To ensure that all academic units are "speaking the same language," Lawrence Tech's Center for Sustainability has established a set of definitions which guide our discussions:

Sustainability: the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Efforts toward achieving sustainability strive for long-term economic, social, and environmental health. 

Sustainable Development:  Creative and entrepreneurial ventures that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Sustainability in Education: Efforts to provide an education that promotes respect for the social and economic needs of others as well as respect for our environment in both the present and future.

These definitions shall serve as a basis for discussion, and allow each academic unit to develop further definitions which describe and address their own unique endeavors for sustainability education.

[Note: These definitions were inspired and influenced by a number of sources, including the Brundtland Commission, and the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.]

The Center for Sustainability at Lawrence Technological University provides a unique network of interdisciplinary academic, research and professional programs that advances sustainable design and development and attracts partnerships from academic, professional, municipal and commercial entities.
sustainability

Goal 1:  Establish certificates, programs and minors in sustainability.

Goal 2:  The Center and its members shall obtain funding for student assistantships, equipment and other resources to support sustainability research.

Goal 3:  Establish sustainability based facility management programs on the campus.

FINAL GOALS

  1. To provide undergraduate students and professionals with opportunities to learn about sustainability on multiple levels and in the process foster their critical thinking, communication, and team work skills.
  2. To prepare students for future intellectual growth as professionals and responsible citizens by helping them realize the global and societal impacts of their professional work and personal decisions.
  3. To undertake related meaningful research for faculty and students in a collaborative environment with professional, industrial, environmental and governmental organizations.
  4. To become a recognized leader and resource in sustainability research and knowledge.
  5. To establish a high quality resource that attracts partnerships with academic, professional, governmental, municipal, commercial, and private organizations to secure the long-term viability of the Center.
  6. To provide an environment that encourages the development and intellectual stimulation of its members and participants
  7. To provide an internal University working structure that aids in the coordination of curriculum reform initiatives on sustainability, advises the University community on sustainable issues, and deepens inter-departmental collaborations among faculty and students.

 

Joseph Veryser, AIA
Director
248.204.2818
veryser@ltu.edu