Hofstra U Launches Sustainability Studies Program
This fall, the university has launched a Sustainability Studies Program that focuses on the challenges associated with the creation of sustainable suburbs. The interdisciplinary program leverages the resources of several departments including the National Center for Suburban Studies, the program in Urban Ecology, and the new department of Geology, Environment and Sustainability.
U Colorado Boulder Offers Online Renewable Energy Certificate
The university has partnered with the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute to offer a graduate-level renewable energy certificate. The three-course program can be taken onsite or online and is geared toward individuals not seeking a full degree but rather to learn about the latest energy technology and policy.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Creates Sustainability Degree
The institute has created a new major in sustainability studies to prepare students for jobs in the construction, science and engineering fields with a heavy focus on clean technology. The new Science and Technology Studies - Sustainability Studies B.S. program weaves together techniques and insights from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering to address environmental problems.
Humboldt State U Redesigns MBA to Focus on Sustainability
The university has restructured its Master of Business Administration program to focus on sustainability and career growth. The interdisciplinary program will mesh with undergraduate programs including the natural, environmental and social sciences. Students will analyze strategic sustainability issues of companies, non-profits and other organizations; with a focus on innovation and creation of new markets.
Hagerstown CC Collaboration to Support Alternative Energy Program
The college has partnered with First Solar, Inc. to provide students and faculty educational opportunities that include internships, site visits to a 20-megawatt Maryland Solar facility, and access to an energy dashboard. Maryland Solar will also provide the college with solar panels, enabling the college to install and maintain a ground-mounted solar power plant as well as a roof-mounted photovoltaic system.
SUNY ESF Launches Sustainable Energy Management Major
The college has introduced a new Sustainable Energy Management undergraduate degree program that focuses on energy markets, management and resources. The program is designed to give students an understanding of responsible energy resource use and insight into how these resources impact the natural world.
Maharishi U of Management Program Shifts Focus to Sustainability
The university’s doctoral program in management has shifted to a more sustainable focus. The Ph.D. program will develop holistic consciousness in the manager; manage the transformation of organizations toward sustainable practices; and facilitate the measurement and communication of sustainability outcomes.
U Maine Creates New Climate Change Adaptation Graduate Program
The Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change program will support the international research of 24 Ph.D. students in earth sciences, ecology, economics, anthropology, and archaeology. Their focus will be on threats of abrupt climate change to global security; ecosystem sustainability under abrupt climate change; and adaptation of economic, social, political, and ideological systems to abrupt climate change. Funded by a $3 million award from the National Science Foundation, the program is a collaboration between the university’s Climate Change Institute and its School of Policy and International Affairs.
James Cook U Creates Sustainability Degree Program
(Australia): The new bachelor’s degree program features three majors that aim to build capacity and encourage competence for sustainable development. Students will have the opportunity to choose a ‘sustainability core’ of subjects that demonstrate the theoretical, philosophical and practical attributes of sustainability, or a ‘disciplinary core’ comprising subjects from a disciplinary major.
U Georgia Costa Rica Campus to Offer Sustainability Certificate
(U.S.): The university’s Costa Rica study abroad campus has announced a new Sustainability in Action semester leading to a sustainability certificate. The program includes an international field experience with coursework intended to directly feed into the University’s Local Food Systems, Environmental Ethics, Organic Agriculture and Sustainability certificate programs.
Clemson U Launches Medical Device Reprocessing Program
The university has established a certificate program to train engineers to recycle and reprocess medical devices to save on supply costs and divert medical waste from landfills. The program received contributions from third-party reprocessing companies, including Stryker Sustainability Solutions.
Chatham U Offers MBA Sustainability Program
Complementing programming within the university’s School of Sustainability and the Environment, the Business and Entrepreneurship department has announced a new sustainable business track in the Master of Business Administration. Course work will include business and sustainability, sustainability assessment and reporting, and sustainable supply chain management. Students also have the opportunity to gain international field experience and work directly with sustainable business consultants.
