Lakehead University
EN-8: Staff Professional Development

In 2013/2014 the Centre for Place and Sustainability Studies (CPSS) offered two workshops on sustainability made available to all staff and faculty at the university. The first workshop, offered in Fall of 2013, was a smaller two-part workshop. In the Spring of 2014 a more extensive three day workshop was offered. About the Spring workshop: "Higher education must lead the way in preparing learners for citizenship in a world where complex issues of sustainability—environmental quality, individual and community health and wellbeing, and social equity and justice—are paramount. Coordinated by the Lakehead’s Centre for Place and Sustainability Studies, this workshop retreat aims to build community among an interdisciplinary group of colleagues with diverse commitments to “sustainability”—broadly defined. Together we will reflect on pedagogy and practice, engage with the particular local and global challenges and opportunities facing sustainability education at Lakehead, and strengthen sustainability action on campus and beyond. The workshop also aims to be responsive to the needs and interests of its participants. We are pleased to welcome Jean McGregor of the Evergreen State College (Olympia, Washington) as the retreat’s co-facilitator, along with sustainability champions at LU and in the region. Jean is the founder and director of the Curriculum for the Bioregion, a 10-year initiative in engaging faculty communities in issues of sustainability, and in building sustainability concepts and place-based learning into a broad array of courses and disciplines." Plans are currently being made for a 2014-2015 workshop.

The percentage of staff is an estimate only. The Provost has a task force to review teaching and learning supports. One area that is being focused on is how to support further integration of sustainability into teaching and research. In addition, according to Lakehead's Staff Development Policy employees who wish to seek further education will be subsidized if they meet the following requirements. A full time staff member (contract employees are ineligible) who enrols in a course of study -outside of working hours (an exception may be made if the course is a prerequisite for the -member's job position), -with the prior approval of his or her Department Head, and -the authorization of the Director of Human Resources shall be granted consideration as follows: -for a Lakehead University 'credit' course - see 'Tuition Waiver Policy", -for a non-university course that is job related, 75% of tuition fees (up to a maximum of $500.00 annually) will be paid to the employee (providing the employee is still employed) on presentation of proof of successful completion of the course to Human Resources.