UBC is developing a Sustainability Academic Strategy
Photo: Ayla Harker
UBC launched the Sustainability Academic Strategy (SAS) by hosting two Town Hall meetings at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan in early April. The SAS aims to provide a unifying framework to help guide the UBC community in ongoing planning, decision making, resource allocation, and community building.
The SAS Town Halls attracted students, faculty, staff and community members who offered valuable ideas and input to the process. Comments from the town halls are being taken under consideration. Some examples of the high quality suggestions presented at the Town Hall include:
- The need to break down silos of knowledge and create incentives for faculty to engage in interdisciplinary teaching.
- The commitment to build stronger relationships with local communities and ensure a two-way exchange of information.
- The creation of measurable targets to ensure they are met by all departments.
The SAS working group, chaired by Dr. John Robinson. (Professor in the Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability) is consulting widely to develop a draft strategy by the fall of 2009.
We hope to continue to hear your ideas on issues and opportunities to integrate sustainability within teaching and learning, research and service, and operations and administration. We also invite you to help us explore and exemplify two cross-cutting themes – campus as a living lab and university as an agent of change.
Please visit the website to learn how you can be involved.
