The George Washington University Alliance for a Sustainable Future’s Post

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve recently completed a short course on ‘Key Essentials: The Sustainable Development Goals and the Law’ offered by Lucy Cavendish College and Hughes Hall at the University of Cambridge. The course has deepened my understanding of how to balance economic growth with the SDGs. It explored key challenges, solutions, and the crucial role of law in advancing sustainable development both globally and within local jurisdictions. This experience has equipped me with valuable insights that I’m eager to apply in both my professional and personal life. #Sustainability #SustainableDevelopment #ClimateAction Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice

Report on the symposium “speculative realism in environmental education and the philosophy of education” | Open Access Stefan Bengtsson, Jonas Andreasen Lysgaard, Daniel Kardyb, Jan Varpanen, Antti Saari, Hanna Hofverberg & Graham Harman Pages: 1177-1187 | DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2024.2348701 Abstract “Speculative Realism in Environmental Education and the Philosophy of Education” was a joint research symposium for the networks on Environmental and Sustainability Education (NW 30) and Philosophy of Education (NW 13), held at the European Conference of Education Research (ECER), 25 August, 2023, in Glasgow, Scotland. The symposium aimed to open up discussion on renewed interest in realisms in the field of philosophy, and what that might mean for education research and the field of environmental education research in particular. As backdrop, environmental education harbours strong democratic traditions as well as recognitions of relationships to a world that is composed by more than human positions and desires. The symposium then forms part of an ongoing discussion of how these positions are understood and intermingle in a rapidly changing world. The expectation of the event was to broaden discussion about the voices present in environmental education, human and otherwise, and sharpen engagement with established traditions within the field. In brief, three paper presentations and discussion by Graham Harman probed questions of: (a) the lightness and darkness of the objects of education, (b) who visibly desires which object in/as education, and (c) the risks of literalisms and correlationalisms in, for example, what is alluring to, and pursued by, educators. In other words, what we care about in and as environmental and sustainability education, what is perceived/treated as peculiar, and what is treated as normal and perverse to the realities of education in the Anthropocene, all matter to the work of speculative realism. #realism #philosophy #speculativerealism #environmentaleducation #SDG4 #qualityeducation https://lnkd.in/gunbrPzj

Sustainable Futures, University of Exeter Business School is the name of the Business School at the University of Exeter. The name of the department gives you a feel for what we're about - exploring how business can be used as a force for good and to tackle some of the pressing social and ecological challenges we face. We have specialisms in #innovation, #circulareconomy #entrepreneurship #systemsthinking #regenerativeagriculture Check out the profiles of some of our researchers to find out more: Allen Alexander Stefano Pascucci Ruth Cherrington Hollie Kirk Constantine Manolchev Gloria Crabolu, PhD Steffen Boehm Onna Malou van den Broek Stephen Hickman #cornwallbusiness #circulareconomy #sustainablebusiness

I love this book! The opening is SO STRONG: "As a society, we often forget that humans are part of our global ecosystem and that we don't exist separately from nature; we coexist with it each and every day. Unfortunately, as with other animals, some humans are endangered and facing a multitude of social and environmental justice that impact their ability to not only survive but also thrive in liberation and joy. Why, then, are conservation efforts not extended to the protection of endangered humans and their human rights?"

More top marks for Penn State! Penn State ranks No. 4 in the United States and No. 51 overall among the top international institutions assessed by the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings.

