Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.74
Liaison Catherine Lockhart
Submission Date Sept. 23, 2019

STARS v2.2

Lawrence University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Jeff Clark
Professor
Geology
"---" 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:

Lawernce's Biology and Geology departments regularly offer multi-week immersive experiences as part of their coursework. The Biology department's Marine Term, for example, includes three courses (a full load) and two weeks of field experience in the Caribbean.
An interdisciplinary program called Sustainable China is also offered; it comprises a number of compulsory courses including Environment and the Economy and culminates in a 2-3 week trip to China to explore sustainability issues there. The government department also offers a course on field experience in development in which each student will develop and implement a project that concerns economic, political, and/or environmental issues important in Sierra Leone, Jamaica, or another selected country. Students will also have the opportunity to learn from both national and local leaders in political, economic, environmental, and social development issues. Class members travel to a developing country during a term break.

In addition to our own programs, Lawrence partners with study-abroad programs through SIT and SFS to offer students immersive experience.

Another interdisciplinary program studies Sierra Leone in the classroom and in Sierra Leone. Through the efforts of numerous Lawrence students, some working on class projects and others as volunteer, over $35,000 has been raised to place a solar-power, bore hole well in the Conforti School community center. The well will provide clean water to over 500 people, and the school's management of the well should help to ensure that the well is lasting for the future. The sustainability of water projects in Africa is one of the most challenging of all 'sustainability' issues as wells are easy to build but difficult to maintain. The aim of these efforts, coordinated by KidsGive, is that continued connections to the school and the community will enhance sustainability of the physical structure of the well, and therefore improve the social conditions of the community.
KidsGive is a student club, a practicum offering of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, a scholarship program of Lawrence University for children in Sierra Leone.  Its members include both current students and alums, who serve on its Advisory Board


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 above website directs to study abroad programs. Info on Marine Term, Sustainable China, and Field Experience in Development are found on the Biology and Government webpages.

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/biology/lawrence_university_marine_program

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/government/sustainable-china

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/government/course_descriptions


The above website directs to study abroad programs. Info on Marine Term, Sustainable China, and Field Experience in Development are found on the Biology and Government webpages.

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/biology/lawrence_university_marine_program

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/government/sustainable-china

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/government/course_descriptions

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.