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About The Center for Sustainability Education


Mission

The Center for Sustainability Education (CSE) works with all members of the college community to create learning opportunities which advance the knowledge and skills necessary to the creation of a just and sustainable world.


 

Meet The CSE Staff

Neil Leary Reads 
 

The Center opened in Fall 2008 semester and merged with the Office of Campus Sustainability  in 2010.  The CSE is staffed by the Director, Dr. Neil Leary (shown above), an assistant director, a full time projects coordinator, an administrative assistant, and 12 student interns.
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Synthesizing the needs of the curriculum, the physical campus, and the local community, CSE supports the development of sustainability courses and course content in all three academic divisions of the college, the creation and synthesis of co-curricular programs and events, student and faculty research projects, and community outreach initiatives.  These opportunities create a living laboratory at Dickinson College, which requires the application of theory and practice by all community members to solve campus and real world problems.

Just as the issues of today do not occur in a vacuum, neither does sustainability education occur solely in the classroom.  Students, as well as faculty and staff, are actively involved in creating a truly collaborative learning community which focuses on needs expressed by the physical campus, organizational values and administration, the local bioregion and its organizations and people, and the greater issues of a global community, and creates collaborative opportunities for examining and solving these issues.  By providing funding, human resource support, and creative/collaborative strategies for linking common interests, The Center for Sustainability Education cultivates a learning environment which strives to model and create a sustainable future.

Major Programs and Initiatives

Funding for Sustainability Education

Sustainability Education Fund Grants (SEF)

 

Teaching staff and faculty at Dickinson College may apply for funding to develop sustainability education: curriculum development, professional development and student-faculty research.  Projects must enhance sustainability-related learning across the curriculum and promote engaged citizenship for sustainability. Applications are accepted for Summer, Fall, and Winter/Spring terms. >>LEARN MORE 

NASA Cooling the Liberal Arts Curriculum

 

With the support of a Global Climate Change Education NASA cooperative agreement, Cooling the Liberal Arts Curriculum: A Campaign for Climate Change Education, opportunities are available for faculty interested in enhancing and developing new climate change curriculum. Cool Climate Grants are available to Dickinson College faculty and teaching staff, and two climate change curriculum development workshops are available to teachers from any institution of higher education. >>LEARN MORE  
   

Sustainable development requires acts of collaboration and innovation which seek connections in our academic disciplines and classrooms. In order to act as a point of information sharing and coordination for academic and co-curricular activities at Dickinson that are related to study of the environment, CESE supports development of communication tools, programs, and dialogue which fosters the sharing of research, resources, and ideas for sustainable curricula.

Valley and Ridge Faculty Workshop


 
Transdisciplinary Learning

 
 
Curriculum, Faculty Development, and Research Initiatives

 

In order to assist faculty in the enhancement of environment and sustainability related content in their teaching across all three divisions of the College, CSE administers an internal grant program - The Sustainability Education Fund - which will award funding for participation in the Valley and Ridge Study Group, curriculum development, professional development, student-faculty research and research assistantships.
Local and Global Connections
 

The resources mentioned above will enhance educational connections between the classroom and co-curricular activities, campus sustainability operations and global education. Of particular emphasis are connections to Dickinson's outstanding Global Education program, use of college-owned living laboratory opportunities such as the college farm and ALLARM, and student engagement in community service through learning projects promoting place-based sustainability engagement.

Climate Change education 
The Center is committed to enhancing interdisciplinary teaching about climate change, to enable our students to think systemically about climate change causes, consequences, and solutions.  It is imperative that students are prepared to understand current scientific, policy, and ethical discourses about climate change, and participate as informed citizens in public decision-making for managing and reducing climate risks. With the support of a Global Climate Change Education NASA cooperative agreement, Cooling the Liberal Arts Curriculum: A Campaign for Climate Change Education at 4- and 2-Year Liberal Arts Colleges, funding is available for faculty interested in enhancing and developing new climate change curriculum.

Climate Change Africa Mosaic 2011 (COP17)Cooling the Curriculum Learning Portal