Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.45
Liaison Alan Brew
Submission Date July 30, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Northland College
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.00 / 5.00
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Total number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
572

Program name (1st program):
Campus Sustainability

Number of students served by the program (1st program):
572

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):

This program is run as a work-study program. Student educators apply to become campus sustainability leaders in one of 11 areas (Bike Shop, Communications, Compost, Energy, Food Systems, Transportation, 3Rs, Purchasing, Sustainable Landscaping, Campus Garden, and Environmental Council Co-Chair) and are chosen by the campus sustainability coordinator and existing student leaders. The student leaders reach the entire student body through workshops, articles in the campus newspaper, tabling sessions, class projects, and other events. All incoming first year students take a workshop led by the student leaders. Candidates who have prior volunteer experience with Environmental Council are given preference. Students submit an electronic resume and an application answering these four questions:

1. What does it mean to be an environmental leader?

2. What would a sustainable Northland look like? You do not have to limit your answer to the scope of the position you are applying for.

3. What are the three biggest challenges to getting there?

4. How would you help reach that vision through the position you are applying for? Please discuss the skills you would bring to the position as well as your vision for where the work could go.

5. What do you want to do when you graduate Northland?

DEVELOPMENTAL FUNNEL
1. All new students complete a two-hour workshop with the campus sustainability coordinator about campus sustainability and systems thinking. Current work-study students assist with the workshop, giving the new students a chance to see what is possible in terms of student leadership, and to begin to build relationships with upper class students.
2. The sustainability coordinator works in partnership with a number of faculty on class projects so that these less experienced students are exposed to Environmental Council initiatives in a very structured way, and are hopefully inspired to continue the work after the class ends by joining Environmental Council.
3. About 3% of the campus student body volunteers at some point throughout the year on an Environmental Council project.
4. Students with volunteer experience are preferred candidates for the work-study positions that are available. Work-study students mentor volunteers and less experienced work-study students.
5. As seniors, students can arrange independent studies or capstone projects around Environmental Council’s research needs, and a list of those needs is now emailed once per semester to the faculty.
6. Two co-curricular centers support the skills development of the work-study students (as well as all students): the Center for Ethical Leadership and the Center for Service and Stewardship.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):

As written by student Brian Clements in the Sustainability Work Study Manual:

“The sustainability work study program is a co-curricular program that complements Northland’s environmentally based curriculum and employs students, translates the theoretical lessons of the classroom to the real world, provides career experience, and develops student leadership. This program will build the skills of the participants through the practice of implementing sustainability initiatives on campus and in the community.”

The campus sustainability coordinator conducts weekly training sessions in leadership skills, group dynamics, change theory, systems thinking, surveying, stress management, marketing, and conflict communications, among other skills. The students are polled yearly for additional training they would like to receive.

Each of the 11 initiatives maintains an intranet site with historical data, and an archive of advice from former students written at the end of their term of service, reflecting on their original answers to the questions asked when they applied.

All student educators receive an electronic copy of the campus sustainability work study manual, and have access to written resources that coincide with the weekly trainings.

Through longer workshops, two co-curricular centers support the skills development of the work-study students (as well as all students): the Center for Ethical Leadership and the Center for Service and Stewardship.


A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):

Approximately 30% of the campus sustainability coordinator's position is devoted to managing the student educators. The campus sustainability coordinator has a small budget, and about $40,000 per year is generated from a student renewable energy fee ($80 per year per student). The students of Environmental Council each year choose how to allocate those funds.


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