White House to Consult Higher Education on Affordability Policy
The Obama administration will consult independent colleges while developing the president's proposed financial aid overhaul, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education. Noting that two external barriers to affordability include decreased state appropriations for higher education and the pressure that college leaders face to spend on new facilities that make their institutions more attractive to potential students, the administration says it will engage in an "honest and open dialogue" with the entire higher education community.
Appalachian State U Expands Green Transportation Options
Appalachian State University (NC) has teamed up with UHaulCarShare to expand its car sharing program. Through the partnership, students, faculty and staff will have access to three vehicles 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to UHaulCarShare, the university offers ride sharing through Zimride, a ridesharing social network that helps people share commutes or one-time rides.
Bennett College, EPA Partner to Create Sustainability Center
Bennett College (NC) has announced a collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to launch a center on its campus that will focus on environmental justice, globalization, leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship. The EPA has also pledged to support on-campus initiatives including a campus garden, recycling program, energy audits and health literacy programs.
Columbia U Basketball Team Saves Emissions with Biodiesel Travel
The Lions men's basketball team at Columbia University (NY) saved 77 percent in carbon dioxide emissions traveling by biodiesel bus to a recent away game. The trip was a chance to use Greenway Transit's software program that calculates the estimated footprint reduction by riding in a biodiesel bus. The company is working with the Forest Foundation and Carolina Biodiesel to develop a franchise model for value-adding waste vegetable oil into green transportation for university and college towns across the country.
Cumberland County College Approves 1.5 MW Solar Energy Project
Cumberland County College (NJ) has approved a 1.5-megawatt solar energy project. Funded by AMSOLAR, solar panels will be constructed as a canopy over existing parking spaces. In addition to savings of about $2 million over 15 years, the project will provide a hands-on educational experience for students with solar technology.
Davidson College Completes Solar PV, Thermal Installation
Davidson College (NC) has completed a two-part solar installation that is expected to save the college about $25,000 a year in energy expenses. Photovoltaic solar panels now provide electricity to the campus sports complex and solar thermal collector panels heat the campus pool and tennis showers. To help offset the $600,000 installation costs, the college received funding from a state grant and the Duke Endowment.
Florida Atlantic U Opens Campus Community Garden
Florida Atlantic University's Mission Green campaign has initiated a new organic campus community garden. Eight beds are available for use to students, faculty and staff, and the university plans to invite local farmers to teach the fundamental basics of gardening. Mission Green also plans to provide food to a local soup kitchen.
Higher Education State Support Falls 7.6% in 2012 Fiscal Year
Total state support for higher education declined 7.6 percent from the 2011 to the 2012 fiscal years, according to an annual report from the Grapevine Project at Illinois State University and the State Higher Education Executive Officers. Reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article, state spending on higher education is now nearly 4 percent lower than it was in the 2007 fiscal year. Twenty-nine states appropriated less for colleges this year than they did five years ago. The current year's large decline was due in part to the expiration of about $40 billion in federal money given to the states to prop up spending on education.
Linfield College Students Produce 'Tap That' Documentary
Two students at Linfield College (OR) have produced a short documentary about the social justice, public safety and environmental implications of bottled water. The students are using the video to reach out to groups on campus - and beyond - to raise awareness of these issues and move toward a ban of bottled water.
Montana State U to Invest $9.1 M toward Green Dorm Updates
Montana State University has announced plans to invest $9.1 million on updating residence halls with new windows, lighting, water conservation improvements and mechanical changes. Scheduled for completion in the next 20 months, the project is expected to yield about $370,000 in energy savings per year. Half of the money is being loaned by the Montana Board of Investments.
Morgan CC Classroom Building Earns LEED Gold
Morgan Community College’s (CO) Spruce Hall has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The building features a 19-kilowatt photovoltaic system and water-efficient landscaping. Additional sustainable features include low-flow plumbing fixtures, passive solar design and low emitting materials.
Obama Proposes Plan to Link Aid for Institutions to Affordability
President Obama has proposed a financial aid overhaul that for the first time would tie institutions' eligibility for campus-based aid programs to the institution's success in improving affordability and value for students, reports The New York Times. Under the plan, the amount available for Perkins loans would grow to $8 billion from the current $1 billion. In a speech last week at the University of Michigan, Obama announced a $1 billion grant competition that would reward states that take action to keep higher education costs down, and a separate $55 million competition for individual institutions to increase their value and efficiency. All of the proposed changes will require Congressional approval.
