U Hawaii Maui College Debuts Sustainable Science Mgmt Degree
The University of Hawaii Board of Regents has granted provisional status for a new undergraduate degree in sustainable science management to debut at the University of Hawaii Maui College in fall 2011. With a focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation, the degree program provides green industry workforce training and integrates topics in energy, ecology, business and management, water and wastewater, agriculture, wastewater management, economics, policy and social science.
Colorado Mountain College Creates Sustainability Studies Degree
Colorado Mountain College has announced the creation of a bachelor's degree in sustainability studies. The program will focus on the economy, environment and social equity. Faculty studied programs offered at 30 colleges before designing coursework that will incorporate business, science and literature studies.
U Florida Announces New Sustainability Studies Program
The University of Florida has announced a new sustainability studies major that will start in fall 2011. The interdisciplinary program will investigate the means to maintain environmental health, create economic welfare and pursue social justice. Students will gain an understanding of how these goals are interdependent and explore how they best can be pursued over the long term on local, national and global scales. Students will also be required to take part in internships or service learning projects.
Washington State U Vancouver to Offer Renewable Energy Option
Washington State University, Vancouver has received a $250,500 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to develop curriculum in renewable energy. The program will develop and combine eight courses from mechanical engineering, computer science and electrical engineering. Students majoring in any of the programs will have the opportunity to complete the renewable energy option. Solar energy and wind power will be the primary focus of the course work. The grant will also be used to equip an energy systems laboratory and radio frequency communications laboratory. Courses will begin in spring 2012.
Central College Creates Global Sustainability Minor
Central College (IA) has created a global sustainability minor to be offered in fall 2011. The program is designed to offer all students a means of acquiring some of the tools and practical experience needed to enter the workforce and deal with complex issues focusing on the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. The minor requires 20-22 hours of class study and students must complete two courses including "Introduction to Environmental Science" and "Global Sustainability."
U Mass Amherst Launches Sustainable Food and Farming Certificate
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has announced a new sustainable food and farming certificate program that is open to the public. Available this summer, the 15-credit program is designed to serve students who are not able to make a commitment to a four-year degree but still want to earn college credentials. Available entirely online or by mixing online and campus classes, the program will offer sustainable farming systems, education, and public policy and advocacy areas of study.
Western Kentucky U Creates Master's in Social Responsibility
Western Kentucky University has announced a new master's degree in social responsibility and sustainable communities, scheduled to begin in fall 2011. The graduate program will provide students from diverse backgrounds the tools to lead communities toward social justice and sustainability. Students will have the opportunity to conduct an action research project to understand relevant community issues and to identify possible solutions. The program has core courses and additional electives, with or without a thesis option, for a total of 33 hours.
Bristol CC Receives $900K for Green Energy Curriculum
Including partnerships with area businesses and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Bristol Community College (MA) has announced a new Sustainability and Green Energy Across the Curriculum initiative. With a three-year, $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the college will now offer concentrations in solar energy and wind energy including a new green building technologies certificate.
Fielding Graduate U Debuts Sustainability Leadership Certificate
Developed in response to demand from practitioners and executives who want to remain competitive and effective, Fielding Graduate University's (CA) School of Human and Organizational Development has announced a new sustainability leadership certificate program. The program is designed to give students an understanding of sustainability through an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates ecological, economic, cultural and organizational theory and research.
Fleming College Debuts Green Business Mgmt Certificate
Fleming College has announced a new green business management graduate certificate program that will be offered at its Sutherland Campus in January 2012. Offered in a format to accommodate those working full-time, the program will provide students with skills to promote and lead sustainability and green practices in business and industrial sectors.
U Arkansas Announces Minor in Sustainability
The University of Arkansas has announced that it will begin offering an undergraduate minor in sustainability. The new program will provide foundational knowledge and skills related to sustainability, organized by four thematic areas including social systems, natural systems, built systems and managed systems. Students can declare the minor starting this summer.
