Connecticut Holds Sustainability Education Workshop
The Connecticut Partnership for Sustainability Education has completed a "Best Practices in Sustainability Education Workshop." The workshop provided opportunities for Connecticut schools to share their successes and challenges in integrating the principles of environmental sustainability into the curriculum and into campus practices. Faculty from Three Rivers Community College and several K-12 schools were in attendance.
Unity College Hires Sustainability Faculty and Staff
Despite the downturn in the economy, Unity College (ME) has hired three new faculty members to match the demand for its environmental curriculum, two new sustainable landscape horticulture assistants, and two new sustainable food production assistants. The creation of new positions is in response to a historically large pool of applicants, strong retention of students, new and ongoing public/private partnerships, and an increase in giving to the College during the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Also, not a single job was cut.
Wake Forest U Hires First Director of Sustainability
Wake Forest University (NC) has hired Dedee DeLongpré Johnston as director of sustainability, a newly created position. DeLongpré Johnston’s primary responsibility will be working with student, faculty, and staff groups to develop strategic initiatives for integrating sustainability into university programs, from teaching and research to public service and campus operations. As a member of the campus administration, she will also work with local and regional community representatives to develop synergies between Wake Forest’s sustainability programs and larger communities.
Portland State U Hires Sustainability Leadership & Outreach Coord
Portland State University (OR) has hired Heather Spalding as its new sustainability leadership and outreach coordinator. In her new position, Spalding will work with faculty, students, student leaders, and group to improve their sustainability practices and leadership opportunities. Spalding graduated from PSU and is a former employee of the PSU Office of Sustainability.
U Utah, U Florida Hire Sustainability Officers
The University of Utah and the University of Florida have hired sustainability officers. Utah has named architect Myron Willson to head its Office of Sustainability, replacing the late Craig Forster, the planning professor who initiated the program and died last year in a hiking accident. Willson has a Master's degree from the University of Utah and has served as adjunct faculty in the College of Architecture and Planning. He assumes his new post July 8. The University of Florida has named Anna Prizzia, the former outreach coordinator of the University of Florida’s Office of Sustainability, as the new director of its office of Sustainability. Prizzia has a Bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and a Master’s of science degree in wildlife ecology and conservation with a concentration in tropical conservation and development from UF.
U Texas Arlington Names First Sustainability Director
The University of Texas at Arlington has named environmental lawyer Kathryn C. Poulos, a commissioner for the Environmental and Energy Advisory Commission in Oak Park, Ill., as the University’s first sustainability director. Poulos, who will begin her new job on August 1, 2009, earned her law degree along with a certificate in environmental law from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1993.
U Texas Austin Hires Sustainability Director
The University of Texas at Austin has appointed Jim Walker as its first director of sustainability. In his new position, Walker will be part of the University's Campus Planning and Facilities Management unit. He will work closely with the President's Task Force on Sustainability and plans to meet frequently with on-campus and off-campus stakeholders to identify existing sustainability efforts and opportunities for collaboration. Walker will assume his new position full-time by August 1, 2009.
Northland College Student Association Names Dir of Sustainability
The Northland College (WI) Student Association has named Byron Emmons as its first director of sustainability. Emmons will coordinate project selection for the use of the Renewable Energy Fund and will create a sustainability award for students who have shown exceptional efforts towards sustainability. The new director will also work to facilitate general advances in the practices, policies, and projects of NCSA and Northland College.
Dickinson College Hires Sustainability Education Coordinator
Dickinson College (PA) has hired Sarah Brylinsky as sustainability education coordinator in its new Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education. Brylinsky’s goal is to incorporate components of sustainability into every discipline at Dickinson College, and she'd like to make sure everyone on campus utilizes the center and its resources. The new coordinator earned a B.A. in communication management and design from Ithaca College (NY), with minors in environmental studies and women's studies. Brylinsky received the 2008 Student Sustainability Leadership Award from AASHE.
