Sustainability in Higher Education

What is Sustainability? The United Nations definition of climate change:  Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Lets also add:  Resource allocation  Social and environmental justice

Why become educated in issues regarding sustainability?  ]  Economical Growth Potential Businesses can add to their bottom line Political Purposes Sustainability is a polarizing concept that well informed people will have the ability to influence Invention Possibilities Sustainability…

Corporate Sustainability  Is the business of business, business?  What is Corporate Sustainability?  companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations  What social responsibilities do corporations have?  At a minimum, meeting the needs of their stakeholders

Corporate Sustainability  When a corporation engages in sustainable business practices, what is the effect on the bottom line?  In the age of information, public exposure of corporate irresponsibility keeps global stakeholders in tune with day to day operations. As a result, money making institutions have incentives to be socially sensitive at the local, national, regional and global levels.

Corporate Sustainability  The person who is able to increase the bottom line through sustainable business practices will be the one who will sit in the front seat of the new corporate structure.

Universities  Universities realize the potential for growth in corporate sustainability and are attempting to insert their people into these positions.  Research show that industries connected to the built environment are expected to add 8 million sustainability related jobs to the U.S. Economy before Such statistics have lead the Council of Economic advisors to report that “green jobs” are expected to grow faster than any other occupation through 2016.

 Columbia University created their program in sustainability to address the growing demand for sustainability professionals in law, engineering, marketing, communications, policymaking and the sciences.  The program draws upon environmental measurement tools, environmental science and management, and policy studies to help students fully understand the systematic and organizational role of sustainability in any organization.  The program takes an approach to sustainability that prioritizes the protection of Earth’s systems and resources as well as the spread of social and economical opportunities for all people.

 While the program is capable of being completed in a year, the Masters degree takes anywhere between one and three years. The University encourages those in the program to continue part-time if their job allows. There are a total of 36 required credit hours, and tuition ends up at $51,480

 The faculty ranges from past high-ups at the EPA, to Harvard MBA graduates, urban planners, to an attorney that works in the financing of renewable energy projects and carbon offset project development, to a graduate of Yale School of Architecture who teaches sustainable design and architectural daylighting courses. Columbia has been able to gather a diverse group of professors, each with expertise in the interrelated web of sustainability.

 Curriculum focused around  Sustainability Management  Economics and Quantitative Analysis  Physical Dimensions of Sustainability management  General and Financial Management

Politics of Sustainability  More than perhaps any other field, new leadership is desperately needed the realm of policy making  Unfortunately, progress in creating a sustainable future has been stymied in Washington.

Politics of Sustainability  Issues of environmental science are politically sensitive  The goal is to make environmental science policy relevant, obtain technical credibility, and political legitimacy  An additional road block is the public’s inability to trade short term up front costs with long term benefits  Present day sacrifices for uncertain and distant future gains when the problem in not clearly evident or threatening

 The politics of sustainability is now a growing concentration of university masters programs.  Such is the case at Saint Louis University where a new Masters of Sustainability degree is now offered. This masters degree has a requirement of 35 credit hours at $935 each. The program is two years, during which, all students have the same required first year courses before breaking into their specific concentration.  Once the first year is complete, students then break off into one of three different directions: business, engineering and technology, or public policy and social work. The public policy concentration has a focus that is two fold. The degree combines the science of sustainability and the social aspects of sustainability. Aspects of social sustainability include studying the development by those in poverty, as well has human liberation.

Arizona State University, Masters of Arts in Sustainability  Arizona State University is another institution that is working to develop new legislative leaders. In the University’s Masters of Arts in Sustainability, students are required to complete 33 semester hours at either $600 or $900 an hour depending on state citizenship.  The program has goals of each student understanding and capable of solving complex sustainability challenges. The degree focus on students inclined towards social science and humanities as opposed to the hard sciences of sustainability.

Arizona State University, Masters of Arts in Sustainability  Upon completion of the program, students will:  Understand the concepts and methods of environmental economics sociology, anthropology, environmental politics, ethics, design, and human geography relevant to the sustainability of environmental resources and human geography relevant to the sustainability of environmental resources and social institutions.  Lead others in applying these concepts and methods of developing sustainable institutions for water, land, air, and urban management at the local and global level.  Evaluate the sustainability of environmental institutions, legal frameworks, property rights, and culture.

Sustainable Technology  We have come to a third area that universities are devoting new education programs that involve sustainability: technology. New technology has the ability to create a world that has a sustainable future as well as spark an economic boom in doing so.

Sustainable Technology  Those who are able to invent devices that can:  Solve potential energy crisis  Offset global warming,  Prevent food and water shortages  will see substantial returns on investment, both financially and morally

With innovation in mind, an organization called the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program has created curriculum programs designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics while simultaneously developing workplace skills.

 The Master of Business & Science with a concentration in Sustainability is designed to help students identify, analyze and better understand connections among social, environmental, technological and economic systems.  This program is more science based where those with a Bachelor’s degree in scientific or engineering discipline are most desired.

 The program requires students to take eight courses in the science of sustainability. These courses include Environmental Fate and Transport, Environmental Sustainability, Industrial Ecology, Environmental Science, Engineering and Energy, Sustainable Technologies, and Urban Eco-sustainability. In addition, there are six business management courses which are part of the Master of Business and Science degree.

Arizona State University, Masters of Science in Sustainability  The program includes the following goals:  Understand the concepts and methods of environmental economics, ecology, environmental biology, hydrology, environmental chemistry, engineering, earth systems management, and other disciplines relevant to the sustainable use of environmental resources.  Lead others in applying these concepts and methods to developing sustainable strategies for water, land, air, and urban management at the local and global level.

Conclusion  After three years of law school, an additional year or two of education is neither intellectually nor financially appealing.  Think about today’s Job Market.  Future Growth in the business of sustainability.  A degree involving sustainability will be a distinct advantage.

The Future…