Learning Resources

Abstract: Discover how the University of Pittsburgh delivers diverse expertise and support to communities in need through an off-campus community engagement center initiative. Colleges and universities have a responsibility to use their expansive expertise and knowledge to assist and inspire community members and to broaden the student's perspective. Through a candid discussion about our collective experiences and lessons learned in this new community outreach effort, we will provide you with a roadmap of the various obstacles you must consider at your own institution.

Abstract: The services required to support the strategic work of universities often exist in silos, and this disconnection can impede the advancement of new initiatives. To prepare for a complex new program, a number of analytical processes need to occur—background research, environmental scans, and benchmarking. To develop the initiative, strong facilitation and project management skills are also required. To ensure the initiative’s success, careful space planning and financial planning must exist along with the development of evaluative measures to monitor progress. This article describes how one university combined these services into a single department to more effectively support the strategic work of schools, divisions, and campus-wide programs.

Abstract: Over the course of two years, The New School, a New York City university established in 1919 by philosopher John Dewey and other prominent Progressive Era scholars, partnered with the Stevens Institute of Technology, a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey, founded in 1870. The partnering universities entered—and were selected as one of 20 finalists of—a biannual, international competition among higher education institutions to design and build an energy-efficient house. Typically, the competition draws significant public attention because of its focus on showcasing innovative technologies to advance energy savings. (All 20 finalist houses—this time, including the New School–Stevens “Empowerhouse”—are displayed on the National Mall in Washington, DC.) As well, the competition spurs innovation among students and provides an extraordinary “real-world” educational experience. Five of us who worked on this project discuss the challenges and benefits of an inter-institutional approach that also centered on collaboration with multiple community partners including Habitat for Humanity of Washington, DC, several DC government agencies, and community-based organizations in the DC neighborhood of Deanwood, where the competition house would ultimately be relocated and reconstructed as a two-family Habitat for Humanity residence. The project involved more than 200 students over a multiyear period working on and employing their academic preparation in areas including community engagement, advocacy, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, environmental policy, sustainability management, fashion design, lighting design, organizational change management, urban policy, environmental studies, architecture, and product design.

Abstract: So, what’s happening ‘down under’ in campus sustainability? Providing an international context, our authors use Australian examples to describe planning for campus greening, learning for sustainability (curriculum), institutional learning, and competency-based training initiatives.

Abstract: The sustainability movement in higher education has made considerable headway in the areas of research, campus operations, and community outreach, but has been less successful in bringing about curricular reform. To promote greater thinking about sustainability in the undergraduate curriculum, this essay explores three main questions: What are the implications of sustainability for higher education? What are some noteworthy examples of institutions incorporating sustainability into the curriculum? And, what can we learn from their experiences? The author advocates implementation of a "third order" learning model, emphasizing deep learning, a participative process which takes the form of continual exploration through practice.