Creating a Sustainable Campus Culture through Student Engagement: Capitalizing on Living-Learning Communities and Creative Inquiry Teams Presented by: Tyler Gailey, M.Ed., Community Director, Clemson UniversityContributors: Jennifer Goree, Catherine Mobley, David Ladner, Beth Kunkel, Leidy Klotz

•Participant introductions and personal goals for this session

•Clemson’s Commitment to Sustainability

•Capitalizing on existing structures•Creative Inquiry Teams•Living-learning Communities

•Tracking our Progress

•Small group discussion and sharing

Session Agenda

Learning Outcome: Participants in this session will be able to capitalize on pre-existing structures within their own institutions such as housing, project-based and research-based classes, student organizations, and dining services to implement sustainable change on campus.

Session Learning Outcome

American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment Signatory:

•President’s Commission on Sustainability Formed November 2009

•Sustainability Plan presented toPresident Barker December 2010

•Three major emphasis areas:

•Education and Research•Culture and Leadership•Carbon Neutrality

•2030: Target for Carbon Neutrality

Clemson University’s Commitment to Sustainability

“The essence of sustainability is within the DNA of Clemson’s ideology.” President Jim Barker

•Education and Research•Carbon Neutrality Plan•Conservation, Resource Management and Waste Elimination•Planning and Design•Comprehensive, Sustainable Transportation System•Culture and Leadership•Culture of Healthy, sustainable living

Overview of Clemson University’s Sustainability Plan

Sustainability will be an integral part of the educational experience for all members of the Clemson Family.

•Presidents’ climate commitment to provide sustainability education for all students•carbon neutrality requires culture shift•7 out of 10 of best high-school students prefer green universities•Clemson students and South Carolinians for “green” jobs•Clemson as a national model for sustainability education

Clemson’s Focus on Education & Research

Leading a cultural shift requires that we impact the campus community on each of the following levels:• Individual• Interpersonal• Organizational• Community• Policy

Culture & Leadership

Integration and Infusion•Science and Technology courses•Required seminars•Quality Enhancement Plan •Sustainability Education Institute

•Creative Inquiry Teams

•Living-learning Communities

Education & Research

Utilizing Existing Structures to Bring about ChangeCreative Inquiry Teams

• Dirt to Food• Trailgating• BioFuels• Environmental Teach-In and Focus the

Nation Forum to Action Program• Engineers’ Behavior in Sustainable

Energy Decisions• Maximizing Infiltration Volume in Rain

Gardens• Campus sustainability improvement

planning and design• People-Place-Sustainability• Clemson Farm-Fresh Farmers Market• Developing Linkages for a Sustainable

Food System• Green Crescent project: Sustainability in

community TRAILS and GREENWAYS

Living-learning CommunitiesLIEF: Leading and Innovating for the Environment and Future

• Significant interest from faculty• 18 month planning and implementation period• First LIEF students moved into Calhoun Courts in Fall 2011• Required enrolment in team-taught LIEF Creative Inquiry with faculty from:

• Environmental Engineering and Earth Science• Sociology• Biology• Food Science and Nutrition• Civil Engineering• Student Affairs

LIEF: Leading and Innovating for the Environment and Future

Students will work across disciplinary lines to think critically about how they can address great societal challenges related to sustainability. To achieve this course goal, students will: • define sustainability• identify and discuss fundamental issues of sustainability;• analyze how their values relate to sustainability, and how their actions impact

sustainability issues;• recognize interrelated systems; • evaluate the role of their major in sustainability issues;• apply sustainability concepts on local and global scales;• practice change agent skills for sustainability;• develop a plan to address sustainability challenges through engagement at

Clemson and beyond.

LIEF: Student Learning Outcomes

Students Leading the Way•Students for Environmental Action•Student Sustainability Initiative•Reusable coffee mug program•Dirt to Food Project•Game day recycling efforts•Clemson University Environmental Teach-in•Seven pro-environment student groups•65 majors and 700+ courses related to sustainability.•New bike rental program•Leave no Trace Tailgating

Assessment is a powerful tool to show progress and demonstrate need for improvement.

• President gives annual report to the Board of Trustees• We set measureable goals for our sustainability plan and hold ourselves

accountable• Gives us data to support areas that need improvement

Sample Data:

Students were asked the extent to which they agreed with the following statement “In the development of our society, we must strive to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

(93.0%) strongly or mildly agree with this statement about sustainability, with just 4.9% mildly or strongly disagreeing with this statement.

Assessment

•Are there ways to tie your student-driven sustainability efforts to course credit?•What faculty incentives exist to encourage faculty participation

in out of the classroom learning?•Is interdisciplinary work encouraged? •What successes have you had with students leading the way?•How have you used assessment to inform your work?

Small Group Discussion

•http://www.clemson.edu/sustainability/•Sustainability Plan•PCS Report Card

•http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/creative-inquiry/http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/housing/living-learning.html

•LIEF Syllabus

•Sustainability Survey

•Clemson Dining and Housing Living-learning Community Planning Guide

Resources

Tyler GaileyCommunity Directorgailey@clemson.edu

Jennifer GoreeDirector of Healthy Campus goree@clemson.edu

Catherine MobleyProfessor of Sociologycamoble@clemson.edu

David LadnerAssistant Professor Environmental Engineering And Earth Scienceladner@clemson.edu

Leidy KlotzAssociate Professor Civil Engineering & Chair of President’s Commission on Sustainabilityleidyk@clemson.edu

Beth KunkelProfessor Food Science and Nutritionbkunkel@clemson.edu

Contacts