Salt Lake CC Debuts Solar Training Yard
Funded by $2.1 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the college’s new solar photovoltaic training yard will provide a space for hands-on training to industry professionals and prospective technicians.
U New Hampshire to Offer Corporate Sustainability Certificate
The university is holding a three-day institute this fall that will explore corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Students who attend the institute and complete a capstone project in their workplace will receive the certificate. The certificate is being offered by the university’s School of Business and Economics and Sustainability Academy in partnership with New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility.
U Wisconsin Campuses to Offer Graduate Sustainable Mgmt Degree
Five campuses are pooling their resources to launch a collaborative online Master of Science degree in sustainable management. The program is a follow-up to the Bachelor of Science degree in sustainable management, which was developed three years ago.
Clarkson U Offers New Master’s in Environmental Politics
(U.S.): The university’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment will introduce an environmental politics and governance program this fall. The curriculum will cover the process of policy-making to promote science-based environmental legislation, regulations and policy, including energy policies and decisions within both the public and private sectors.
Excelsior College Debuts Renewable Energies Program
(U.S.): The new renewable energies technology concentration is part of the college’s four-year technology management program, beginning this fall. The college has also partnered with General Electric Co. to offer a program that allows the company’s wind technicians to earn on-the-job college credits toward a bachelor’s degree.
Lafayette College Launches 2 Environmental Studies Programs
As a result of an $800,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enhance environmental curriculum, the college will debut environmental studies and environmental science degree programs this fall. The college has created 12 new environmental courses that will address the scientific as well as social and ethical aspects of human interactions with the environment.
Georgia NW Tech Launches Green Building Technician Program
With courses including "Energy Measures and Efficiency" and "Green Building Construction Techniques," students in this new program will be introduced to green building methods, energy efficient mechanical systems, energy monitoring and green building construction techniques.
U Utah Debuts Sustainability Certificate Program
Due to increased student demand, the university is now offering an integrated certificate in sustainability for students in all majors starting this fall. Introductory courses include "Introduction to Environment and Sustainability" and "Foundations of Urban Ecology."
India, U.S. Partnerships Zero in on Climate Change, Food Security
(U.S. and India): During a recent U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue, Indian and American higher education leaders vowed to focus on educational partnerships that furthered priority areas including workforce training, using technology to make educational opportunities available to greater numbers of people, and undertaking joint research in priority fields like food security and climate change. The talks are the latest in a nearly three-year-old effort by the administrations of President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to increase cooperation in higher education between the two countries, a $10 million joint commitment to further academic collaboration and exchange, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Masdar Institute of Technology Offers Solar Energy Training
(United Arab Emirates): The institute recently held a course on solar energy technology for members of its Young Future Energy Leaders program. Students had the opportunity to learn about solar cell technology and the fabrication processes for various types of modules. They also participated in a hands-on lab session with the institute’s 10-megawatt photovoltaic power plant.
Walters State CC to Offer Clean Energy Technology Degree
(U.S.): Beginning this fall, the college will offer an associate of applied science degree in clean energy technology. Four core focus programs will be offered including electricity, sustainable agriculture, transportation and building technology.
Antioch U New England Sustainability Prgms Earn PSM Designation
The Council of Graduate Schools has approved the university’s master degree programs in resource management and conservation, and environmental studies for affiliation as Professional Science Master’s programs.
The recognition confirms that the programs effectively train students to be both scholars and practitioners.
Indiana U Awards Fellowships for New Sustainability Courses
Three faculty members have been awarded Sustainability Course Development Fellowships for 2012. Courses to be developed include "Pleasure, Pain and Peak Oil," "Hands-on LEED for Existing Buildings on Campus” and "Cheaper is not Better, Zero is: Sustainable product development starts with students." The fellowship program supports efforts to enhance instruction of topics related to sustainability and environmental literacy.