Rutgers U to Establish Professorship of Employee Ownership
The Rutgers University (NJ) School of Management and Labor Relations has received $2 million from the Foundation for Enterprise Development to establish the J. Robert Beyster Professorship of Employee Ownership. The professor will be responsible for developing and teaching undergraduate and graduate-level elective courses focused on employee ownership and related issues, and mentoring Beyster fellows at Rutgers and other academic institutions. The process for selecting the first J. Robert Beyster Professor, who will be appointed for a renewable five-year term, will begin in the fall of 2010.
U Texas Arlington Begins Office Green Team Initiative
The University of Texas at Arlington has launched the Maverick Office Green Team initiative, a new program that aims to promote environmentally friendly changes among faculty and staff. The program aims to take a coordinated, long-term, and campus-wide approach to help campus members reduce their carbon footprint through energy reduction, waste reduction, recycling, and promotion of other environmental initiatives. Each team is given a list of Green Team Initiatives, and depending on how many initiatives the group can complete, they are placed at either a bronze, silver, or gold level. The initiative will also provide resources, helpful guidelines, and on-going consultation to offices and/or departments as needed.
Northern Arizona U Launches Energy Tracking Website
Northern Arizona University's Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with Visible Energy, has launched the Visible NAU website as part of a campaign to help faculty and staff better understand their home energy habits by comparing their usage to other NAU faculty and staff. The site allows employees who are APS or Unisource customers to sign up to have their energy data anonymously uploaded to the Visible NAU website where it can be compared with other NAU employees. Users will only be recognized as members of a certain department. The site is able to track departmental scores and which department's employees improve the most. Everyone who participates will be entered in a raffle to win energy-efficiency products and services. Tracking, however, will continue even after the completion of the campaign.
Yale U Announces Director of Climate and Energy Institute
Yale University (CT) has announced that Rajendra K. Pachauri will lead the newly established Yale Climate and Energy Institute (YCEI). Pachauri has chaired the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002 and has been director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), since 2001. He will retain these positions while taking up his new half-time position at Yale. Pachauri has been an active leader in the global climate policy debate and played a major role in laying the groundwork for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. YCEI will provide seed grants, support postgraduate study, sponsor conferences and workshops, and foster interdisciplinary research spanning from basic atmospheric science to public policy. Nearly 100 Yale scientists, engineers, physicians, social scientists and policy experts have joined together to launch the enterprise.
Conservationist Named for Stony Brook Southampton Dean
Stony Brook University, Southampton (NY) has named Mary C. Pearl, PhD, an internationally known and respected conservationist, for the first Dean and Administrative Vice President. Dr. Pearl is President of Wildlife Trust, a global organization dedicated to innovative conservation science, linking ecology and health, and building careers of local scientists and educators in 20 high-biodiversity countries in North America, Asia, Africa and Latin America. She is co-founder of the Center for Conservation Medicine, a consortium of Wildlife Trust with Tufts Veterinary School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the National Center for Wildlife Health and the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. She is also a co-founder of the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University, where she serves as an adjunct research scientist.
Indiana U Names First Director of Sustainability
Indiana University has named William M. Brown as its first director of sustainability. Brown is co-chair of the Indianapolis-Marion County Green Commission, chair of the Indiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and secretary of the Indiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Brown will start the new position March 2, helping create a campus sustainability program under the joint direction of Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson and Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer J. Terry Clapacs.
Agnes Scott College Hires Sustainability Fellow
Agnes Scott College (GA) has hired Lies Van Bekkum as its first sustainability fellow. Van Bekkum’s role as Agnes Scott’s Sustainability Fellow is shared with the city of Decatur where she works closely with the city’s new Environmental Sustainability Board. Van Bekkum, born and raised in the Netherlands, graduated from ASG in 2008 with a degree in Psychology.