On Faculty Losing Shared Governance and What to Do About It The New York Times article (https://lnkd.in/e3dyJ-X5) highlights a shift in university governance, where presidents are increasingly taking action without faculty input. Faculty, once key voices in decision-making, are now sidelined, and in states like Arizona, Florida, and Kentucky, influence is being reduced to an advisory role. While this aims to make universities more "nimble," it’s unsettling for professors who feel their expertise on curriculum and university policies is vital. What can be done? (1) Active Faculty Engagement: Faculty need to commit to governance roles seriously and bring top talent to these positions, setting aside the idea that administration is for those who "can't do research." (2) Balanced Political Environment: Faculty must foster tolerance for both sides of the political spectrum, even in this polarized climate, respecting diverse viewpoints as essential to the university mission. (3) Rewarding Faculty Service: Presidents should value and reward governance participation with meaningful recognition, just as they do for teaching and research excellence. (4) Stay Focused on Scholarship: Faculty should keep discussions within academic bounds, especially on sensitive issues, to maintain the integrity of scholarship and avoid attracting unwanted attention. (5) Build Faculty-Administration Dialogue: Regular forums between faculty and administration could ensure open communication, building trust and preventing unilateral decisions. (6) Offer Governance Training: Providing training for faculty on governance roles and decision-making processes can help them engage more effectively and navigate complex issues. (7) Clarify Governance Roles: Universities should outline clear roles for faculty and administration, specifying areas where faculty have decision-making authority to reduce conflicts over governance boundaries. These are just a few of the steps that need to be taken, but most of all, we need an open and honest conversation about how to fix uni campuses - we're too polarized, too angry, and under too much scrutiny - to do our jobs well - which is teaching kids, creating knowledge, and sharing it with the world! #academiclife #nytimes

Want to grow your enrollment? Dr. Melik Peter Khoury has led tremendous growth at Unity Environmental University that was enabled through its unique business operating model. The old ways of doing business in #collegesanduniversities are no longer working - but what does? Private universities in particular can benefit from the lessons shared in this episode. #highereducation #highereducationleadership #operationsmanagement #operationalexcellence #enrollmentmanagement #admissions #enrollment

“Social injustice and environmental injustice are fueled by the same flame: the undervaluing, commodification, and exploitation of all forms of life and natural resources, from the smallest blade of grass to those living in poverty and oppressed people worldwide.” Its great to see this book used in so many higher ed institutions. Hope for the future!!

Here’s an animated slide I created for the Oxford Policy Engagement Network’s “Getting Started in Policy Engagement for the Humanities Division” event tomorrow with Tom Kelsey and José Rojas Alvarado. It aims to show how, over about a decade, I wended my way as an interdisciplinary humanities scholar into policy engagement. As you can see, the paths have been multiple and circuitous, and I’ve gradually brought together the different strands of my research (sound and listening, urban marginality, academic and artistic freedom of expression) to achieve a rewarding synthesis in the engagement work I’m currently pursuing. Putting this slide together was also a lovely process since it involved calling to mind all the people and initiatives that empowered me on these paths. The key insights here, perhaps, are twofold. One is that institutional initiatives—such as the Mellon-funded Humanities+Urbanism+Design Initiative and Perry World House at Penn, the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account and a web of wonderfully generous interdisciplinary connections at Warwick, and now OPEN at Oxford—have been decisive in enabling me to pursue my aspirations. Especial thanks go to Dr Bastian Hertstein who has become an enormously supportive and helpful guide to the policy world through the OPEN peer mentoring scheme. The other is the importance of working with incredibly energized and dedicated people in civil society and community organizations—such as JUSTICE and Latin Elephant—whose expertise and close engagement with the socio-political issues at stake is vital and has enabled me to learn so much. Then there are utterly amazing activists in communities, such as members of the sound-art collective Ultra-red, who are way ahead of universities in their methodological experimentation. And last but not least, there are lawyers, like James Murray and others who came to my OPEN workshop in June, who are key to making the arguments rigorously for justice within the structure of democratic institutions.

UK academics struggling with uncertainty in the current climate in HE will find this a worthwhile - although far from comforting - read. The authors have bravely moved beyond the pain of their personal experiences to provide a rigorous analysis of what amounts to an intellectual purge and highlights the failure of accountability within the university governance framework.  It is shocking to read this attempt to silence the voices of academics (with very relevant expertise and international stature within their disciplines) trying to raise questions which relate not only to university governance and management but also to the fundamental purpose of universities. Problems with university governance come into particular focus as resources dwindle, a striking parallel with what we see revealed by corporate scandals. Governance structures which imitate those in the private sector need to be rethought in institutions where accountability follows different patterns.