Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.46
Liaison Bradley Flamm
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

West Chester University of Pennsylvania
IN-47: Innovation A

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Bradley Flamm
Director of Sustainability
Office of the President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar Series

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:

Currently (Spring 2020) in its sixth semester, West Chester University's Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar series has provided weekly presentations on sustainability-related research and professional practice in the area of higher education. The series is innovative in several respects:
* WCU faculty, faculty from other institutions of higher education and external public and non-profit organizations, WCU staff members, and WCU students are invited to participate, helping to create an environment of collaboration and collegiality amongst all members of the campus community
* Presentations are open to members of the communities in which West Chester University is located
* Coordination of the series is a collaborative effort of three campus offices: Sustainability, Research and Sponsored Programs, and Distance Education
* Creativity is encouraged by presenters -- outdoor tours and creative performances have been featured
* Presenters are encouraged to contribute their presentations to an online archive via Digital Commons @ WCU (https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/srca_sp/)
* Beginning in the Fall 2019 semester, presentations are livestreamed to enable WCU Distance Education students and others to attend presentations remotely; recordings are made, captioned, and posted to the Digital Commons archive (see, for example, https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/srca_sp/15/)
* Collaborative initiatives on campus have resulted from connections made during seminar presentations, including the creation of an organic Natural Pigments and Dyes garden developed by Art & Design faculty member Kate Stewart and WCU Grounds Department Manager, Josh Braid

A seminar series is not, by itself, an innovative initiative, but the collaborative, inclusive, creative, welcoming, consistent, archived, and encouraging nature of WCU's Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar series makes it an important contributor to our university's efforts to promote sustainability, achieve our climate and sustainability goals, and to engage our campus and community neighbors in effective action.


A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
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The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar is coordinated each semester by the Office of Sustainability in collaboration with the Offices of Research and Sponsored Programs and Distance Education.


The Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar is coordinated each semester by the Office of Sustainability in collaboration with the Offices of Research and Sponsored Programs and Distance Education.

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