Dickinson College
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Acting on a resolution passed by the Dickinson faculty, President John E. Jones signed the Resilience Commitment of Second Nature in December 2022. Second Nature is a non-profit benefit corporation that initiated and coordinates the Resilience Commitment, a program that engages over 100 colleges and universities in working to make their campuses and communities resilient to climate change. Dickinson’s responsibilities as a signatory, which are to be completed within three-years of signing, are to establish structures and a joint campus-community working group to guide and coordinate the climate resilience initiative, assess climate risks and resilience at Dickinson and the wider community, evaluate strategies for building climate resilience, develop and adopt a climate resilience plan for the college that includes indicators and metrics for monitoring progress, and integrate climate resilience in Dickinson’s curriculum and other learning experiences. It is intended that the work be done in partnership with community stakeholders from Carlisle and Cumberland County.

Milestones for Year 1 (2023):
• Launch the initiative and establish a campus-community Climate Resilience Working Group to guide and coordinate the initiative.
• Develop a scope of work and approach for the initiative.
• Develop and publish background papers about changing climate hazards and vulnerabilities in our region.
• Initiate and complete work to assess climate risks and resilience in Carlisle and Cumberland County and produce and disseminate reports from this work.
• Engage campus and community stakeholders in conversations about climate risks and resilience in our region.

Climate Resilience in Carlisle and Cumberland County.
• Social Equity and Governance, Kathryn Hickey ‘24
• Health and Wellbeing, Heidi Beardsley ‘25
• Ecosystems, Kristen Beach ‘24
• Infrastructure, Utilities, and Services, Christian Polk ‘24
• Economy and Finances, Isabella Moes ‘24

Community engagement events and activities in 2023 include:
Community Workshop, Climate Resilience in Cumberland County and Carlisle, PA, December 15, 2023. The workshop was attended by 50 community stakeholders from across the county seeking to learn from each other and share their perspectives about climate risks in our region, strategies for building climate resilience, and priorities for action. The 3-hour workshop, facilitated by Dickinson students and staff, began with short presentations about climate risks and resilience in the County, moved into a series of small group discussions to explore selected climate resilience topics, and closed with a conversation among all workshop participants to share important ideas from the small groups and identify commonalities and differences across the groups.

The workshop conversations and a post-workshop survey revealed that risks from climate-related hazards are concerns to county residents for all five of the impact categories that were discussed: social equity and vulnerable populations, health and wellbeing, the environment, infrastructure, and the economy. Among these, health and wellbeing and the environment ranked as the highest concerns in the post-workshop survey, closely followed by social equity and vulnerable populations and infrastructure. Protecting many of the county’s assets from climate-related hazards were rated as high and very high priorities. Rated as the highest priorities are protecting drinking water, people who are highly vulnerable to climate hazards, streams, lakes, and watersheds, wildlife and biodiversity, farms, farmers and agriculture, forests, and human health. Protecting infrastructure of various types, recreation, and businesses were rated as greater than medium priorities. More details of the workshop conversations can be found in the workshop summary report.

Access online: Community Workshop Summary Report

Faculty Gathering on Climate Resilience, April 25, 2023: 14 faculty members and the directors of the Center for Sustainability Education and the Center for Civic Learning and Action gathered to discuss ways in which climate resilience might be incorporated in teaching, research, and practices at Dickinson.

Climate Resilience Open Meeting, April 11, 2023: An interactive, open meeting for Dickinson, Carlisle, and Cumberland County community members was held in Dickinson’s Social Hall and attended by 22 people, including Dickinson students, faculty, and staff and members of Carlisle-area communities.

Sustainability Expo, March 31, 2023: The Working Group co-chairs participated in the Sustainability Expo to share information about the climate resilience initiative. Over 300 people attended the Expo, scores of whom were engaged in conversation about the resilience initiative.

Dickinson College assisted Carlisle Borough in Pennsylvania and Cumberland County to develop climate action plans. Dickinson students and faculty produced an inventory of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions for Carlisle, after which the college advocated for adoption by the Borough of a resolution to set emission reduction targets consistent with the Paris climate agreement and to develop a climate action plan to achieve the targets. Dickinson faculty and staff then participated with the greater Carlisle community to develop climate action plans, which were finalized in 2022.

https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4083/dickinson_college_and_carlisle_team_up_to_tackle_greenhouse_gas_emissions
https://www.carlislepa.org/government/climate_action_plan.php
https://www.carlislepa.org/government/boards___commissions/climate_action_commission.php

3-3-23
Dickinson signed-on to a letter in support of Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in order to reduce the state’s climate pollution.

