Strong Cross-Campus Environmental and Sustainability Programs

For Workshop Leaders »

Workshop Description

A strong cross-campus environmental program has a shared vision and robust administrative structure, and attracts and serves students with diverse backgrounds and aspirations. It offers pathways to a broad understanding of the environment together with specialized skills and knowledge that prepare students for their careers and lives.

This interactive workshop is designed for existing or developing environmental and sustainability programs that extend beyond a single department. By means of a series of activities, facilitators will help you develop a shared vision, grapple with issues such as depth versus breadth, and identify strengths and opportunities, including local resources available to your program site. A set of sessions, tailored to your needs, sets the stage for an in-depth conversation about how the components drawn from academic disciplines and co-curricular programming become a coherent whole. Some examples might be how the program integrates with the campus's sustainability initiatives, addresses environmental justice issues, engages with climate change, and incorporates international research and learning. We will also consider how cross-campus programs gain institutional buy-in. At the conclusion of the workshop you will have built a robust action plan to guide your program's ongoing efforts.

See an Example Program »

Goals

  • Ensure that there is a vision shared by stakeholders involved in environmental and sustainability work from across the campus
  • Identify and enhance your program's contributions to societal needs in the environment & sustainability
  • Explore team and administrative structures that support robust programs
  • Articulate alignment among program goals, programming, and assessments
  • Create an action plan for your program to:
    • Prepare students for careers and/or graduate study
    • Have goals and outcomes that can be assessed
    • Be welcoming and relevant to students from diverse backgrounds and interests, and support them throughout the program
    • Identify opportunities for growth and for engagement with the broader community

Resources