Oregon State U Launches Sustainability Social Science Degree
The university's new bachelor’s degree program focuses on social, cultural and environmental dynamics in communities, cities and nations, and will include a community development concentration. Students will examine how these dynamics impact the development of sustainable systems.
U South Dakota Introduces New Sustainability Major
The university's new major, set to launch this fall, will include introductory sustainability courses, electives and an applied learning experience. Students will have the opportunity to choose from two concentrations in public communication or science.
Winthrop U Updates MBA Program with Sustainability Focus
The university has redesigned its Master of Business Administration program to focus on globalization, communication and sustainability. Starting this fall, students will be able to choose from seven different concentrations.
Indiana U-Purdue U Indianapolis Announces Sustainability Programs
Starting in fall 2012, the university will offer a new Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in urban sustainability and a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs in sustainable management and policy. At the undergraduate level, students will learn the principles of sustainability, sustainable management, environmental justice and green technologies. At the graduate level, students will take courses in areas including urban sustainability, environmental conflict resolution, cost-benefit analysis, and natural resource management.
Cornell U Launches New Sustainability Major
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ new environmental science and sustainability major will debut in fall 2013. The curriculum will integrate physical, chemical, biological and social sciences with humanities with proposed concentration areas including environmental biology and applied ecology; environmental policy and governance; biogeochemical sciences; and environmental economics.
Drake State Tech College Debuts Renewable Energy Teaching Lab
Financed by a $458,000 Department of Labor grant, the new lab serves as a training facility for the installation of geothermal heating and cooling units. The facility includes a 60-gallon solar thermal water heater, 12 solar panels and an electric car charging station. With funding from a federal grant, renewable energy training at the college is offered at no cost to participants.
Greenfield CC to Launch Farm and Food Systems Associate Degree
The new interdisciplinary program will cover ecological, economic, political and social systems as they relate to food and farming. Working with the University of Massachusetts Amherst to create a permaculture garden on campus, the college will also offer courses in permaculture, botany and horticulture. In addition, students can select courses from a "re-skilling series" in areas including beekeeping, four-season farming, mushroom foraging and cultivation, and creating a cooperative food economy.
Kean U Expands Sustainability Studies to New Jersey Highlands
The university has announced plans to expand its environmental and life sciences program to the New Jersey Highlands, a 2 million acre region in New Jersey that provides more than half of the state with drinking water. As part of a preservation and management program, students and faculty will research the impacts of climate change in the ecosystem, and biochemical processes related to landscape management in this living laboratory setting.
Ohio State U Offers New Sustainability Major
The recently launched environment, economy, development and sustainability major is a multidisciplinary degree program that focuses on the human dimensions of sustainability. Coursework includes environmental economics, business management, environmental sociology, community and international development, ecological engineering and environmental sciences. Students will have the opportunity to specialize in one of four areas including sustainability and business, environmental economics and policy analysis, community development and international development.
Beuth U Debuts Renewable Energy MBA
(Germany): The new online MBA in renewable energies, launched by the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin and Renewables Academy, will prepare participants to deal with renewable energy technologies including their economics, policy and legal frameworks.
Stanford U Announces Online Renewable Energy Certificate Program
(U.S.): The university's new online professional certificate program in renewable energy will explore technologies that can transform how energy is obtained, distributed and stored. Program participants will also learn about opportunities to develop and market new technologies.
U Hull Launches Renewable Energy Master’s Degree
(U.K.): The university's new environmental technology renewable energy graduate degree will prepare students for the wind, wave and tidal power sectors. Starting in September, students will have the opportunity to examine key scientific and technical principles underlying a range of renewable energy technologies; learn about product design and life cycles; develop research and analytical skills relevant to renewable energy resource analysis; and gain practical experience through industry placements with integrated dissertation projects.
