SIUE’s Sustainable Achievements Highlighted at National Conference
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s sustainability officer and sustainability fellow both gave a presentation on Monday at the 9th Annual Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference in Baltimore. The conference will end tomorrow.
“We have achieved a lot in the area of sustainability for any campus, let alone one of our size,” said Kevin Adkins, University sustainability officer.
Adkins and Dr. Connie Frey Spurlock, SIUE sustainability fellow, were presenters with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Associate Director of Sustainability. The topic of their presentation was “Engaging Faculty in Sustainability.”
SIUE and U of I were selected as presenters at the Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference, because both campuses have established faculty fellowships that advance sustainability, Adkins said. However, the two schools’ fellowships are different in design.
Adkins will discuss how SIUE went from a part-time graduate assistant sustainability coordinator to a full-time officer. Frey Spurlock, associate professor in sociology and criminal justice studies, will present how the University arrived at an innovative three-year faculty sustainability fellowship.
“Completing SIUE’s first STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) assessment provided a means of identifying needs and developing strategies or transforming curriculum and pedagogy,” said Adkins. “SIUE recognized that a faculty member would be an ideal liaison to work with the Provost’s office and provide a much needed connection to Student Affairs.
“The fellow works across academic disciplines to increase awareness of sustainability among the faculty, foster the inclusion of sustainability into the curriculum and encourage scholarly activity in fields related to sustainability.”
The faculty fellow, therefore, becomes an agent for change and works directly with other faculty members, said Frey Spurlock.
Also presenting at the conference were SIUE students Wolf-Mark Veverka and Jessica Urbonas, both are juniors majoring in biology/ecology, evolution and environment. The students discussed their poster presentation, “Coalitions and Alliances to Increase Student Sustainability Involvement and Awareness.” Veverka is also president of the SIUE student groups, Student Organization for Sustainability (SOS) and Natural Connections. Urbonas is vice president of SOS and Natural Connections.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottom land and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.