Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.62
Liaison Darcy Coughlan
Submission Date Dec. 22, 2022

STARS v2.2

Coastal Carolina University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Darcy Coughlan
Associate Director
Sustain Coastal
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

1st Partnership 

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
The United Nations Georgetown RISE Youth Corps

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
The United Nations Georgetown RISE Youth Corps provides students an opportunity to work on a project or internship in the county as designed by county leaders, public and private for a pre-specified number of credits that fit within their curriculum. This would be combined with a class led by a CCU instructor with special lectures from county leaders on sustainable development and coastal resilience. This partnership focuses on education and community engagement, land use planning, and climate adaptation and mitigation. It is funded by the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation in collaboration with Coastal Carolina University.

https://www.coastal.edu/georgetownrise/ourwork/

2nd Partnership

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Smart River Research program

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Short-term project or event

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
In May 2021, the Coastal Carolina University Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies launched a program to use advanced technology to monitor, gauge, and develop strategies to address flooding in Horry and Georgetown counties. The center’s Smart River Research program aims to understand the dangers and opportunities facing water interaction, and is supported by key scientific institutions and private sector partners such as Duke Energy Foundation. Duke Energy South Carolina President, Michael Callahan, said “The recent flooding has impacted many lives and we share your concerns for the future. I know we can find long-term solutions that will benefit all of us for years to come.” This program will enable increasing the resolution beyond the regional coverage in place through U.S Geological Survey (USGS) stream flow gauges in tributaries, neighborhoods and areas between USGS gauges. This funding also supports and recognizes the University’s leadership in this important endeavor.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2922512818016648
https://www.coastal.edu/ccustories/news/news-article/index.php?id=5312

3rd Partnership 

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Winyah Rivers Alliance

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
The Waccamaw Riverkeeper is a program of the Winyah Rivers Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to protect, preserve, monitor and revitalize the health of the lands and water of the greater Winyah Bay watershed. The Waccamaw Riverkeeper Program office is located at Coastal Carolina University's Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies. The Center has a Memorandum of Understanding with Winyah Rivers Foundation to support joint interests in community education and outreach as it relates to watershed education, science and management.

The Waccamaw Riverkeeper staff works closely with the Waccamaw Watershed Academy staff to engage the community, including the University community, in watershed stewardship through a number of programs including the Waccamaw River Volunteer Monitoring Project. The purpose is to gauge the general health of our water system. Knowing if the water is safe is important to knowing if the fish that is caught is safe to eat or if the water is safe to swim in.

https://www.coastal.edu/wwa/waccamawriverkeeper/
https://winyahrivers.org/winyah-rivers-alliance-projects/

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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