Undergraduate curricula in a changing world

 Engineering and the Liberal Arts and the pursuit of a sustainable future

Jeffrey D. Corbin (Union College)

Christopher H. Conley (USMA)

Increasing carbon dioxide in atmosphere... 

...loss of biodiversity...

...and dwindling water supplies

from www.nasa.gov, assessed 06 May 2008

an oft-quoted and paraphrased definition of sustainable development:

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”from: Our Common Future, a report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford University Press, 1987 (available on Amazon)

William McDonough framed it a bit differently:

“Our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power – economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed.”from www.ted.com, accessed 06 May 08

Sustainability in higher education

• A major theme on college and university campuses

- Over 500 signatories to CUPCCC

Sustainability in higher education

• A major theme on college and university campuses

- Over 500 signatories to CUPCCC• Most colleges are advertising their

green initiatives

Sustainability in higher education

• A major theme on college and university campuses

- Over 500 signatories to CUPCCC• Most colleges are advertising their

green initiatives• But GREATEST contribution will be

training the generation that will design the responses and

solutions

“the generation that will design…”

The developing sustainable world will need:

Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Natural &

Physical

Sciences

Engineering

SUSTAINABILITY

Sociologists

Engineers

Scientists

Economists

Lawyers

Political Scientists…

all working on the problem… creating collaborative solutions.

as importantly, it will need a populace who understands the issues and who can form educated opinions about potential solutions.

The developing sustainable world will need:

Sociologists

Engineers

Scientists

Economists

Lawyers

Political Scientists…

“Techno-liberalist”

“Planetologists”

The developing sustainable world will need:

the American Society of Civil Engineers has a version too:

“Sustainable Development is the challenge of meeting human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation, shelter, and effective waste management while conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural resource base essential for future development.”This definition, and its inclusion in the ASCE Code of Ethics date from 1996. from www.asce.org, accessed 06 May 2008

Building a sustainable world:

• Modeling sustainable development on-campus

• Curriculum that prepares our graduates – the sustainable generation – to deal with the problem that previous generations has created

What is that curriculum?

Building a sustainable world:

• Modeling sustainable HOLISTIC development on-campus

• Curriculum that prepares our graduates – the sustainable HOLISTIC generation – to deal with the problems that previous generations have created

What is that curriculum?