Maharishi U Management Creates Sustainability Consortium
Business professor Scott Herriott at Maharishi University of Management (Iowa) has formed a consortium of universities that will offer MBA courses on sustainability during this year's summer session. The Summer MBA Sustainability Consortium now includes the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (Washington), Brandeis University (Massachusetts), Marylhurst University (Oregon), Seattle Pacific University (Washington), University of Denver (Colorado), University of Maine and University of Vermont. Students at any member school will be able to take courses in environmental law, sustainable technologies and green investing.
St. Lawrence U to Launch Sustainability Semester
In spring 2013, student participants will be able to live and take courses together that address themes of human sustainability from a variety of disciplines. Located on a farm, the students will work on-site to grow food and build energy-efficient structures. The semester will also include an urban component where students spend two weeks in either Boston or New York to explore issues such as transportation, housing, food access, pollution and environmental justice.
Ecotech Institute Announces Partnership with Veterans Green Jobs
The institute, which focuses entirely on renewable energy and sustainability, has partnered with Veterans Green Jobs to enhance opportunities for military veterans in the green job sector. Sixty-seven students at the institute are military veterans or currently serving in the military.
New York Times Profiles Rise of 'Food Studies' Curriculum
Encompassing agriculture, business, health, economy, environment and international relations, the new academic field of food studies is "taking shape in an expanding number of colleges and universities," reports a recent New York Times article. Tailoring programs to their geographic areas and demographics, institutions are preparing students for new careers in food safety reform; local-food businesses and anti-obesity; equity and climate efforts; and broader contexts of traditional disciplines like culinary arts and farming.
Portland CC Develops Hybrid and Electric Car Curriculum
The college’s hybrid and electric car battery research will be developed into a curriculum to share with students, local technicians, fellow community colleges and businesses. The program, which is developing a 30-credit hybrid-training certificate, has partnered with two local repair shops to look at how they can provide better and more affordable repair work for hybrid and electric cars.
DePaul U to Launch Urban Agriculture Minor
Starting in the fall, the university's new urban agriculture minor will allow students to study issues of social and environmental justice, food security, sustainability and ecology through hands-on engagement. The university's new Urban Farming Organization has also begun constructing a campus urban farm that will complement the curriculum and educate the public about how to establish and enjoy sustainable food production systems.
Metropolitan CC Unveils New Solar Training Facility
Funded by a Nebraska Energy Office grant, the new facility will provide a real-world work area for solar, sustainability and horticulture students to learn and practice new technologies; lab area for practicums and funded studies; and an area to demonstrate conservation building practices and solar technology. Students at the college assisted with the assembly of the eight-panel solar system, water tank and radiant tubing as part of the college's hands-on classes on solar energy and technology.
Vatterott College Adds Wind Training Program
Through lecture and hands-on training, the college's new wind technician diploma program is designed to prepare students with the electricity and mechanics skills needed to become service technicians.
Jacksonville U Approves Sustainability Degree
(U.S.): Beginning this fall, students will have the opportunity to obtain a B.S., B.A. and Bachelor of Business Administration in sustainability. Interdisciplinary courses will include sustainability concepts within sociology, math, statistics, business, philosophy, economics, management, law and ethics. The program will also have a community component focused on experiential learning.
James Madison U Installs Wind Turbine for Teaching
(U.S.): A 7.5-kilowatt wind turbine will provide energy to the campus and educational opportunities for students, outside entrepreneurs and local K-12 schools. Faculty will develop hands-on curriculum for students interested in wind power.
U Oregon to Expand Urban Farm Curriculum Opportunities
The university’s Urban Farm project, a program of the Landscape Architecture department and the Student Sustainability Center, has received $42,000 from the Associated Students of the University of Oregon's Over-Realized Fund to help secure more land and resources to meet increasing student interest. The funding will expand the farm to three new lots and create another graduate teaching fellow position to help with hands-on instruction, allowing more students to be involved with the farm.
