University Business - June 2010 - (Page 57)

Cliffs Cottage, home of Furman University’s sustainability center, is an example of creative use of external funding. The building was originally renovated as a consumer magazine’s “showcase home” as a way to get sponsors. Endowment held a climate action planning workshop, they real- renovated Cliffs Cottage before it was retrofitted to become the ized other signatories could benefit. “They developed this concept David E. Shi Center for Sustainability. “That partnership enabled of a half-day training program that they are now doing on behalf of us to recruit more than 100 additional [corporate] partners who the ACUPCC,” says Nelson. The group held a “train the trainers” wanted to take advantage of the platform from Southern Living, event in March to expand the list of workshop facilitators. “The and they discounted things for us,” says Shi. While Furman shoulschools are creating these tools that are helping other schools and dered some of the cost, sponsors—which included Bank of America, Cliffs Communities, and Duke Energy—helped significantly. training people,” says Nelson. “It’s got this snowball effect.” In Illinois, community college leaders have utilized external “Sustainability has been the initiative that has been most successful in promoting collaboration in higher education,” says David Shi, funding to create a network to engage communities. The Illinois Community College Sustainability Netpresident of Furman University (S.C.) and a charter signatory of the Commitment. ‘Often the goals of energy savings work, a consortium of 48 colleges, is capitalizing on grant funding from the and greenhouse gas reductions Illinois Department of Commerce and Find External Funding and saving money are compatible Economic Opportunity to operate cenOn many campuses, grant funding has overall; it’s the initial capital ters for sustainability and green job trainkept sustainability efforts afloat in rough fiscal waters. Furman recently garnered a costs that make people associate ing. According to Jerry Weber, president of the College of Lake County, the ad$500,000 grant from the South Carolina sustainability with higher cost.’ ministrative college for the sustainability Energy Office to install solar panels, and a —Julie Rosenbach, Bates College network, backing from the state has put $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Depart$1.7 million toward these initiatives, and ment of Energy to install a geothermal pump plant. “It’s certainly true that in the last 24 months, it’s been the network is looking to receive an additional $1 million in federal more difficult for campuses to sustain any relatively new initiative, appropriations and grants. American University’s School of International Service in Washnot just sustainability related, because of excruciating budget circumstances,” says Shi. “These two big government grants we’ve re- ington, D.C., is taking a branded approach to funding a new 70,000-square-foot LEED gold building designed by William Mcceived have allowed us to keep moving forward.” The grant funding has also helped change the minds of skepti- Donough + Partners, a Charlottesville, Va., firm known for its suscal campus stakeholders, according to Shi. “As they see us bringing tainable structures. American is fundraising $25 million to support in more and more money, they realize this is not a fad; it’s some- the new SIS building as well as a scholarship and academic programs, encouraging donors to help create a new home for the school thing that’s truly systemic,” he says. Institutional leaders and sustainability committees are creative that aligns with its international relations and social justice work. in seeking funding sources. Furman worked with Southern Living magazine to conduct a green renovation of a historic building Increase Alignment on campus, first turning it into one of the magazine’s prestigious During challenging economic times, institutions are thinking more “showcase homes,” then converting it to a sustainability center for than usual about aligning efforts across campus. Bates College the university. About 30,000 people bought $10 tickets to view the (Maine) is working toward carbon neutrality by 2020, an aggressive universitybusiness.com June 2010 | 57 http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2010

University Business - June 2010
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Financial Aid
Internet Technology
2010 Higher Education Guide to Audio/Visual Services
Green 2010
Viewpoint
The Quest for Internationals
What's New
End Note

University Business - June 2010