In January 2010, WKU adopted an education for sustainability resolution in its guiding document. To facilitate this new focus in its curriculum, WKU will hold its first “Sustainability Across the Curriculum” faculty development retreat on June 8-9. This will be an intensive two-day retreat where faculty learn from experts and each other about sustainability, innovative pedagogies, WKU programs and others from around the country to help them to incorporate sustainability into classes. Additional initiatives for infusing sustainability themes across the curriculum are also being planned. Forty faculty from all of the colleges at WKU and two extended campuses will participate.
Guest presenters will include Dr. Paul Rowland, Executive Director of the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education; David Waldron, of Synapse Strategies in Vancouver, British Columbia, who has worked for over 20 years with municipalities, academic institutions and businesses to assist strategic planning for sustainability; and Tom Fitzgerald, Founder and Director of the Kentucky Resources Council and winner of the prestigious Heinz Award in Environment, who has advocated for environmental protection in Kentucky for more than 30 years. Dr. Barbara Burch, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at WKU, will present remarks on the trend for education for sustainability at WKU.
The retreat will be held at Barren River Lake State Resort Park. The event is being co-hosted by the Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability (CEES), Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility (ICSR), and Office of Sustainability at WKU. Additional sponsors include the deans’ offices, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching (FaCET), Political Engagement Project (PEP), Sodexo Corporation, Facilities Management department, Green Fund, Tennessee Valley Authority and Bowling Green Municipal Utilities.
Sustainability has been defined as a 21st century literacy that is being incorporated into classes, research, civic engagement, service learning and campus operations. Its goal is to provide students with the knowledge, values, and skills to adequately prepare them to address the complex and interconnected global challenges of this century, including climate change, pollution, resource depletion, global security, social/economic disparities, and others. Experiential pedagogies that engage students in working with local and global community partners to solve real-life problems as part of the curriculum are emphasized. Education for Sustainability at WKU builds on the University’s commitment to incorporate civic engagement, social responsibility, and democracy as core themes in its curriculum.
For information, contact Nancy Givens, Sustainability Programs Development Coordinator, at nancy.givens@wku.edu, or 745-2842 or Dr. Paul Markham, Co-Director of the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility and Assistant Professor, Honors College, at paul.markham@wku.edu.
