Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 56.16
Liaison Matthew Liesch
Submission Date May 13, 2024

STARS v2.2

Central Michigan University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Eric Urbaniak
Student Reviewer
OID
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:
The Recreation, Parks & Leisure Services has many different immersive experiences available to students to travel the world while learning and applying sustainability skills. One such program is conducted by faculty members Jordan Bruusuma and Robert Dvorak. The program: Experiential Learning, Leadership and Personal Growth in New Zealand- is a two week immersive experience where students get to travel, practice/ teach Leave No Trace ethics, learn about sustainability-centric cultures such as the traditional Maori culture, work with community based service projects and develop personal, professional, as well as sustainability-oriented skills. Please see attached Syllabus

Finally, one of the most immersive experiences offered by CMU is science classes on Beaver Island, which is home to the CMU Biological Station. Each summer, students have the opportunity to stay on Beaver Island and take 3 week long classes for credit such as ecology, chemistry, geography, and more. Students have the option to stay in dorms, cabins, or tent, and receive hands on experience through independent research projects with the supervision of a faculty member.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s immersive education programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The Great Lakes biological field station on Beaver Island offers a wide variety of courses in an immersive environment, many of which feature understanding the sustainable ecology of the Great Lakes.

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