President Obama Puts Colleges and Universities 'On Notice'
"If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down," said President Obama last week to colleges and universities during his State of the Union address. "You're on notice," he told them, calling for plans to reduce the interest rate on student loans, extend popular tax credits and shore up support for community colleges job training programs. While he did not mention Pell grants, reports the Inside Higher Ed article, Obama urged Congress to forestall a planned increase on the interest rate on federal student loans (which will double to 6.8 percent in July if no action is taken) and proposed doubling the number of federal work-study jobs in the next five years.
San Diego State U Opens Student Sustainability Center
With the goal of enabling students to take action, San Diego State University's (CA) Center for Regional Studies has opened a Student Sustainability Center. Students will work with faculty at the center to create action plans to ensure the school reduces its carbon footprint. The action plans will be informed by research conducted by student interns on the successes of energy efficiency programs at other institutions.
Southeastern Louisiana U to Use Biodiesel in Campus Vehicles
Southeastern Louisiana University Physical Plant Services has installed a tank on campus to collect used and unwanted cooking oil from the campus community. The oil will be used to produce biodiesel to fuel off-road campus vehicles and equipment.
Student Groups Help Small Businesses Get Off the Ground
Student groups at a handful of institutions across the country have helped hundreds of community members start small businesses in the last few years, reports a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Campus Microfinance Alliance, a national network whose student members include Bentley (MA) and St. Cloud State (MN) universities, is one of several student-led groups offering loans to local residents who want to start businesses but are unlikely to qualify for traditional bank loans. Other groups profiled in the article include those at Grinnell College (IA) and Yale (CT), Brown (RI) and Rutgers (NJ) universities. The clubs, often established as nonprofits, have helped start barbershops, bakeries and hot-dog stands with modest loans of typically less than $5,000.
Texas State U Installs Water Refilling Stations
Texas State University has installed 23 water bottle refilling stations outfitted with a bottle counter that reveals the quantity of bottles saved from landfills. The project was made by possible by a $20,000 grant from the university's Environmental Service Committee.
U California System Considering 'No-Tuition' Student Proposal
A plan to replace tuition with post-graduation payments proposed by a group of students at the University of California, Riverside is being studied by the University of California system president and his staff. Calling themselves Fix UC, the student group's no-tuition proposal would require most graduates to pay 5 percent of their wages (not investments) for 20 years. It would offer discounts for transfer students, graduates who work in public service careers and those who stay and work in the state.
U Cincinnati Students Push for Green Energy
Members of the University of Cincinnati's (OH) Beyond Coal student organization are urging the administration to retire one of its campus coal-fired boilers. Students have gathered more than 2,000 signatures calling for the replacement of the aging boiler with a more efficient source of energy.
U Georgia Students Awarded $20K for Sustainability Projects
Funded by a $3 student green fee, the University of Georgia’s Office of Sustainability has awarded $20,000 to six student projects. Winning initiatives include a recycling program at a satellite campus and a demonstration project illustrating how construction waste from landfills can be refigured into projects that benefit the community.
U Iowa Purchases Pilot Biomass Boiler
The University of Iowa has announced plans to replace a gas-powered boiler with a new $7.3 million biomass boiler that burns woodchips. If the boiler is successful on its smaller Oakdale campus, the university plans to implement renewable technologies on its main campus.
Union College Receives Donation to Revamp Recycling System
Union College's (NY) U-Sustain has received an anonymous $8,000 donation to improve its recycling system. The grant will be used to install more recycling bins around campus to encourage the recycling of plastics, glass and other materials.
U Notre Dame Researchers Develop Solar Paint
A team of University of Notre Dame (IN) researchers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy have developed a type of paint that can generate electricity upon exposure to light. The paint’s semiconductors absorb light and generate charge carriers that are tapped in photovoltaic cells. Researchers will continue to work to develop the paint into a product with competitive efficiency and stability.
U Pennsylvania Announces Latest Round of Green Fund Awards
The University of Pennsylvania has announced the award of eight new Green Fund grants for sustainable campus projects. Projects include a water density system at the university ice rink; a campus chemical inventory and waste management system; a new sustainability journal in the Earth and Environmental Science department; a bike-sharing pilot program; and Franklin Farmers, a network of local gardeners who will aim to raise awareness of health issues in the community.
U Rhode Island Starts to 'Green' Ocean Research Fleet
The University of Rhode Island’s research ocean vessel, the Endeavor, has started using refined biofuel. To fuel its trek around the globe, the vessel recently filled up with a mix of recycled oil from fast food restaurants and regular diesel.