Georgia Tech Hires Institute for Sustainable Systems Director
Georgia Institute of Technology has hired John C. Crittenden, Ph.D., as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Sustainable Systems and Director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems. In addition, he is also slated to fill the Hightower Chair in Sustainable Systems pending Board of Regents approval. Dr. Crittenden has received multiple awards for his research in the treatment and removal of hazardous materials from drinking and groundwater. He also has designed and received copyrights on computer software programs that analyze various pollution and absorption methods.
Indiana U Libraries Names Sustainability Officer
The Indiana University Library System has named Kathy McCarnes to the newly formed position of sustainability officer. The System also plans to form a permanent task force that would promote the use of recycled paper and aid the transformation to more efficient technologies to eliminate wasted energy. McCarnes is tasked with heading the committee and encouraging sustainable practices within the IU Libraries System.
Green Mountain College Hires Sustainability Coordinator
Green Mountain College (VT) has hired Amber Garrard as its new sustainability coordinator. Garrard holds an M.A. in sustainable development from SIT Graduate Institute, has started and managed a community garden, and was a research fellow for the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
Dickinson Offers Sustainability Curriculum Dev Grants & Workshop
The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education (CESE) at Dickinson College (PA) has announced an internal sustainability curriculum development program, the Environmental Education Fund (EEF), now available to all teaching staff. Curriculum, professional, and student-faculty development grants are competitively available to assist faculty in enhancing and creating environmentally and sustainability-related course content with emphasis on transdisciplinary, co-curricular, farm/biodiesel, watershed, global education, and community service projects. Projects will be funded based on their scholarly or creative merit and potential to advance knowledge about the effects of humans' actions on the environment. In addition, Dickinson College has announced an internal faculty development workshop that will allow a select group of faculty from across the curriculum to discuss the integration of the environment into college courses. Participants will explore methodologies by which the Dickinson community can meaningfully integrate sustainability through a variety of approaches, including place-based study, experiential learning, and multi-disciplinary team teaching.
George Washington U Hires Sustainability Director
George Washington University (DC) has hired Meghan Chapple-Brown as the University's first director of the office of sustainability. Chapple-Brown will coordinate operational activities university-wide under a collaborative plan that aims to maximize GW’s environmental efficiency at its two campuses in Washington, D.C. and Ashburn, VA. The new director will also work with the GW Office of Planning and Environmental Management to help create a comprehensive climate neutrality plan, which will target the reduction of greenhouse gases, and work with an academic task force looking at innovative curriculum in sustainability.
U Michigan Names Dir of Graham Env'l Sustainability Institute
University of Michigan aquatic ecologist Donald Scavia, an internationally recognized expert on coastal "dead zones," has been named the new director of the University's Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute. Scavia, a professor of natural resources and environment and director of the Michigan Sea Grant Program, has studied the Great Lakes and other coastal ecosystems for more than three decades. He joined the U-M faculty in 2004 after serving as chief scientist for the U.S. National Ocean Service. The Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute was launched in 2005 and supports multidisciplinary research and education related to environmental sustainability. It awards research grants, fellowships and scholarships, and it sponsors academic programs. The institute focuses on six key issues: energy; freshwater and marine resources; human health and the environment; biodiversity and global change; sustainable infrastructure, built environment and manufacturing; and environmental policymaking and human behavior.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh Names Director of Sustainability
The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has appointed Almut Beringer as the University's first director of sustainability. Dr. Beringer will lead the effort to carry out goals outlined in the Campus Sustainability Plan, which was unveiled in April 2008, and will also work with the provost on incorporating sustainability into the curriculum. She will report jointly to the vice chancellor for administrative services and the interim provost. Dr. Beringer previously served as a senior research fellow for the Sustainable University Project at the University of Lí¼neburg in Germany.