2-11-21
PennEnvironment – Dickinson signed-on to coalition letter to state representatives and state senators in support of energy efficiency standards for appliances in PA (2021 Appliance Efficiency Standards Bill)
Dickinson is an active participant in Pennsylvania’s Local Climate Action Program (LCAP), which promotes and supports municipal, county and regional government entities in developing climate action plans. 40 government entities from across the state participate in LCAP. Building on our climate action planning collaboration with Carlisle Borough, Dickinson entered into a similar partnership with Cumberland County and Shippensburg University in summer 2020. A greenhouse gas inventory was prepared for the County in fall 2020 and Dickinson and Shippensburg are now assisting the County Planning Department to develop a County climate action plan. We share lessons and approaches with all the LCAP participant communities through regular online meetings and online community portal. Dickinson and Shippensburg, working with the Cumberland Conservation Collaborative, the South Mountain Partnership and other regional conservation groups, organized a community climate action forum in 2020 and 2021 that included a successful and well attended series of virtual community meetings that raised understanding in the region of the needs and opportunities for local climate action, engaged members of the public in climate action planning in Carlisle and Cumberland County, and encouraged leaders of other communities in our region to embark on climate action planning for their own boroughs, townships and counties.
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4360/dickinson_college_joins_statewide_partnership_to_address_climate_change.
https://southmountainpartnership.org/speakers-series/schedule.

In February 2021, Dickinson College President Margee Ensign signed a letter to Pennsylvania legislators advocating for state legislation to establish appliance energy efficiency standards.

In September 2020, Dickinson College President Margee Ensign joined with others to sign a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Wolf asking him to have Pennsylvania join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon market that limits emissions from electric power generation in northeaster and mid-Atlantic states. President Ensign proactively contacted presidents of other colleges and universities in the state, urging them to also sign the letter.
https://www.rggiforpa.com/letter

President Ensign also signed PennEnvironment’s letter to the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board supporting Pennsylvania’s participation in RGGI. The letter was submitted as a public comment to the DEQ Board in response to their request for public comments to guage Pennsylvanians’ interest in joining RGGI.
https://pennenvironment.org/resources/pae/rggi-public-comment-coalition-letter

1-11-22
The American Talent Initiative’s Statement of Commitment. Joining the nation’s leading colleges and universities to accelerate opportunity for lower-income students

12-14-21
Sign-On – Amicus Brief in support of DACA
Amicus brief in support of DACA that is being led by United We Dream (UWD) for the Texas DACA case now being appealed in the 5th Circuit Court. After review of the brief and based on input and recommendations of members of our Legal Advisory Council, the Presidents' Alliance has signed onto this UWD-led amicus brief. The importance of higher education for DACA recipients, the contributions of DACA recipients to campuses and communities, and the opportunities to pursue higher education enabled by DACA come through very powerfully in this amicus brief. Many of the stories of DACA recipients highlight their higher education journeys.

8-9-21
Sign-on Letter: Principles for a Nationwide System of Climate Services
Calling for national system of “climate services” to support local governments in taking action on climate change. One of the sponsoring organizations, is Science for Climate Action Network, which is chaired by Richard Moss, parent of Dickinson graduate Sarah Moss.

5-28-21
American Talent Initiative Statement of Commitment – Signed the statement of commitment for ATI’s Accelerating Opportunity campaign to expand access and success for lower-income students.

3-18-21
Second Nature – Dickinson signed-on to letter to President Biden in support of a strong 2030 U.S. climate target (sign-on letter calls on the United States to adopt a target of at least 50% emissions reduction by 2030 in order to place a country on a credible pathway to reach net-zero emissions by 2050).

In 2017, Dickinson joined the We Are Still In coalition, publicly opposing U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and committing to continue to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Paris agreement. In December 2020, we again made a public commitment to climate action by joining with others in signing the “We Are All In” call for a national mobilization on climate and recovery. Dickinson also encouraged other colleges, universities and organizations to also join the We Are Still In campaign.
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/3976/dickinson_college_opposes_planned_withdrawal_from_paris_agreement_on_climate_change; https://www.wearestillin.com/

Dickinson joined an amicus brief in July 2020 to support a lawsuit filed by Harvard and MIT against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeking to prevent ICE and DHS officials from enforcing the newly announced federal requirement. The Trump administration had announced unexpectedly that international students at American colleges and universities would need to attend in-person classes this year, despite the current global pandemic or risk being out of immigration status and being deported. Under this policy, international students attending U.S. colleges that had moved to all-online instruction would have to leave the U.S. or would be considered out of status. Students remaining in their home countries and taking online-only courses through U.S. colleges and universities would have their student-visa records made inactive. The lawsuit contributed to pressures that caused the Trump administration to rescind its decision.
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4319/we_stand_in_support_of_international_students_dickinson_college_responds_to_reversal_of_student-visa_policy.
Dickinson joined the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACREAL) in 2020, an alliance that brings their institutions’ presidents together help build more just and equitable campuses and societies. This includes sharing strategies, crafting joint responses to developing events, communicating stances and needs to policymakers, journalists and others as needs arise.
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4528/united_for_justice_dickinson_joins_liberal_arts_college_alliance_for_racial_equity_leadership

Dickinson is among more than 315 colleges and universities across the country to issue a collective statement on what admissions deans value in prospective students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement, "Care Counts in Crisis: College Admissions Deans Respond to COVID-19," was released nationwide by the Making Caring Common project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and aims to relieve stresses on students and their caregivers. The collective statement underscores the importance of self-care, service to others and family support. It also explains academic work matters, but the deans recognize many students are facing obstacles to academic achievement due to the pandemic. The deans also convey that no student will be disadvantaged for not engaging in extracurricular activities during this time, including internships, camps and summer jobs.
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4308/dickinson_college_signs_collective_statement_on_college_admissions_and_covid-19