Ball State U to Offer Sustainability Minor
Ball State University (IN) announced plans for a new minor in sustainability during a recent 10th anniversary celebration of its Council on the Environment. The program, to be offered in fall 2011, will explore issues including systems theory, values and ethics, atmosphere and climate, population, energy, water, land, food (land-based and freshwater/marine-based), health (disease and nutrition), materials (resource harvesting, resource limitations and resource recycling), natural biological systems, and economies and poverty. The minor aims to prepare students to be able to describe social, environmental and economic elements of long-term human survival; understand the systems nature of the interrelationships among social, environmental and economic elements of civilization; articulate their personal values as related to this complexity; and apply concepts of sustainability in decision making.
Kansas City Kansas CC to Offer Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Cert
Kansas City Kansas Community College's Technical Education Center will offer an Automotive Hybrid and Electric Vehicle certificate program in fall 2011. The 40-hour technician certificate level program will allow students with automotive training or experience to understand operation and service for hybrid and electrical vehicles and expand their skills in the new technology.
U Notre Dame to Offer 2 New Sustainability Minors
The University of Notre Dame (IN) has announced plans to offer two new sustainability minors in fall 2011. The interdisciplinary minors, sustainability and energy studies, will be available to students in any major and will offer technical and non-technical course focuses to appeal to the greatest percentage of students as possible.
Duke U to Offer New Sustainable Systems Analysis Certificate
Duke University (NC) has announced a new two-year sustainable systems analysis certificate program. Beginning fall 2011, the certificate is designed to give students in-depth working knowledge of the economic, environmental, technological and social forces driving sustainability in the global marketplace today. The program will be open to students pursuing degrees in environmental management, engineering management, public policy and business administration.
Students Install Solar Panels at Fleming College
Students in a "Solar Installation and Maintenance" course at Fleming College (ON) recently completed the installation of 25 solar panels on the college's Alderville Band buildings. The six-month course also includes 350 hours of classroom training.
Berkshire CC to Establish Sustainable Energy Training Center
Berkshire Community College (MA) has received a $201,067 grant from the Northeast Utilities Foundation to convert its Ralph Hoffmann Environmental Center into the Sustainable Energy Resource Training Center. This new center will provide certification programs for workers interested in joining the renewable energy workforce. Programs will provide training in the development and installation of solar heating, wind and photovoltaic systems, as well as for energy auditors and for technicians trained in weatherization.
U Nevada Reno to Host Geothermal Academy
The University of Nevada, Reno is scheduled to host the nation’s first National Geothermal Academy at its Redfield campus in June. The eight-week educational program is a consortium of national leaders in the geothermal field from colleges and universities throughout the nation. Professionals from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other companies will teach the 40 students who have been selected through a competitive application process.
Daemen College Debuts New Global and Local Sustainability Degree
Daemen College (NY) will offer a new interdisciplinary bachelor's degree in global and local sustainability starting in fall 2011. Students can choose from areas of concentration including liberal arts, business, health care studies and education. Internship opportunities will help students further their skills in economic and social development and cultural and historical preservation, and prepare for environmental careers in government, nonprofits and private businesses.
American U Announces New Sustainability Mgmt Program, Director
American University (DC) has announced that it will enroll the first class of its new sustainability management graduate program in fall 2012. Dan Jacobs, a faculty member in the university's Kogod School of Business, has been appointed to serve as director of the new program. The interdisciplinary business degree will combine coursework from multiple academic units at American University and students may choose to specialize in one of three tracks including business, science and policy.
U Georgia Debuts Local Food Systems Certificate Program
The University of Georgia was recently awarded a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop an interdisciplinary Local Food Systems certificate program. Students will complete 18 hours of coursework with foundation, capstone and internship project-based experiences for a strong foundation for a career in local food issues. A significant component of the grant proposal for the certificate is to develop more academic service-learning opportunities focused on local food issues.
U New Mexico to Create Sustainable Enviro Food Systems Program
The University of New Mexico Sustainability Studies Program has received a $1.5 million grant for an endowed chair in sustainable and environmental food systems and $150,000 in start-up funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The project is intended to provide a professional career path for students interested in pursuing sustainable agriculture and food security issues. Students will work with community groups using media arts, ecology and community engagement. Outreach and research will focus on local foodsheds as integrated systems of land, skill, regional plant varieties, infrastructure and markets.
