Sustainability in Student Affairs - What is the Buzz about?
Instructor: Heather Cantwell Miller
CLOSED
Course Overview:
Sustainability - a new buzzword? Climate change and the environment are on the minds of many. Sustainability includes more than the environment but also a strong economy and social justice issues. In this course we will discuss the role of sustainability in higher education, ways to make your office more sustainable, and how to incorporate sustainability into programming.
Course Outline:
Week 1: Basic overview of Sustainability
Define and discuss the definition of sustainability
Definition - Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Discussion about the three Components of Sustainability - what does each mean and how do they overlap.
Healthy Environment
Social Justice
Growing Economy
Week 2: Sustainability in Higher Education/Make Your Office More Sustainable
Higher Education has a large impact on our economy and research that is done in this country.
Discuss how important higher education is to the sustainability movement.
How important is role modeling? Help students become change agents (students as citizens in a global economy)
Discuss resources available (internet, professional associations) to help you learn more about sustainability
Steps offices on our campus have taken to become more sustainable
Has your institution/office/division taken steps to become more sustainable?
Week 3: Sustainability Programming in Student Affairs
Discussion on ACPA's Sustainability Learning Outcomes
How can we collaborate between different Offices/Departments
What are some programming ideas you have or current programs you are already doing/could make more sustainable.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, active participants will be able to:
Be able to define sustainability
Understand how sustainability fits into higher education
Develop a strategy to incorporate sustainability into programming, discussions with students and colleagues, and office/department operations and procedures.
Participant Expectations:
Participants should plan to spend approximately 3 to 4 hours per week in this course. This will include time to read materials and participate in asynchronous on-line discussions. Participants will need to log on for course content that will be posted weekly. In addition participants will need to respond to questions posted on the discussion board each week. As the discussion board is asynchronous, students may check in and post at their convenience. This learning tool will be an important part of participant's learning experience.
Instructor Bio: Heather Cantwell Miller
is the Assistant Director of Student Activities at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. Heather earned a BA in Political Science from Drew University in Madison, NJ and an M.Ed in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. Heather is an active volunteer for the Northeast Region Conference Committee for the National Association for Campus Activities and a member of the Volunteer Liaison Group to the Higher Education Association Sustainability Consortium (HEASC). She is also the Student Affairs representative to Stonehill's Environmental Stewardship Committee.