U South Carolina Introduces Student Sustainability Fund
The University of South Carolina has unveiled a new Student Sustainability Fund, which will allow the campus community to submit proposals for sustainable projects. While $25,000 in seed money has been allocated to the fund, an optional student fee will add to it in the future. A committee of 14 students and five faculty members are in the process of accepting and reviewing proposals.
U Texas Arlington Recognized for Sustainable Land Practices
The University of Texas at Arlington is the first higher education institution to be certified by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). The voluntary, national rating system and set of performance benchmarks for sustainable landscapes recognized the university for its Green at College Park, which features an open lawn, pedestrian promenade, shade arbor, native plants in rain gardens and a water detention system. The Green is one of three projects to receive recognition from among 150 pilot projects seeking certification since summer 2010.
U Vermont Launches Sustainable Campus Innovation Certificate
The University of Vermont has launched a new sustainable campus innovation certificate program that can be taken entirely online. The program will equip those working within higher education operations, administration and student leadership with the training to inspire and guide a green transformation across their campus and surrounding community. Participants will learn how to institute sustainable practices, drive environmental innovation to boost enrollment of eco-savvy students, and incorporate sustainability into the curriculum to encourage student participation and retention.
Antioch U New England Student Pledge Addresses Food Insecurity
Students in the Net Impact chapter at Antioch University, New England (NH) have signed the Perpetual Food Pledge. Aiming to bring awareness to the fact that the number of people who experience food insecurity in New Hampshire has increased by 90 percent since 2006, the pledge states that a nonperishable food item to help feed the hungry will be purchased with every trip to the grocery store.
Arizona State U Partners for 1 MW Solar Power Plant
Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus has announced plans for a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant. The facility will be developed by SunPower Corp., which will sell the energy produced back to the university. The plant is expected to produce an amount of energy equal to that needed to serve about 225 SunPower customers.
Austin CC Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Austin Community College (TX) has installed 18 electric car charging stations available to the campus community and the public as part of the ChargePoint America program. At $2 per hour-long charge, the college hopes the stations will help create a support network for environmentally friendly vehicles.
Bristol CC Partners with High School for Green Energy Curriculum
Bristol Community College (MA) has announced a pilot project with a local high school that will expose both high school and higher education students to sustainable and green energy technologies. With a combination of theory, experimentation and field trips to a solar farm and green energy plant, students will learn about wind energy, efficient lighting, brownfield redevelopment, city planning and transportation, urban agriculture, solar thermal design and greenhouse technology.
California State U Fullerton Installs 3 Solar Power Systems
California State University, Fullerton has installed three solar power systems on the roof of campus buildings, each 1.16 megawatts in size. Including solar powered electric vehicle charging stations, the systems are expected to produce enough electricity per year to equal the elimination of 5,181 passenger vehicles from the road over the next 25 years.
Central Lakes College Hosts Local Food Production Program
Central Lakes College (MN) has announced a new Local Food College program that will aid farmers in increasing the production of food in the region. The low-cost sessions include an overview of whole farm planning, fruit and vegetable production, and business planning. Participants will learn from practitioners and educators and share personal experiences with others who are part of the growing movement to build resilient local food systems.
Duquesne U to Promote Campus Diversity
In a response to a Campus Climate Survey, Duquesne University’s (PA) Council on Diversity has announced plans to host more events and programs that showcase diversity. The survey revealed that students and faculty are in favor of actively promoting gender, racial and religious equality. Goals include monitoring the campus social climate; planning events to celebrate and promote diversity on campus; and recruiting and retaining minority faculty, staff, administrators and students.
Ivy League Students Protest Elite Financial Recruiters
Ivy League students recently crashed a handful of investment banking firm recruiting sessions at Harvard (MA), Brown (RI) and Princeton (NJ) universities, reports an Inside Higher Ed article. "...we protest the campus culture that whitewashes the crooked dealings of Wall Street as a prestigious career path. We are here today as a voice for the 99 percent, shut out by a system that punishes them just for being born without privilege," a group of 18 Princeton students said collectively during one recruiting session. "What we need is not a university for the 1 percent, but a university in the nation's service, and in the service of all nations." The tactic marks a shift for the college Occupy movement, says the article, "which up to this point had primarily targeted either their institutions or Wall Street as a whole."