Pepperdine U Debuts Social, Enviro, Ethical Business Certificate
Pepperdine University's (CA) Graziadio School of Business and Management has launched a certificate in Socially, Environmentally and Ethically Responsible (SEER) business practices. The program allows students to complement their MBA degree with courses and activities that will prepare them to apply SEER values to companies across a diverse range of industries.
RIT Offers Master of Architecture with Sustainable Focus
The Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) has announced a new Master of Architecture program that will begin in the fall, with curriculum that focuses on the areas of sustainability, urbanism and integrated practice such as energy efficiency. A collaboration between the school's Golisano Institute for Sustainability and the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, the program is founded upon the principle that architecture programs can no longer afford to teach anything other than sustainable architecture. In addition to courses in industrial ecology, sustainable science and sustainable buildings, traditional courses in design, theory and history will be taught through the lens of sustainability. Students will also have opportunities to collaborate with research labs and academic programs in pollution prevention, sustainable engineering, urban and community studies, and public policy.
San Diego State U Offers Green Job Training Certificates
San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies (CA) was recently profiled for its foresight in offering sustainable energy certificate programs that will meet the increasing need of the region’s green labor market. In addition to the Green Building Construction certificate that launched in 2008, the university now offers online certificates in Commercial and Residential Sustainable Practices and Green Energy Management.
Montgomery County CC Students to Build LEED Homes Over Break
Students at Montgomery County Community College (PA) will travel to Kent County in Michigan to work on the construction of Habitat for Humanity homes that will seek LEED certification as part of an alternative spring break program. Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge is a year-round alternative break program that offers more than 200 volunteer sites throughout the country. The Kent County chapter committed to building all future homes to LEED certification in 2007.
U Saskatchewan Offers New Critical Enviro Ed Graduate Degree
The University of Saskatchewan is offering a new Master of Education degree in critical environmental education to begin in July 2011. The degree will be offered through four online courses and three summer institutes that explore culture and environment; anti-racist education; research methods; re-inhabitation in relation to social and ecological justice issues; autobiography and contemporary fiction as a means to study the construction of identities; concepts of wisdom including Indigenous and deep ecology; and provide the opportunity to develop, practice and experience a range of curricula and assessment practices relevant to critical environmental education.
Durham Technical CC Expands Sustainability Technologies Program
Durham Technical Community College (NC) began a sustainability technologies program last fall for trained electricians, but due to an "outpouring of interest," the school will be opening a new program available to students without previous electrical training. The program focuses on solar panel installation, energy auditing, energy savings techniques, insulation and solar heated water. The college received a $250,000 grant from Duke Energy to help purchase the technology necessary for instructing students.
Kansas State U Students Design Green Campus Building
Students in the architecture program at Kansas State University are working on all phases of the design, permitting and construction process for a new design studio on campus, Studio 804. The studio will implement a host of green features including wind turbines, a green roof, a vented wall that improves circulation, a smart grid energy meter, energy-efficient appliances and electric vehicle charging stations. The students are raising money to finance the studio, which will seek LEED Platinum certification.
Maharishi U Mgmt Students Study Campus Sustainability Benefits
Students in a "Managing for Sustainability" course at Maharishi University of Management (IA) will perform sustainability inventories and cost/benefit analyses in campus system areas like waste, lighting, heating/air conditioning, composting and recycling. Based on their findings, the students will make recommendations to the university on which sustainability initiatives to tackle, and which ones might not be worth it. The students will start with small things that can make a difference like the university's recent switch to single-stream recycling.
U Kentucky Debuts Sustainability Studies Degree
The University of Kentucky is set to offer an environmental and sustainability studies degree. The undergraduate major will incorporate a broad range of subjects including humanities, natural sciences, writing, communications and environmental ethics. The program will begin in fall 2011.
Gambia Technical Training Inst Partners for Solar Energy Training
Power Up Gambia, an organization that works to provide reliable electricity and water in Gambia through solar energy, has reported a partnership with Gambia Technical Training Institute, one of the largest skills training centers in the country. The organization will work with the institute's Department of Electrical Engineering in an effort to help Gambian companies in the solar field by supporting the development of skilled and well-trained energy technicians who have a strong and common knowledge base in electricity and renewable energy.
