Overcoming a Single-Use Culture: Sustainability in the Curriculum at UW-Stout
Examples of sustainability competencies
Present goals disseminated in SACN (Sustainability Across the Curriculum Network) position paper in 2010:
1. Identify global trends that influence the social, environmental and economic well-being of different groups, both presently and into the future.
2. Define sustainability and the principles of sustainable development.
3. Explain how society and culture may influence an individual’s perception of sustainability.
4. Explain how individual behaviors may affect environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
5. Explain how environmental, economic and social systems are interrelated.
6. Display leadership and communication capabilities necessary for acting as an effective change agent for sustainability in any type of business, organization, or community.
(from ACPA—American College Personnel Association— Task Force, 2006)
1. Each student will be able to define sustainability.
2. Each student will be able to explain how sustainability relates to their lives and their values, and how their actions impact issues of sustainability.
3. Each student will be able to utilize their knowledge of sustainability to change their daily habits and consumer mentality.
4. Each student will be able to explain how systems are interrelated.
5. Each student will learn change agent skills.
6. Each student will learn how to apply concepts of sustainability to their campus and community by engaging in the challenges and solutions of sustainability on their campus.
7. Each student will learn how to apply concepts of sustainability globally by engaging in the challenges and the solutions of sustainability in a world context.
(from http://www.bcg.com/expertise_impact/capabilities/sustainability/competencies.aspx)
To address this issue strategically, corporate leaders must focus on a number of key questions:
· How can we build competitive advantage and create substantial value for an enlarged stakeholder network?
· What organizational capabilities will be required to succeed in the new age of business sustainability?
· How can we run a transformation process using the lenses of sustainability to identify the need for change?
· How do we develop a strategy to become a more sustainable company and also maintain our license to operate?
· How can we differentiate ourselves from competitors through sustainable products and production processes?
· How can we take advantage of the growth in renewable-energy markets?
· If we want to broaden our presence in low-carbon-dioxide energy, where do we invest?
· What are the best ways to reduce our environmental footprint and our cost?
· How can we offer solutions that are more energy efficient?
· How can we leverage our current capabilities to become the preferred player for our customers and suppliers?
Four Scenarios:
Scenario 1: Offer an “Introduction to Sustainability” course, which offers basic principles of sustainability and fulfills either the contemporary issues or social responsibility and ethical reasoning requirements of General Education program. Advisors and Program Directors would steer students toward this course if these agents felt a sustainability competency would be of particular benefit to their student population.
Scenario 2: Designate combinations of courses that would create student sustainability competence. Courses with significant sustainability components would be labeled as such. Advisors and Program Directors would steer students toward this course if these agents felt a sustainability competency would be of particular benefit to their student population.
Scenario 3: Create a “Sustainability Passport” program, which would require students to attend campus events and reflect on them from a systems thinking perspective. Administration of such a program to be determined. This scenario also could be a supplement to Scenarios 1 and 2.
Scenario 4: Administer the creation and perpetuation of student-directed program or course offerings that allowed advanced students to mentor first and second-year students in sustainability concepts in campus-specific context. For example, students might direct a 1-credit “Alcohol Awareness” course under the supervision of one or two advisors or coaches; this course would have to include sustainability concepts like systems thinking, imagining unintended consequences of an action or behavior, or critical and contextual thinking as a stand-alone skill.
Curricular Incubation Grant Deadlines and Information:
(from Provost’s website-- http://www.uwstout.edu/rs/cic.cfm)
Proposal Due Dates: 10/20/11 for Fall-WinTerM funding
02/20/12 for May-July funding
Proposalsmustbesubmittedto Research Services at:
Priorities for this year's Curricular Incubation funding include the development and revision of courses to meet the new General Education (https://www.uwstout.edu/provost/currhb/upload/New-GE-Requirements-and-category-definitions.pdf) and Racial and Ethnic Studies (http://www.uwstout.edu/provost/currhb/upload/proposedRES.pdf) categories and criteria (implementation date: Fall 2013). Other priorities include:
1. Completing program and course development for programs on the 2011-2012 Academic Plan (http://www.uwstout.edu/provost/currhb/accplan.cfm)
2. Re-designing existing undergraduate programs so they can be delivered as degree completion programs for working adults (online, evening, weekend, etc.)
3. Developing graduate programs, certificate programs and other professional development programs that can be delivered through customized instruction
Funding Guidelines for Budget Request:
Individuals and teams* will be funded according to the guidelines below:
· $300 per credit for a course revision
· $400 per credit for a new course proposal
· $1,000-1,750 as a general guideline for new program development (e.g., Entitlement to Plan or Authorization to Implement)
*Curriculum Incubation projects developed by a team will not exceed the total amount described in the above guidelines (i.e., individuals will share the total amount). Example: Professor A and Professor B submit a proposal to develop a new 3-credit course for the RES-A category. They plan to contribute equally to the proposal. Each will receive a stipend of $600 upon completion.
Proposal Format (not to exceedone page plus budget)
· Name(s) and contact information for each person involved in project (identify one person as lead and percentage of effort for each)
· Background/need for project (identify connection to above priorities or UW-Stout Academic Plan)
· Intended outcomes – what will the final product(s) be? (e.g., new course, revised course, new program)
· Specific activities – what specific tasks are included (e.g., develop entitlement to plan, revise current RES-C course to meet RES-A requirements)
· Budget request (fringe at 46.56%)
Proposals will be reviewed by the Provost Council.
Final reports must be submitted to Research Services()by 2/6/2012 for Fall-WinTerM curricular incubation projects and by 8/1/2012 for May-July funding.
NO EXTENSIONS will be provided--work must be completed by end date to ensure timely implementation of the new graduation requirements.
For further information contact:Sue Foxwell, Research Services (232-2477) or Jackie Weissenburger, Provost Office (232-2421)
Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee Meeting Dates:
All meetings begin at 1:00 PM
October 14
October 28
November 11
November 25
December 2
December 9
Sustainability Across the Curriculum Network Meetings:
All meetings begin at 1:00 PM
October 21
November 18
December 16
Websites of Interest:
GOOD: http://www.good.is/
Unconsumption: http://unconsumption.tumblr.com/
ChangeObserver: http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/
Sustainability Consortium: http://www.sustainabilityconsortium.org/
Living Principles: http://www.livingprinciples.org/
Shareable: http://shareable.net/blog/most-recent
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education: http://www.aashe.org/