Academic Senate Sustainability Work Group

Short-Term Goals (2012-2014)

  • Assess current co-curricular activities available to students to identify critical gaps
  • Expand on the current UCSB Speaker’s Bureau to promote awareness of climate change in the local community
  • Develop an ongoing funding source for the Faculty Sustainability Champion program
  • Support the UCSB Lab Sustainability Program (LabRATS) in expanding the number of labs that it reaches through a senate endorsement
  • Secure approval for a Special Subject GE in the Environment
  • Publish a list of courses related to climate change and the environment on the UCSB Sustainability Website
  • Secure approval for a new interdepartmental PhD Emphasis in the Environment and Society

Mid-Term Goals (2014-2020)

  • Expand on existing research collaborations to encourage more interdisciplinary research on climate change especially those which link the humanities and fine arts to the natural and social sciences
  • Create an identification in the UCSB course catalog for courses that relate to climate change
  • Develop a funding source to encourage the development of courses related to climate change, especially in departments that do not usually address this issue
  • Develop a climate change student peer educators program
  • Highlight existing demonstration projects on campus and develop new demonstrations to use as curricular tools
  • Promote faculty engagement in local climate change projects where their expertise can be used effectively
  • Develop a learn at lunch or seminar program which will bring together researchers from diverse disciplines working on sustainability and the environment
  • Implement the Special Subject GE in the Environment
  • Develop a Eco-Literacy Assessment Program to determine effectiveness of GE
  • Develop a strategy for sustaining existing sustainability based service learning programs at UCSB
  • Implement the new interdisciplinary PhD emphasis
  • Encourage faculty and researchers to engage in statewide and national sustainability associations

 Long-Term Goals (2020-2050)

  • Develop a fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate researchers working on climate change
  • Document climate change curriculum and share with other universities globally
  • Develop 2-3 large scale demonstration projects that would engage campus researchers, link to curriculum, and set UCSB in a leadership position beyond peer institutions
  • Develop community-based research projects on climate change issues in the local community that engage multi-disciplinary teams of researchers
  • Develop a new interdisciplinary PhD Program in the environment