West Chester University of Pennsylvania
ER-5: Sustainability Course Identification

As an institution of higher education, West Chester University’s role is to instill the knowledge and values of sustainability within our campus and community.

At West Chester University, we promote the stewardship of an Earth on which life flourishes into a future of increasing prosperity and opportunity, without reducing the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations.

Sustainability requires an understanding of the inter-connected relationship of environmental, societal, and economic issues and resources at both the local and global levels.

West Chester University graduates will be prepared to transform their understanding of those connections into a life-long commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible local and global citizenship.

Sustainability-Focused Course:
Part of the main goals and objectives of the course included any of the following topics:

·The impact of human activities (e.g., energy, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, development, recreation) on natural systems (e.g., biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, soil erosion, etc.)
·The relationship of population, consumption, culture, social equity, and the environment
·Technical, design, and scientific strategies that foster sustainable development, e.g., promote energy efficiency, conserve natural resources, prevent and control the generation of pollution and waste, remediate environmental problems, and preserve biological diversity
·Social, cultural, legal, and governmental frameworks for guiding environmental management and sustainable development
·The causes, consequences, and severity of climate change
·How to apply principles of sustainable development in the context of professional and personal activities.

Sustainability-Related:
Any of the following topics were addressed in the course, but were not part of the main goals or objectives in the course:

·The impact of human activities (e.g., energy, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, development, recreation) on natural systems (e.g., biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, soil erosion, etc.)
·The relationship of population, consumption, culture, social equity, and the environment
· Technical, design, and scientific strategies that foster sustainable development, e.g., promote energy efficiency, conserve natural resources, prevent and control the generation of pollution and waste, remediate environmental problems, and preserve biological diversity
·Social, cultural, legal, and governmental frameworks for guiding environmental management and sustainable development
·The causes, consequences, and severity of climate change
·How to apply principles of sustainable development in the context of professional and personal activities

The Steering and Planning and Curriculum and Research sub-committees of the Sustainability Advisory Council at West Chester University convened in the fall of 2011 to construct a definition of sustainability at WCU.

Committee Members:
- Paul Morgan, Department of Education, Sustainability Coordinator
- Joan Welch, Department of Geography
- Ashley Duffy, STARS Student Intern
- Allison Turner, Graduate Business Center
- Ashlie Delshad, Department of Political Science
- Carol Smith, Literacy Department
- Walter Cressler, Library Coordinator
- Daria Nikitina, Department of Geology and Astronomy
- Timothy Lutz, Department of Geology and Astronomy
- Kaloni Baylor, Greenhouse Gas Student Intern
- Joy Fritschle, Department of Geography
- Kenneth Witmer, Dean of the College of Education

1.Determined sustainability in the curriculum definition.
2.Faculty/Researcher Survey
a.Developed survey based on STARS criteria.
b.Distributed survey to all faculty/researchers/staff on campus via email.
c.Follow-up reminders from Department Chairs and College Deans.
d.Monitored survey results.
3.Manually classified responses to survey as either Sustainability Focused or Sustainability Related courses.
4.Cross-referenced courses from survey with courses from the Course Catalog 2011-12.
5.Compiled a final listing of all Sustainability Focused and Sustainability Related Courses.
6.Made course listing publicly available through the WCU Sustainability website.

The Sustainability Advisory Council asked faculty to use the above definition to self-identify whether any of their classes are sustainability-focused or sustainability-related. 84 faculty members completed the survey, and the results were used to produce a catalog of sustainability curricula.