| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.69 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Kleindienst |
| Submission Date | April 5, 2023 |
Wesleyan University
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Jennifer
Kleindienst Sustainability Coordinator Finance and Administration |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
The Robert F. Schumann Foundation has generously awarded the College of the Environment (COE) a 5-year, $2-million grant to focus on the areas of food security, environmental justice, and sustainability. The Schumann Institute of the COE will be adding new positions to enhance teaching, research, and community engagement; building a network of local community organizations that specialize in the areas of food security, environmental justice, and sustainability; providing opportunities for Wesleyan environmental studies students to work with these organizations to help their efforts; and creating a “pipeline” of professional training for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and professors of the practice so that they will have the skills and knowledge needed to contribute importantly when they leave Wesleyan. Enhanced courses; student immersion in community engagement projects; student internships; campus and community seminars, symposia, and workshops; scholarly output on environmental issues; and other related activities will all be supported with the grant.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Campus Engagement
Public Engagement
Food & Dining
Coordination & Planning
Diversity & Affordability
Wellbeing & Work
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
The Embodying Antiracism Initiative is an interdisciplinary leadership training and peer support initiative that will use the arts to develop and strengthen antiracism practices. The program was launched in 2021 by the Provost’s Office and the Center for the Arts, with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The initiative sets out to uphold the values of antiracism at Wesleyan and to discover how our campus can further grow in support of these values. The initiative is guided by an organizing team of faculty and staff (https://www.wesleyan.edu/embodyingantiracism/campus-collaborators.html).
The three year initiative being developed in collaboration with three organizational partners—Urban Bush Women, Junebug Productions, and The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond—whose innovative work actively engages in the practices of unmasking and undoing racism More details on the organizational partners is available at https://www.wesleyan.edu/embodyingantiracism/partners.html.
A central focus of the initiative is the 2022–2023 interdisciplinary fellowship program made up of
faculty, students, community members, and visiting artists who have a demonstrated interest in
and commitment to the study and practice of dismantling racism throughout their daily practices. This inaugural cohort of Fellows will participate in core activities including:
- A monthly Think Tank gathering to discuss and share research/process.
- Undoing Racism® Community Organizing workshops (https://pisab.org/undoing-racism-community-organizing-workshop/), Entering, Building, and Exiting Community trainings (https://www.urbanbushwomen.org/bold/#ebx), and Story Circles (https://www.junebugproductions.org/story-circle).
- A Wesleyan Leadership Intensive in March 2023.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Campus Engagement
Public Engagement
Diversity & Affordability
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.