Sustainability scholar to deliver keynote at 2014 Sustainability Community of Practice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Geoffrey Chase, a national expert in sustainability education, will deliver a public keynote lecture next week to kick off the 2014 Sustainability Community of Practice at Indiana University Bloomington.
Chase is the dean of undergraduate studies and the director of the Center for Regional Sustainability at San Diego State University. His lecture will take place from 11 a.m. to noon Monday, May 12, at the Indiana Memorial Union University Club President’s Room.
"Geoff Chase has long been a pioneer and thought leader in the realm of sustainability curriculum development, and we are very excited to have him here to engage our sustainability faculty as they incorporate sustainability into new and existing courses," said Bill Brown, director of sustainability.
Chase will deliver a keynote titled "Sustainability in Higher Education: Stories and Strategies for Transformation." The lecture is free and open to the public.
His visit coincides with the second annual spring seminar of the Sustainability Community of Practice at IU Bloomington, a campus-based community network of sustainability faculty who teach or are interested in teaching sustainability-related courses and share a common language and understanding of core sustainability concepts.
A key player in the national initiative to integrate sustainability into higher education, Chase served as a founding board member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and later served as the board chair from 2008 to 2011. With Emory University professor Peggy Barlett, he co-edited "Campus Sustainability: Stories and Strategies for Change," which was published in 2013 by MIT Press.
Chase has led over 40 workshops supporting faculty interested in sustainability curriculum development. After the keynote lecture, Chase will lead the first of three seminar sessions for the 2014 Sustainability Community of Practice cohort of 13 faculty members. On the second and third days of the seminar, faculty leaders Jennifer Meta Robinson from the Department of Communication and Culture and Lisa Sideris from the Department of Religious Studies, along with Katie Kearns of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, will lead sessions on transdisciplinary approaches to teaching sustainability.
"The Bloomington campus has enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to offer a new degree in environmental and sustainability studies that brings together the very best talent from arts, humanities, sciences and professional programs," said Jeff White, director of the Integrated Program in the Environment at IU Bloomington. "But experienced leaders in the field, like Geoff Chase, can help us realize our potential more efficiently -- we are fortunate to have his undivided attention to this task."
Typically, cohort members will reconvene throughout the year to discuss sustainability pedagogy and curriculum development and support for the newly formed Bachelor of Arts in environmental and sustainability studies, among other topics.
The 2014 Sustainability Community of Practice faculty cohort includes:
- Majed Akhter, geography
- Sanya Carley, School of Public and Environmental Affairs
- Mary Embry, apparel merchandising and interior design
- Nathan Ensmenger, School of Informatics and Computing
- Darren Ficklin, geography
- Vivian Halloran, comparative literature
- Christoph Irmscher, English
- Doug Knapp, School of Public Health-Bloomington
- Heather Reynolds, biology
- Rowland Ricketts, School of Fine Arts
- Phil Stevens, School of Public and Environmental Affairs
- Peter Todd, cognitive science
- Jeff White, School of Public and Environmental Affairs
The Sustainability Community of Practice is funded through a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and the Integrated Program in the Environment with support from the College Arts and Humanities Institute.
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Media Contacts
Emilie Rex
- IU Bloomington Office of Sustainability
- Office 812-855-2678
- ekrex@indiana.edu