Manipal U, Ashoka Trust Debut Ph.D. Program
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment is accepting applications for its interdisciplinary doctoral program in conservation science and sustainability studies. The program is recognized by Manipal University (India) and will provide a fellowship for two years. Applicants must have a master's degree in environmental sciences and will be expected to pursue environmental research for a multi-disciplinary dissertation committee.
U Southern Queensland Offers Global Reporting Initiative Degree
The University of Southern Queensland (Australia) has partnered with City University of Seattle to offer an undergraduate accounting degree designed around the Global Reporting Initiative, the international standard for businesses to report against a range of protocol categories including economic, strategy and profile, product responsibility, society, labor practices and decent work, human rights and the environment. The new courses are offered through the University of Southern Queensland's existing accounting and sustainable business bachelor's degree program.
Cal Poly Pomona Students Design Homes to Replace Wildfire Losses
Students at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are working to design and build sustainable prototype homes for structures that were lost to southern California wildfires in 2007. Owned by the City of San Diego and leased to ranchers who maintain the land, the destroyed homes qualified for emergency assistance funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Known as the Pamo Valley Project, the City of San Diego has teamed with the university's Department of Architecture to engage students to design two low-cost structures for the site. The homes will feature water, energy and waste conservation strategies that will augment passive and active system performance. The Pamo Valley Project was recently awarded the 2010 National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Grant, which is designed to help architecture schools implement new programs that merge the practice of architecture and education in a studio or classroom setting.
U New Hampshire Debuts Sustainable Agriculture Program
The University of New Hampshire has launched a new major that reflects the region's agricultural landscape and growing appetite for local, sustainable food, products and services. The sustainable agriculture and food systems curriculum combines plant, animal and environmental sciences with related topics like nutrition, forestry, aquaculture, and business disciplines such as entrepreneurship and marketing. The major offers both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees.
U Virginia Launches Global Sustainability Minor
The University of Virginia's Office of the Provost has approved a new interdisciplinary minor in global sustainability, open to undergraduates in any discipline. Requirements include one foundation course, "Global Sustainability," and options within the three categories of environment, equity and economy. The creation of the minor was a student initiative.
Antioch U New England Takes Sustainability MBA Online
Antioch University New England (NH) has announced a new online version of its sustainability MBA program. The first cohort of the fully accredited, two-year program will begin in May 2011. Along with a 24-month weekend program and an accelerated 12-month program, the university now offers three sustainability MBA degree delivery options.
Colorado State U Offers Online Green Building Certificate
Colorado State University has begun offering an online green building certificate program open to the public starting in February. The program was developed by the director of the university's Institute for the Built Environment. The courses may also qualify as prerequisites to LEED accreditation and to LEED credential maintenance.
Cornell U Offers New Minor in Sustainable Energy Systems
Cornell University (NY) will offer a new minor in sustainable energy systems through the College of Engineering starting this academic year. Courses in wide-ranging disciplines will be offered including biological and environmental engineering, earth and atmospheric sciences and mechanical and aerospace engineering. Its broader aspects will encompass environmental, economic and social impacts of energy technologies.
Maharishi U Mgmt MBA Program Launching New Sustainability Courses
Maharishi University of Management's (IA) MBA program has announced plans to roll out a slate of new sustainability courses this spring semester. Including "Measuring & Reporting on Sustainability" and "Sustainable Community Development," the new courses are designed to better prepare students for the business world's current focus on sustainability. Students will now have access to a new software program that lets one create models of sustainable technologies and be able to examine aspects of organizational change for sustainability.
U Colorado Boulder Enviro Center Launches Sustainable Mgmt Cert
The University of Colorado at Boulder's Environmental Center has launched a sustainability management certificate program. "Designing for Sustainable Transportation," "Becoming a Sustainability Coordinator" and "Introduction to Smart Grid" are a few of the courses offered through the Sustainable Practices Program at a 20 percent discount to faculty and staff, and a 50 percent discount to students. The curriculum is tailored to professionals and entrepreneurs interested in developing new skills and sustainability training.
