.Y., and hails from a family with strong Harvard ties going back several generations. In addition to his maternal grandfather, father, and four uncles, his two brothers are also College alumni. His niece and goddaughter, Julia Butler, will be entering the freshman Class of 2001 in September.

He has cultivated a passionate interest in the environment through direct experience, traveling widely even in his days as a Leverett House undergraduate. "I have always had a love of the outdoors and nature," he says, "and my favorite activities are those taking place in the 'great outdoors.' That has led me to travel a great deal and also given me the opportunity to see the rapid deterioration of the environment globally."

Butler's respect for the environment and longstanding connections with and love for Harvard made his gift a natural: "The environmental movement has become a focus of my life," he says. "And as a member of the Campaign Executive Committee of the Committee on University Resources [COUR], I wanted to do something substantial for Harvard. I hope that Harvard, with this kind of support, can play a leadership role and have a long-term impact on major problems confronting all of us through its scientific investigation of the causes of environmental degradation."