UC Davis Receives $2.5 M to Advance Energy Efficiency
The University of California, Davis has received $2.5 million from the Chevron Corporation to create a permanent leadership position for the campus's Energy Efficiency Center. The person appointed to the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency will direct the center, which was established in 2006. The campus plans to conduct a national search for the person to hold the Chevron Chair. S/he will be responsible for expanding the impact of the center’s research programs through interdisciplinary collaboration, education, outreach, and commercialization of technologies. He or she also will continue developing strong links with state and federal government, as well as with international programs.
U North Carolina Wilmington Hires Sustainability Coordinator
The University of North Carolina, Wilmington has hired Alyssa Halle as sustainability coordinator for the Campus Life Facilities. Halle is now responsible for documenting sustainable progress made thus far and creating new ways of making the campus more sustainable.
Louisiana State U Hires Campus Sustainability Manager
Louisiana State University has hired Denise Scribner as the institution's first campus sustainability coordinator. Housed within LSU's Department of Facility Services, the new hire will be responsible for cataloging existing eco-friendly initiatives around campus and spearheading new ways to cut back on waste and carbon emissions. Scribner will also research grant opportunities relating to sustainability and coordinate campus and community relations in order to communicate LSU’s ongoing efforts to the faculty, students, staff, and Baton Rouge area.
UCLA Hires Sustainability Coordinator
The University of California, Los Angeles has hired Nurit Katz as its first Sustainability Coordinator. Katz has an MBA and a Master's of Public Policy, both from UCLA, and a certificate for completing the four course "Leaders in Sustainability" program – a program that she helped develop. Her first task will be to finalize the campus' first climate action plan.
U Chicago, Unity College, U Iowa Hire Sustainability Officers
The University of Chicago (IL) has hired Ilsa Flanagan as the University's first Sustainability Director. Flanagan will work to develop a program to help the University incorporate sustainability into its academic pursuits. She will also work with the campus's Sustainability Project Manager, Associate Vice President, and the Sustainability Council to establish a campus-wide definition of sustainability. Unity College (ME) has announced the hiring of Rob Beranek as the campus's new Sustainability Coordinator. Beranek was the Managing Director of the Unity Center for Environmental Education, and he holds an undergraduate degree in physics and a Master's of Science in Environmental Studies. The University of Iowa has named Liz Christiansen, currently the deputy director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, as its Director of the Office of Sustainability. In her new role, Christiansen will coordinate and develop programs to promote sustainability and resource conservation; lead or coordinate efforts to formulate institutional goals, policies, practices and measure progress; seek grants and other funding to financially support campus sustainability efforts; and work to enhance and enlarge the UI community's understanding of the importance and feasibility of sustainability initiatives from an ecological and financial perspective.
Indiana U Student Government Appoints Director of Sustainability
The Indiana University Student Association (IUSA) has named Abby Schwimmer as its first Student Director of Sustainability. In addition, the IUSA Department of Sustainability has chosen Stas Futoransky as the Assistant Director. Plans for the two appointees include general sustainability education outreach, efforts to increase recycling among students who live off campus, and looking into a solution for “e-waste,” which includes disposing and refurbishing old and unused electronic devices in an environmentally friendly way.
Allegheny College Hires Sustainability Coordinator
Allegheny College (PA) has hired Kelly Boulton to fill its newly created full-time position of Sustainability Coordinator. Boulton will support Allegheny's efforts to coordinate and strengthen stewardship programs already in place, work to implement new sustainability projects, and use the College's baseline greenhouse gas inventory to develop a comprehensive action plan outlining in detail the steps necessary to achieve climate neutrality.
Colorado State U Names Managing Director of Climate Initiatives
Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley has appointed Aaron Levi, formerly his chief of staff, as managing director of Climate Initiatives and Carbon Assets to manage the University's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2020 and to oversee other university-wide environmental efforts. As operations manager, he'll work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to develop a long-term strategy and track the University's sustainability and energy management plans. He also will ensure the University completes its prior sustainability commitments, including the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment and the AASHE STARS pilot project.