NY Times Profiles Social Entrepreneurship in Higher Education
"Today's business students are far more socially aware than their predecessors," Hult International Business School's London president Stephen Hodges tells The New York Times in a recent article. The school's plan to debut a new master's degree in social entrepreneurship at its London location in September 2011 is the focus of the article that reveals student interest as the motivation behind expanded social enterprise business curriculum. While the article names a number of American universities that offer social entrepreneurship programs, London's School for Social Entrepreneurs' director of policy, Nick Temple, says that he is concerned that social entrepreneurship education in the U.S. seems to be embedded in universities: "...we feel that social justice is also about addressing inequalities. If you're limiting yourself to people who've passed exams or can afford the cost of private university fees you limit yourself to a relatively small pool."
Owens CC Introduces Alternative Energy Degree
Owens Community College (OH) has announced its new Alternative Energy and Sustainable Systems Technology Program, which will offer an associate degree in alternative energy. Students enrolled in the program will use the campus' wind turbine, solar panels and geothermal heating systems to learn the technology behind alternative energy sources.
Renewable Energy Trade School Opens Doors of New Campus
The Ecotech Institute (CO), a trade school focused entirely on renewable energy, sustainable design and green technology recently welcomed about 200 students to its new campus. The 620,000-square-foot campus, which features photovoltaic solar panels, wind turbines and motion-triggered light controls, is offering two-year associate degrees in electrical engineering technology, energy and environmental paralegal, energy efficiency, environmental technology, renewable energy technology, solar energy technology and wind energy technology, as well as a certificate program in sustainable interior design.
Sterling College Launches Farm-to-Table Curriculum
Sterling College (VT) will launch a new academic farm-to-table food studies program in summer 2011. "Vermont's Table: Farming, Cooking and the Rural Experience" will expose students to Vermont's farms, cheesemakers and agricultural businesses including the opportunity to shadow agricultural students on the campus farm. Students will also receive culinary training using locally sourced ingredients during the five-week sessions. Courses include "Whole Farm Thinking" and "Farm-Scale Production of Value-Added Products."
Chatfield College Offers Free Environmental Sustainability Course
Chatfield College (OH) has partnered with the Duke Energy Foundation to provide a free environmental sustainability course for students and community members. The course will teach environmental issues and solutions, how to apply and develop this information to everyday living, and help prepare for professions in the field sustainability. The curriculum is funded by the Duke Energy Foundation Community Sustainability Grant Program.
Sacred Heart U Announces Enviro Systems Analysis Grad Program
Sacred Heart University (CT) has announced a new Master of Science in Environmental Systems Analysis and Management to begin in fall 2011. Affiliated with the Professional Science Master's Initiative, the program is designed to equip students for careers as managers, analysts, consultants and scientists in areas including field work and research, as well as work in environmental organizations, conservation groups and government agencies. Courses will include specialized training in hydrology, field methods, environmental sampling, analysis and problem solving. Students will also have the opportunity to choose electives in a variety of subjects including ecosystem ecology, hazardous waste management and environmental policy.
Delta College Purchases Wind Turbine Teaching Model
Delta College (MI) has purchased a 300-kilowatt model wind turbine to teach the disassembly, repair and reassembly of the equipment as part of a lab experience for students. "Having this unit at ground level offers students the opportunity to receive hands-on training in a safe environment, learn the basic diagnostic and repair techniques, and learn more about the vast size and scope of this new industry’s equipment," Delta College's Sustainability and Risk Management Coordinator Linda Petee tells AASHE Bulletin.
Green Mtn College Students Build House from Reclaimed Materials
As part of a semester-long project in the REED (Renewable Energy and EcoDesign) certificate program, students at Green Mountain College (VT) recently unveiled a "tiny house" of their own design. Based on interviews with mock clients, the class collaborated on the 8- by 12-foot design, built almost entirely from reclaimed materials. During the $1,927 design and construction process, students adhered to sustainable building practices whenever possible. Students helped pay for the project with a $100 per student course fee and expect to recoup their investment by selling the house in the spring, when the moveable structure will be equipped with a solar-powered electrical system.
