During the 12th Global RCE (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) Conference last month, two RCE Greater Atlanta regional sustainability education network initiatives — Building Effective ESD in Higher Education through Multi-Institutional and Community Collaboration and EQUINOX: Catalyzing Community-Centered Scholarships and Partnerships — were announced as 2021 RCE award winners.
Both projects are part of the RCE Greater Atlanta’s Higher Education Learning Community. The Effective ESD project is led by Georgia Tech’s Serve-Learn-Sustain, and EQUINOX is led by Kennesaw State University faculty. Established in 2012, the Global RCE Award celebrates projects and programs in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) that connect local and global education and action through the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), advance transformative and community-…
Climate talks in Glasgow have recently concluded, and the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Communities- and the country- are responding to decisions in high profile court cases that embody the clarion call: Black Lives Matter. The forces that reshaped our lives, work, and studies in 2020 are still at work upon our institution and our society in 2021. So as many of you seek to take positive action through educating yourself on racial injustice, global economic tumult, and ways to combat climate change, this is a good moment to survey the offerings of SLS-affiliated courses in Spring 2022. Several courses affiliated with SLS embrace an aspect of one or more of those themes; great places to discover those courses are in the Social Justice Minor, the Sustainable Cities Minor,…
Congratulations to Chris Burke, GT’s Executive Director of Community Relations, for being chosen as one of five fellows from across the nation to participate in the 2022 Anchor Fellows Program run by the national Anchor Institutions Task Force. The program prepares fellows “to successfully navigate the engagement of anchors in their local communities” and strengthens their abilities to help their anchor institutions “build and maintain the commitment and infrastructure to sustain a comprehensive commitment to democratic local engagement.” Read the full announcement here.
At this point, you may be asking yourself – what is an anchor institution, anyway? Anchor Institutions are place-based (unlikely to move) “powerful collaborators [with local communities] in economic, educational, and civic renewal efforts” (Harkavy et al 2014:99) that have a strong self-interest in ensuring that the places where they are…
Each Fall Semester, Georgia Tech-Lorraine students take learning outside the classroom and into the community with the Serve-Learn-Sustain France program. Students who have completed the intermediate level (French 2001-2002) or are at the advanced level (French 3000-4000) can participate in this unique program taught in French, deepening their knowledge of French language and culture through experiential learning focused on sustainability. This year’s program is led by Dr. Stéphanie Boulard, Associate Professor of French in the School of Modern Languages and Faculty Affiliate of the Atlanta Global Studies Center. After working with Dr. Boulard on sustainability topics in the classroom, students use their new-found knowledge and cultural savoir-faire to participate in service-learning projects in collaboration with several local organizations.
Read more about this exciting program…
This summer, SLS intern Husdon McGaughey worked with high school students from Clarkston in the Youth Participatory Action Research Institute (YPAR), a month long program focused on empowering youth by teaching them research and community advocacy skills. YPAR is a partnership between History and Sociology professor Allen Hyde, Serve-Learn-Sustain, and Upper 90, a Clarkston community organization. Hudson highlights his experience as a summer intern in a recently published article in the Saporta Report.
The Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business (“Center”) at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business launched on October 21, 2021 the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact (“Compact”), an inclusive and collaborative initiative focused on galvanizing climate action in Georgia. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Atlanta Gas Light, Autodesk, Better Earth, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Eversheds Sutherland, Goodr, Google, Interface, Norfolk Southern, Southwire, The Coca-Cola Company, TK Elevator, UPS, and YKK Corporation of America are founding members of the Compact.
Presented by Serve-Learn-Sustain and the Center for Teaching and Learning, in partnership with School of History and Sociology (through a grant from the Gertrude and William C. Wardlaw Fund in support of the Conference on Human Rights, Changes and Challenges).
Faculty are invited to join Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for the Liam's Legacy Inclusive Teaching Symposium. As educators, we all share in the responsibility to create inclusive learning environments. Even if the content we teach doesn't…
Georgia Tech Passes SACSCOC Fifth-Year Interim Report, Receives Commendation for Serve-Learn-Sustain
Recently, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accepted Georgia Tech's Fifth-Year Interim Report and commended the Institute for the success of the Serve-Learn-Sustain program. The Institute also received a commendation from the accreditation body “for the exceptional execution” of its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), known on campus as Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS). In her letter to Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, SACSCOC President Belle S. Wheelan commended SLS as “an ambitious integration of inspirational aspects of institutional mission with a complex and yet thoughtfully designed implementation to reach as many students as possible,” further noting that the program “inspired a closer dialogue among faculty regarding research and instructional practices, and thus serves as a model of how a QEP can transform an academic culture.” Read the full article about the report …
Each summer, SLS hosts an Internship Program, placing students in internships with community and government organizations, focused on gaining real world experience in sustainability and community engagement. This week, we highlight Michelle Ramirez (Digital Media) who interned with SLS as our Sustainable Communities Graduate Fellow.
This past summer I served as the Sustainable Communities Graduate Fellow at Serve-Learn-Sustain. Over the course of the summer, I wrote a Teaching Tool that highlights local and global examples of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals so that professors can integrate these case studies into their curriculum. Additionally, I supported the summer iGniTe program by providing logistical support, and I even had the chance to attend, record, and edit the Global Grower’s Farm Tour which was a highlight of the…
Each summer, SLS hosts an Internship Program, placing students in internships with community and government organizations, focused on gaining real world experience in sustainability and community engagement. This week, we highlight Peyton Warrick (Environmental Engineering) who interned with Hope for Youth (HYPE), and had the opportunity to serve on a Zoom panel that HYPE held in partnership with Women of Color in Tech and the General Assembly on the "Importance of Mentorship for BIPOC Youth."
I had the pleasure of interning with HYPE (Hope for Youth Inc.) this summer. HYPE is a nonprofit that focuses on educating and empowering girls of color to become future leaders of the tech industry. I interned as a teaching assistant,…