Education
Specific short-term goals identified in MxCC’s Climate Action Plan, 2015-2016:
Action | Measurement | Achievability | Status |
Provide a publicly available inventory of courses relating to sustainability and the environment | Advising guide for courses relating to sustainability made available to advisors and directly to students | AN | |
Investigate creating a Center for Sustainability to coordinate academic, community, and operational sustainability initiatives | Center established with new director hired or designated | AAR, AII | |
Increase the number of courses with integrated sustainability content. | # of courses with integrated sustainability content | AAR | |
Increase number of students enrolling in courses with sustainability content | # of students enrolled in identified sustainability courses. | AN | |
Provide professional development to faculty wanting to incorporate sustainability-related activities and components in courses across disciplines | # of faculty engaging in sustainability-related professional development activities; # of activities and modules developed and implemented | AAR | |
Consider “energy internships” where students would complete energy benchmark analyses and make recommendations for improvements. | Establishment of student energy internships | AN | |
Utilize the campus and buildings as a living laboratory and classroom for science and other courses across disciplines | # of courses with activities utilizing the campus and/or its buildings in activities or projects | AN | Campus used for outdoor activities in EVS*100, GLG*120, BIO*122 and BIO*173 |
Create a “Green Teaching” Certificate to recognize faculty who engage in course-greening activities, including reducing paper, saving energy, and encouraging student engagement. | Certificate guidelines created and publicized; # of faculty certified | AAR | |
Create new courses, certificates, and programs as needed for workforce development and to ensure student engagement with emerging issues | New courses, certificates, programs created | AAR, AII | |
Ensure that environmental and sustainability-related courses are offered consistently at all MxCC campus locations. | # of courses offered at each campus. | AN, AAR | EVS*100 has been offered at Meriden in the past but offerings have been limited by low enrollment. |
Investigate options for energy efficient transportation for students between Middletown and Meriden campuses, including grant and state funding. | Energy-efficient transportation established for students traveling between campuses. | AAR | Funding for transportation between the two campuses is being discussed with the BOR. |
* Achievable now (AN), achievable with additional resources (AAR), achievable through policy changes (APC), achievable through institutional investment (AII)