Whitman College Hires Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Whitman College (WA) has hired senior Karlis Rokpelnis as Campus Sustainability Coordinator. Working under the chair of the conservation committee, Rokpelnis serves as a liaison between faculty, staff, and students and is the administrator of Whitman's new $100,000 Revolving Loan Fund. As the first Whitman Campus Sustainability Coordinator, Rokpelnis works 10 hours per week.
U Arizona Hires Social Justice Education Coordinator
The University of Arizona Residence Life has hired Mohammed Naser as the Social Justice Education Coordinator to teach students living in campus housing about diversity and social justice issues. One of Naser’s tasks is to form a peer advisory group called Advocates Coming Together, or ACT, that will be responsible for instituting new programs in the residence halls and on campus. Residence Life will be testing students’ knowledge about diversity and justice-oriented topics and themes before and after the academic year to gauge student learning.
UC San Diego Appoints Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives
The University of California, San Diego has appointed Byron Washom as its first Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives. Washom is tasked with providing strategic leadership in the establishment of an innovative energy plan. Future projects include energy storage systems that adjust to the intermittency of renewable energy and provide permanent load shifting; strategic purchasing of renewable energy from the grid during periods of surpluses; co-production of hydrogen from its fuel cell system; utilizing cold ocean water from the adjacent La Jolla Trench; and converting the campus vehicle transportation fleet into cleaner, alternative fuels.
Babson College Hires Clean Technology Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Babson College (MA) has appointed Mart T. Donohue as its first Clean Technology Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Donohue will help design and teach Babson’s Clean Technology, Sustainability, and Social Entrepreneurship programs. Donohue will also teach in the MBA and Executive Education programs, as he conducts research in the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. His research will focus on developing a breadth of case studies on the key lessons learned from the Cleantech sector. The case study series intends to be a tool for colleges and executive education programs.
UConn Develops Faculty & Staff Green Guide
University of Connecticut Student Sustainability Coordinator Alissa Becker has developed the University of Connecticut Sustainable Office Guidelines: A Guide to Working Green at the University of Connecticut . The 30 page booklet features tips, ideas, photos, and charts to help UConn faculty and staff reduce the University's ecological footprint. Topics include recycling, energy use, meetings, purchasing, transportation, and water conservation.
Coastal Carolina U Names Sustainability Coordinator
Coastal Carolina University (SC) has named alumna Marissa Mitzner as the campus' first sustainability coordinator. Mitzner, who graduated from the University in May, will be responsible for helping to tranform Coastal Carolina University into a more environmentally-friendly university. Mitzner also manages the EcoReps program of student workers and is developing a plan for making Coastal Carolina University more bike-friendly.
U Arizona Student Government Hires Sustainability Coordinator
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona has hired Lesley Ash as Sustainability Director. ASUA's Sustainability Director will be responsible for developing projects and initiatives that work to reduce waste at the University. Ash's first priorities will be to develop a composting system at UA's student unions and markets and to develop a sustainability committee within ASUA that will involve student clubs and organizations.
Virginia Commonwealth U Hires Director of Sustainability
Virginia Commonwealth University has placed Jacek Ghosh in the newly created position of Director of Sustainability to spearhead the development and implementation of a plan that will guide the University toward climate neutrality. Ghosh previously was a visiting community scholar in VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. He also developed a business plan for the establishment of a Sustainable Community Design Center to complement a proposed new graduate program in Sustainable Community Design.
Indiana U to Hire Sustainability Coordinator
Indiana University has announced plans to hire a full-time interim Director of Campus Sustainability. The IU President approved the new hire in a proposal from the IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President and the University Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. The Director will be supported by a graduate assistant and part-time student employees. In the same proposal, the IU President also approved plans to extend its summer sustainability internship program through the 2008-2009 academic year and transform the Task Force on Campus Sustainability to a Sustainability Advisory Board.
Meredith College Hires First Sustainability Coordinator
Meredith College (NC) has hired Laura Fieselman as Sustainability Coordinator. In this newly created position, Fieselman will work with the entire college community to develop a comprehensive sustainability program, coordinate sustainability efforts already underway, and raise awareness of environmental issues among students, faculty, and staff. The effort to create the sustainability coordinator position was led by Meredith College’s Student Government Association.
Furman U Hires Director of Sustainability and Env'l Education
Furman University (SC) has hired Dr. Angela Halfacre as the Director of Sustainability and Environmental Education. Halfacre will also be an Associate Professor of Political Science. She will be teaching environmental policy and sustainability courses. After graduating from Furman, she received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of Florida in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Her doctoral work had a substantive focus in environmental policy, and she also worked as policy specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Hires Natural Resource Sustainability Dir.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has hired William W. Shilts as the Executive Director of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability. Since joining the Institute, Shilts has made the environmentally preferable development of Illinois’ energy resources a priority. The Institute comprises the four state scientific surveys that recently became part of the Urbana campus: the Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
Western Kentucky U Hires Sustainability Coordinator
Western Kentucky University has appointed Christian Ryan-Downing as the University's first Sustainability Coordinator. Ryan-Downing will help identify and develop opportunities for reducing the University’s environmental footprint and operational costs through campus initiatives that reduce waste and use energy, water, and other resources more efficiently. She will work with students, faculty, and staff at WKU to integrate sustainability principles and practices into the University’s operations and culture. Ryan-Downing graduated from WKU in December 2007 with a Master's of Science degree; her graduate research focused on sustainability at WKU. As a student, she was a co-founder and president of GreenToppers Students for Campus Sustainability.
Pomona College Hires Sustainability Coordinator
Pomona College (CA) has hired Bowen Patterson as its first Sustainability Coordinator. Patterson is tasked with helping students with sustainability projects and helping the College to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste. The new Sustainability Coordinator will also help Pomona with a sustainability strategic plan. Patterson graduated from Pomona and went on to earn a Masters of Urban Planning and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Cities at the University of Southern California.
Dickinson College Hires Sustainability Director
Dickinson College (PA) has named Neil A. Leary as the first Director of its new Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education. Previous positions held by Leary include head of the Technical Support Unit of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, senior economist in the Office of Policy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and assistant professor at Middlebury College, where he also served as acting director of the Environmental Studies Program. Leary holds master and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Macalester College.
Drew U Hires First Sustainability Coordinator
Drew University (NJ) has hired Christina Notas as the school's first Campus Sustainability Coordinator. Notas will be responsible for spearheading the University’s green initiatives and fostering a culture of environmentalism among students, faculty, and staff. Notas, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies, is a recent graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and an alumna of the New Jersey Governor’s School on the Environment.
Kennesaw State U Appoints Director of Sustainability
Kennesaw State University (GA) has named Robert C. Paul‚ professor of biology in the College of Science and Mathematics‚ as the institution’s first Director of Sustainability. In his new role‚ Paul will oversee environmentally sustainable operational and educational initiatives. Paul assumed his new role on Aug. 1. The position is part of Kennesaw State’s overall efforts to lessen its environmental footprint and educate its students‚ faculty, and staff about environmental responsibility and sustainability.
U Southern Mississippi Hires Sustainability Officer
The University of Southern Mississippi has hired Larry Lee as Sustainability Officer. Lee will be responsible for establishing the University's new Office of Sustainability, which will focus on recycling, operations, and education. Lee will also focus efforts on an educational component called EcoEagle, with the goal of incorporating educational elements into the curriculum as well as implementing other activities for students and employees.
U Florida Starts Green Team Network
The University of Florida Office of Sustainability has developed a new program called the Green Team Network. The program calls for one volunteer from each campus department to be a Green Team captain. The captain's job is to inspire others to participate in green practices and to start green initiatives in his/her department. Additionally, the Office of Sustainability has created a Green Team homepage to provide resources to the approximately 50 teams that have signed up so far.
