Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting

March 8, 2012

Hal Crimmel, Environmental Issues Committee

Informational Items

2:00-2:15

On behalf of the Environmental Issues Committee, I would like to present at the March 2012 Faculty Senate meeting the following as informational items.

1.       WSU now has two Student Sustainability Research Awards.

 

a.       One $500.00 award will be provided by the Associate Provost's / Provost's Office. A subcommittee of the Environmental Issues Committee will select a winner from NCUR abstracts submitted by WSU students. (Viewing presentations may also be part of the selection process). This award, for one of the best two WSU Student Sustainability Research Projects in 2011-2012, will be presented at NCUR.

 

b.       Another $500.00 award will be provided by the WSU Alumni Association. A subcommittee of the Environmental Issues Committee along with a representative from the Alumni Council will select a winner from NCUR abstracts and from any other projects submitted by students from across campus. An announcement is going out via Dean's Council, the Signpost, and WSU Announcements. This award, for one of the best two WSU Student Sustainability Research Projects in 2011-2012, will be presented at NCUR.

 

2.       WSU now has a Faculty Sustainability Research Award.

 

a.       One $1000.00 award will be provided by the Office of the Provost for the best Faculty Sustainability Research Project in 2011-2012. A subcommittee of the Environmental Issues Committee will select a winner.

 

b.       An announcement is going out via Dean's Council, the Signpost, and WSU Announcements.

 

3.       The Environmental Issues Committee, with financial support from the Office of the Provost and logistical support from the Teaching and Learning Forum, will be hosting a Sustainability Curriculum Retreat at the Alta Lodge, from April 24-April 26th.

 

a.       This retreat will result in the development of at least twenty sustainability-related and/or sustainability-focused course syllabi for the Fall 2012 semester. Participants will be asked to commit to teaching the course developed during the retreat.

 

b.       The retreat will involve thirty participants, including seven faculty discussion leaders, 20 faculty interested in developing syllabi, and several guest speakers.

 

c.        Interested faculty will be asked to submit a short proposal to the EIC for review. An announcement is going out via Dean's Council, the Signpost, and WSU Announcements. 

 

4.        On November 14, 2011, the EIC approved the following definition of sustainability research for the STARS (Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System) Program. (WSU currently has a BRONZE rating). This definition will be used for the purposes of the Student Sustainability Research Award and the Faculty Sustainability Research Award.

 

Sustainability research addresses components of sustainability (e.g., social equity, ecological health, the use of scarce resources and a belief that economic development must consider all of these) or particular goals of sustainable living (e.g., waste reduction, renewable energy, clean resources, climate change adaptation, comprehensive land use planning, or generally, the design of efficient environmental policies or regulations) as it furthers human understanding of complex interconnections between society and nature. At its core, sustainability research recognizes that human/societal and economic health is inextricably linked to a healthy natural world and the sustainable use of resources; it strives toward solutions to these challenges.