SCUP
Learning Resources
Report

Public Higher Education in Today’s Climate Crisis

University–Community Engagement and Planning Strategies for Climate Resilience
Journal Cover
Published May 28, 2024
By Tamara Wallace, MA, Office of the Chancellor, California State University

Institutions referenced in this resource:
California State University, California State University Maritime Academy, California State University-Bakersfield, California State University-Chancellors Office, California State University-Channel Islands, California State University-Chico, California State University-Dominguez Hills, California State University-East Bay, California State University-Fresno, California State University-Fullerton, California State University-Long Beach, California State University-Los Angeles, California State University-Monterey Bay, California State University-Northridge, California State University-Sacramento, California State University-San Bernardino, California State University-San Marcos, California State University-Stanislaus, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

This is a SCUP Fellow Research Project Final Report. The SCUP Fellows program is designed to strengthen higher education leaders who seek to carry out new research that contributes to SCUP’s knowledge base of integrated planning. Learn more.

With the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events continuing to increase across the country, the need for resilience planning is more critical than ever before.

Numerous campuses across the California State University (CSU) system have direct experience with wildfires, extended drought, floods, extreme heat, public safety power shutoffs, hurricanes, and sea level rise. The CSU is currently working toward increasing resilience in response to catastrophic events through systemwide technical guidance resources on building and infrastructure design and retrofit. These extreme conditions further prompted the need for vulnerability assessments systemwide and coordinated climate resilience planning and investment activities.

Using the activities of CSU climate action and adaptation planning, 2022-2023 SCUP Fellow Tamara Wallace’s SCUP Fellows project sought to achieve three (3) primary objectives:
  1. Review planning documents and policies that consider climate resiliency governance versus climate resiliency implementation.
  2. Identify key stakeholders to develop a primer for addressing and incorporating campus-community implementation priorities.
  3. Raise awareness with the broader higher education planning community to collect feedback and share model practices.

Author:

Tamara Wallace, MA


Assistant Director of Energy Sustainability and Transportation, CSU Office of the Chancellor
2022–2023 Fellow

Related resource: Watch the recording of Tamara’s research presentation.

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