Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.95
Liaison Daryl Pierson
Submission Date June 30, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Portland State University
IN-4: Innovation 4

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Molly Bressers
Program & Outreach Coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Title or keywords related to the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Collaborative Creation of Two Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificates

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:

Taking an unprecedented level of collaboration, these two graduate certificate programs are innovative and work to break down silos between academic departments and disciplines, providing students with a holistic view of the complex systems and issues.

Developed collaboratively with partners from across the local and regional energy industry, the new Graduate Certificate in Energy Policy and Management unites areas of energy policy and management expertise across the University into a cohesive program that meets the expressed needs of the local economy. Graduate courses from Public Administration, Urban Studies and Planning, Economics, Engineering Technology Management, and Systems Science come together to prepare students for careers in energy—an important cornerstone of the regional and global economy. These five units, spanning three PSU colleges, are working together to strengthen the energy content in existing courses as well as to offer the Energy Certificate.

The Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems similarly takes an interdisciplinary approach. The certificate is housed in the Public Administration Division of the Hatfield School of Government, but requires courses in a range of other disciplines, including Community Health, Urban and Regional Planning, Business, Geography, Education, and Sustainability. The certificate spans four colleges and schools at the University, and a memorandum of agreement was developed between the deans of the participating units to facilitate a coordinated approach to certificate administration and evaluation. The innovative, collaborative approach offers students a more integrated education than any single department or school could offer on its own.


A brief description of any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation (if not reported above):

Collaboration among 5 different academic departments to create the Energy Certificate. Collaboration among 5 different academic departments to create the Food Systems Certificate with 10 different faculty offering courses.


A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise:
Which of the following STARS subcategories does the innovation most closely relate to? (Select all that apply up to a maximum of five):
Yes or No
Curriculum Yes
Research Yes
Campus Engagement Yes
Public Engagement ---
Air & Climate ---
Buildings ---
Dining Services ---
Energy Yes
Grounds ---
Purchasing ---
Transportation ---
Waste ---
Water ---
Coordination, Planning & Governance ---
Diversity & Affordability ---
Health, Wellbeing & Work Yes
Investment ---

Other topic(s) that the innovation relates to that are not listed above:
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The website URL where information about the innovation is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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