Dickinson College President Margee Ensign joined presidents of 70 other colleges and universities in signing a letter opposing the DOE's investigation of Princeton that was triggered by Princeton’s president publicly recognizing that historic racism has been embedded in the institution over time. The letter states “It is outrageous that the Department of Education is using our country’s resources to investigate an institution that is committed to becoming more inclusive by reckoning with the impact in the present of our shared legacies of racism.”
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4407/dickinson_college_president_margee_ensign_signs_presidents_letter_regarding_does_princeton_investigation

Dickinson recently became an early signatory to the CANIE Accord, a public commitment to climate action established by the Climate Action Network for International Educators, a grassroots initiative formed by international education practitioners. The accord was developed in consultation with leaders from international education organizations, higher-education institutions, university networks, media, national governments, corporations, NGOs and scholarship bodies. It represents the international education sector’s climate ambitions and commitment to align with scientific recommendations and global climate agreements. By becoming a signatory, Dickinson helps strengthen and accelerate the international education sector’s collective response to the climate crisis.

Dickinson hosted International Climate Symposium
Science-Based Choices for Climate Action – Insights from the IPCC 6th Assessment Report, hosted by Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, USA on October 24 – 26, 2022, celebrated awarding of the 2022 Sam Rose and Julie Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in recognition of the IPCC’s important work. The in-person and virtual symposium featured 50 speakers and moderators from a dozen countries, including IPCC Chair Dr. Hoesung Lee, IPCC Vice Chair Ko Barrett, IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair Dr. Debra Roberts, authors of the newest reports from the IPCC, and Dickinson faculty members and other guests with expertise on climate change science, risks, policies, and actions. Over the 3-day symposium, the speakers and moderators engaged each other and the audience in conversations about findings from the IPCC reports, why they matter, and how they can be and are being used to mobilize more ambitious and equitable actions on climate change. Dickinson students were in the thick of it throughout, asking questions, voicing their concerns and sharing their perspectives on needed action. They were joined by hundreds of others who attended in person or watched the livestream from colleges, universities, high schools and other institutions across the United States and numerous other countries. (Over 3000 people from 52 countries registered in advance for the symposium).

Dickinson is a registered observer organization of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and has sent delegations of students and faculty to COPS 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 and 23 that have advocated for international action on climate change. At COP 21 in Paris, Dickinson organized a well-attended event titled “Climate Action - Engaging the Next Generation” that featured Bill McKibben, James Balog, John Adams, Mark Jacobson and several Dickinson students as speakers. https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2471/climate_education_and_research/3

Dickinson College has advocated internationally for sustainability as a signatory of the United Nations Higher Education Sustainability Initiative and the Talloires Declaration.

Dickinson joined the U.S. chapter of the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) when it was launched in 2018. Dickinson advocates for national and international climate change solutions through its participation in the SDSN.
https://www.unsdsn.org/

Dickinson and the Institute of International Education (IIE) launched a partnership in 2020 to support professionals from government agencies, NGOs and foundations from around the world in building the skills and motivations to advance equity and inclusivity in education. https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4514/dickinson_college_iie_announce_innovative_new_partnership

Local advocacy
• Carlisle climate action planning:
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4083/dickinson_college_and_carlisle_team_up_to_tackle_greenhouse_gas_emissions
https://www.carlislepa.org/government/climate_action_plan.php
•https://www.carlislepa.org/government/boards___commissions/climate_action_commission.php
• Carlisle Resilience Dialogues report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TjVN3rf7QswL_bLlA6TjrJdykUfCoaC-/view
• NACUBO article that includes the Carlisle-Dickinson resilience assessment: https://www.businessofficermagazine.org/features/joining-forces/
Regional advocacy
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/5591/dickinson_to_host_senior_scientist_from_the_national_center_for_atmospheric_research
https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4360/dickinson_college_joins_statewide_partnership_to_address_climate_change.
• https://southmountainpartnership.org/speakers-series/schedule.
• https://www.rggiforpa.com/letter
• https://pennenvironment.org/resources/pae/rggi-public-comment-coalition-letter
National advocacy
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/3976/dickinson_college_opposes_planned_withdrawal_from_paris_agreement_on_climate_change; https://www.wearestillin.com/
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4319/we_stand_in_support_of_international_students_dickinson_college_responds_to_reversal_of_student-visa_policy.
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4528/united_for_justice_dickinson_joins_liberal_arts_college_alliance_for_racial_equity_leadership
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4308/dickinson_college_signs_collective_statement_on_college_admissions_and_covid-19
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4407/dickinson_college_president_margee_ensign_signs_presidents_letter_regarding_does_princeton_investigation
International advocacy
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/5332/dickinson_wins_award_for_advancing_sustainability_through_education_abroad
• https://www.unsdsn.org/
•https://www.dickinson.edu/news/article/4514/dickinson_college_iie_announce_innovative_new_partnership
•https://www.dickinson.edu/info/20052/sustainability/2471/climate_education_and_research/3

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