Kalamazoo College Awarded $23 M toward Social Justice Efforts
Kalamazoo College (MI) has received a $23 million grant for its Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The largest grant in the college's history will endow scholarships and internships for students, fellowships and professorships for faculty members, lectures and conferences, local and global partnerships, and residencies for social justice scholars and activists. The grant is from the same foundation that established the center three years ago.
Lane CC Creates Watershed Science Technician Program
The Lane Community College (OR) Board of Education has approved a watershed science technician associate degree. The water conservation curriculum will provide career opportunities for students who previously only had the certificate option.
Michigan State U Appoints Access Expert as New Education Dean
Michigan State University's College of Education has named Donald E. Heller, a national expert on higher education access issues, as its new dean. The former director of Pennsylvania State University’s Center for the Study of Higher Education has spent much of his career studying how government and institutional policies affect college access and choice for low-income and minority students. At a time when both the state and federal governments are stepping up their focus on higher education financing, accessibility and outcomes, says Michigan State University’s provost in the Chronicle of Higher Education article, "someone who understands education policy and the role of the university in helping to shape that policy is extremely attractive."
Middlebury College to Create Solar Farm
Middlebury College (VT) has announced plans for a small solar farm consisting of 34 solar trackers that will produce enough electricity to power one of its residence halls. The system, slated for a spring installation, will also be used as an opportunity for student learning and research.
Mount Wachusett CC Receives $2 M Donation for Civic Learning
Following a recent National Task Force for Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement report noting that community college students in particular benefit from civic learning, Mount Wachusett Community College (MA) has received a $2 million donation from an anonymous donor to establish a civic learning center, reports the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Community College Times. The center will establish best practices; support programs, activities and community events that highlight the value of civic engagement and its relationship to healthy communities; and help fund awards for the college's students who show commitment and provide mentorship in areas of civic learning.
Portland State U Wins $3.5 M for Sustainable Transport Research
Portland State University (OR) has received $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for sustainable transportation research and education. One of 63 applicants for 22 grants, the university will focus on research and education programs that improve health and safety for all users; increase the efficiency and understanding of cycling, walking and transit; make the best use of data, performance measures and analytical tools; integrate multimodal transportation with land use; and take long-term action on transportation emissions and climate change.
Princeton U Constructs 5.3 MW Solar Field
Princeton University (NJ) has started the installation of a new 5.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic panel field, to be completed by summer 2012. The university will host the field and lease the equipment from the project's funder and owner, Key Equipment Finance. After eight years, the university will have the option to purchase it at fair market value.
Rising Low-Income Student Population Poses Challenge for Colleges
The president of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities announced at a recent conference that the state's population of students in dire financial need grew by half in the 2009-2010 academic year, reports a Washington Post blog. This is a crisis for colleges, says the article, because while the federal government's Free Application for Federal Student Aid has determined that many more students bound for Wisconsin colleges should have their expenses covered entirely through aid, it hasn't stipulated where that aid will come from. The neediest students are eligible for $5,550 in federal Pell grants. Beyond that, grant and scholarship dollars come mostly from individual schools.
U Arizona Installs Bike Repair Stations
The University of Arizona has installed two self-serve bicycle repair stations on campus. Users are able to suspend their bikes and make minor adjustments using the 17 tools that are tethered to the unit.
U Calif. Los Angeles Receives Record Number of Diverse Applicants
A record high of 91,512 students from diverse ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds applied for fall 2012 admission to the University of California, Los Angeles. Latino applications grew by 15.6 percent over last year, while African American and American Indian applications increased by 13.7 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively. The university also continued to experience gains among students from low-income families.
U California Santa Barbara Opens Bike Repair Stations
The University of California, Santa Barbara has announced the installation of four bike repair stations on campus, with two more on the way. The stations, which feature a metal stand designed to suspend a bicycle for repairs and a variety of tools including wrenches, screwdrivers and an air pump, are free to the campus community.
U Connecticut Commissions Sustainability Art Mural
In an effort to increase student awareness of its sustainability efforts and successes, the University of Connecticut's Office of Environmental Policy and Communications and ResLife departments worked with a graphic design firm to develop an informative display for campus. The wall-size mural, which includes three-dimensional pieces that can be updated, features a collage of pictures and short text paragraphs explaining what the university is doing to reduce its environmental impact.
U Illinois Chicago Approves Student Sustainability Fee
The University of Illinois at Chicago has approved a refundable $4.00 per semester sustainability fee for students. The fee was proposed by students to assist the university in aligning its operations and academics with the principles of sustainability. A student-led committee, supported by faculty and staff, will decide which student-driven initiatives receive funding through the initiative.
