University of Connecticut
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Statistics from the University’s Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness were used to identify the programs most strongly associated with the stated global citizenship goals from the University Academic Plan. For 2014-2015 academic year, this included Bachelor’s degrees from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the School of Engineering, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as various diplomas and certificates from various other schools with academic coursework in the departments listed below. These departments are all part of colleges with sustainability learning outcomes described in their mission statements (found in link below) and with sustainability focused and related courses as part of their department. Also in the link below are the remaining Associates, Doctorates, Masters, and Bachelors awarded with sustainability learning outcomes that were not within the parameters said earlier. http://www.ecohusky.uconn.edu/docs/ecohusky/Learning%20Outcomes.pdf

List/sample of sustainability learning outcomes associated with degree, diploma, or certificate programs: From the current University Academic Plan: "Members of the University community are committed to freedom of academic inquiry and expression and dedicated to excellence as demonstrated in the national and international recognition of our faculty, students, and programs. We create and disseminate knowledge by means of our scholarly and creative achievements, graduate and professional programs, and outreach to the community. “Through teaching and learning, we help students grow intellectually and become contributing members of the state, national, and world communities. Through research, teaching, and service, we embrace diversity and cultivate leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. And through our work as a land and sea grant institution, we promote the health and well-being of Connecticut’s citizens and enhance the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond." UConn’s brand new Academic plan outlines the mission statements of colleges. Our interns read through these statements and determined that the following college descriptions closely related to the terms of sustainability in the Earth Charter. The colleges included were College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, School of Nursing, School of Business, School of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the School of Nursing. CAHNR: CAHNR has identified two major areas of strength and opportunity that contribute to improving quality-of-life issues and supporting economic growth in the 21st century: a) Food, Nutrition, and Health b) Environmental and Agricultural Sustainability. These areas of strength are intimately connected because healthy and sustainable environments are the foundation for healthy individuals, families, and communities. Connecticut has a strong and vibrant agricultural economy delivering food, forest products, and plants and plant products to citizens across New England and the Northeast. CAHNR provides the science, technology, and educational outreach needed to promote healthy lifestyles, sustain a diverse and resilient agricultural economy, protect the natural resource base in Connecticut, and guide sensible and sustainable development that will help citizens and communities adapt to climate change. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in eight academic departments, and has an increasing presence in health-based programming, economics, environmental sciences, and food safety. The College is highly engaged in programs and centers focusing on food, nutrition and health, and environmental and agricultural sustainability. These areas of strength are intimately connected— healthy and sustainable environments serve as the foundation for healthy individuals, families, and communities. Connecticut has a strong and vibrant agricultural economy delivering food, forest products, and plants and plant products to citizens across New England and the Northeast. UConn provides the science, technology, and educational outreach needed to promote healthy lifestyles, sustain a diverse and resilient agricultural economy, protect the state’s natural resource base, and guide sensible and sustainable development. The College is the second-fastest growing college of agriculture in the nation, and has several programs that rank in the top one-third nationally. School of Business: The School of Business offers numerous master’s and doctoral programs including three MBA programs—full-time, executive, and part-time; three specialized masters programs —accounting, business analytics and project management, and financial risk management; and a full-time Ph.D. program. It also offers a broad set of undergraduate majors in its BS degree program. Among its research strengths are a cluster of creativity, entrepreneurship, and organizational behavior scholars in the management department; a cluster of analytical scholars who will contribute to our big data and complex systems thrust in the marketing department, which is also highly rated by the Association of American Universities; and a strong body of analytical scholars in the operations and information management department. The School is developing strengths in its healthcare administration and insurance groups, both important for the economy of the state of Connecticut and Next Generation Connecticut. The School of Engineering: The School of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees across engineering disciplines in seven departments, including the newly established biomedical engineering department that integrates science, engineering, and medicine to improve the quality of life. The School has exceptional students, strong scholarship in terms of knowledge generation and application, and vibrant publicprivate partnerships with major economic impact on the state and beyond. As evident in research expenditures, scholarly publications, and leadership positions in professional societies, the School has extraordinary research strength in advanced manufacturing and materials; sustainability and resilience; energy and environment; security and infrastructure; biomedical engineering and systems genomics; complex systems engineering and big data; and high-performance computing. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences includes 24 departments across the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, as well as centers, institutes, and interdisciplinary working groups that break down disciplinary boundaries, generate unexpected insights and innovative ideas, and create new fields of inquiry. The College had more than $43 million dollars of research expenditures in 2013, with significant external funding across the behavioral, life, environmental, and physical sciences. The College has enhanced its life and physical science faculty in the areas of genetics and genomics to collaborate with the UConn Health Center and The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine facilities in Farmington. The College has been at the forefront of environmental research, teaching, and outreach, with strong expertise in the natural and social sciences as well as ongoing interdisciplinary research initiatives related to environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and global environmental change. With ongoing interdisciplinary work on cognitive science between philosophers, linguists, behavioral scientists, and neurobiologists, we have a unique capacity for understanding language and the human mind. The College is the University’s home for research in the humanities, and includes strong programs in history, including early American and Latin American history, American and English literature, medieval studies, and world languages and culture. The College also supports a collection of programs and institutes focusing on race and gender with a vision of studying the relevant regions of the world and the populations from those regions as they have migrated across the globe. The School of Nursing: The School of Nursing offers prelicensure and graduate programs with many advanced practice nursing specialties at the master’s and doctoral levels. The School is designated as a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in Nursing Education based on the pedagogical expertise of its faculty. It offers a well-regarded interdisciplinary certificate in health professions education and is the largest provider of nurses and nursing faculty in Connecticut. Research expertise in the School has a long-standing and international reputation in maternal-infant health, including postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and high-risk infant development. Gerontology and aging research, particularly with vulnerable populations, is another area of strength. The School also hosts an emerging center in correctional health managed care. The School is known for its clinical partner collaborative relationships, where faculty hold joint appointments designed to enhance patient care and health outcomes. Additionally, all UConn students are able, in any given day, to take classes in subjects ranging from puppetry to linguistics to digital marketing to Renaissance art. They can conduct research in a genomics lab or pursue funding for a “UConn Idea” grant in an interdisciplinary area that integrates social sciences, humanities, and technology. They can choose to study and intern abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, or participate in a social entrepreneurship experience in Guatemala. They can select from more than 800 student activities or service initiatives. These programs will continue to be refined and updated to ensure an undergraduate educational experience that prepares our students for lives of impact and leadership in an increasingly diverse, globalized world by emphasizing problem solving and the capacity to translate knowledge and curricular content into real-world experiences.