STARS at Hartwick College Lessons Learned Brian E. Hagenbuch Director, Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York

About Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts and sciences college of 1,531 students, located in Oneonta, NY, in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains.

Hartwick's expansive curriculum emphasizes a uniquely experiential approach to liberal arts. Unique January Term Internships and study- abroad opportunities Pine Lake Environmental Campus

Liberal Arts Campus as Laboratory for Sustainability

Sustainability at Hartwick Sustainability At Hartwick President’s Office Faculty/ Staff Students Pine Lake Institute PLEC Programs/ Initiatives Hartwick Community Involvement Service Learning Facilities/ Dining Funding Mechanisms Administra tion Leadership Education Civic Engagement Infrastructure

Interdisciplinary Nature of Sustainability Sustainability Studies Natural Sciences Natural History Art, Poetry, Music & Photography Humanities Philosophy & Religion Earth Sciences Physical Sciences Engineering & Technology Anthropology & History Social Sciences Economics & Sociology Political Science Epistemological Frameworks Moral/Ethical Questions Cultural Constructions Participatory Decision-Making Processes

STARS in the Curriculum Honors Mini-Seminar (S11) Five students Six weeks Goal: Complete the STARS template Create a baseline of data on campus sustainability Actively engage students in changing campus culture

Course Outline Week 1:What is STARS? Week 2:Co-Curricular Criteria Week 3:Education and Research Week 4:Operations Week 5:Planning, Administration, Engagement Week 6:Final Paper and Presentation: How can liberal arts colleges foster sustainability?

Assignments Research and identify “best practices” Review available Hartwick information Reach out to administration, faculty, staff, students Surveys, questionnaires, interviews, meetings Complete STARS criteria, identify key findings, make recommendations Final presentation

Results Education and Research:51.00 Operations29.22 Planning, Administration, Engagement38.36 Innovation

Lessons Learned Find the Right People!

Heads Up Prepare campus experts beforehand

Create a Template STARS Hartwick College Contact List Tentative Contact List by Credit (Incomplete) NamePosition PhoneEROPPAE Melissa AllenFinancial Aid 10 Gary Ballard Environmental Health and Safety 3, 19, 23 Peter BlueManager PL T2-2 Zach BrownResident Life T2-3 Diversity T2-1 Ron BrzenkProf. Math, Chair Jennifer Chambers Director, Center for 22, 23 Lori Collins-HallSociology, Assessment 13 Davis ConleyExecutive Director, 20, Waste T2-2, 2-3 Cindy DeckerChemistry Lab Waste T2-4 Teresa DiMagnoDirector, 22, 23 George ElsbeckVP 2, 3, 16, 17, 18 Investment T2-2, T2-3

Connect to Students Human Resources Nicole, NicholePossible Points Earned points StudentContact PAE-11: Sustainable Compensation 8.00 NicoleSuzanne Janitz PAE-12: Employee Satisfaction Evaluation 2.00 NicoleSuzanne Janitz PAE-13: Staff Professional Development in Sustainability 2.00 NicholeDan Morse PAE-14: Sustainability in New Employee Orientation 2.00 NicholeDan Morse PAE-15: Employee Sustainability Educators Program NicholeDan Morse Tier 2 Credits Tier2-1: Childcare NicoleSuzanne Janitz Tier2-2: Employee Wellness Program 0.25 NicoleSuzanne Janitz Tier2-3: Socially Responsible Retirement Plan 0.25 NicholeSuzanne Janitz

Present Your Findings to Campus

Follow-Up Review, Edit, Approve

Don’t Take Criteria Too Literally

Begin the Dialogue

Feedback from Participants Generally positive Concern about time and resources involved Didn’t know what they did could be considered “sustainability oriented” Faculty didn’t think courses or research would be considered under sustainability umbrella

Student Perspectives Being a student, I too can make a difference. I became part of a bigger organization This class gave this group independence and unity all in one.

A lot of us made personal changes in our lives based of what we learned. Change does not just happen, but it definitely impacted the life styles of those involved in the research.

Faculty and staff are not as scary as I thought. Working together with them on a project gave us a sense of equality. They are willing to help and they too share the same interest in sustainability.

Contact Information Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies