Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education:  Taking an Institutional Approach

March 26 and 27, 2009

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Dr. Geoffrey Chase, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at San Diego State University since 2002, attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where he received the BA in English in 1971. He also holds an MAT from Miami University (Ohio) and the AM in English from Boston College. After receiving his PhD in American literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981, he taught for 11 years in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University of Ohio. While at Miami, he served as a Fulbright Scholar in Turku, Finland (1990-1991).

Dr. Chase joined Northern Arizona University in 1992 as the Director of English Composition. While at Northern Arizona University, Chase also served as English Department Chair, Dean of Liberal Studies, and as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies. The Ponderosa Project has become a model faculty development project that has been introduced to faculty on more than 120 campuses.

In 2004 he co-edited, with Peggy Barlett, Sustainability on Campus: Stories and Strategies for Change which was published by MIT Press. He serves currently as the President of the Board for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Dr. Chase lectures widely on sustainability in higher education and, with Peggy Barlett, offers workshops on institutional change and sustainability.

Since joining the University of British Columbia in 2002, he has served as Director of the Environment Program at the Liu Institute for Global Issues (2003-2005) and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Development in the Faculty of Arts (2006-2008). He is currently on leave from teaching as he serves as Senior Advisor to the President (with a focus on sustainability and strategic planning). In addition, he is a member of the Publications Board of the UBC Press and the founding and past editor (2001-2008) of the MIT journal Global Environmental Politics. Although no longer active in international tournaments, he is also a Canadian chess master with an international FIDE rating of 2232.

Charlene Easton Director of Sustainability at UBC reports to the Associate Vice President Land and Building Services and works with all sectors in the University. The Director is responsible for focusing the university’s efforts on the objectives of UBC’s Policy #5 Sustainable Development (May 1997: June 2005) including the promotion and development of sustainability target and action plans of individual units, and coordinating the many sustainable development activities, on-going and emerging, on the University’s campuses. The Director is the chief contact with the external community about issues and advances in sustainability at UBC, providing linkages for campus and regional efforts. The Director coordinates reporting on all related University efforts, include recording and reporting on progress (and lack of progress) and plans for long-term development. The Director provides training and guidance to the University community and serves as the central information source about sustainability issues.

Charlene sits on the President’s Advisory Council on Sustainability and Chairs the Operations Working Group (OWG). The purpose of the OWG is to assess, evaluate and set strategic priorities and to guide, support and advise the UBC community on the realization of a comprehensive sustainable campus. The ‘Campus as a Living Laboratory’ provides the focus for the application of sustainability initiatives to the real conditions in an adaptive and reflective manner and engages the campus community and the relevant stakeholders in the process.

Charlene brings a 27-year history in sustainability innovation and leadership to her role as Director of Sustainability at UBC. She has applied sustainability projects across a broad range of sectors including municipalities, corporations, communities, small businesses and educational institutions.

Before joining the Sustainability office in March 2007, Charlene worked both around the world and in Canada. Her international work includes the management of a number of multidisciplinary sustainable development programs in the Caribbean, Africa, Latin America and South East Asia. Prior to re-locating in British Columbia in 2003, Charlene worked for seven years in Jamaica as Senior Sustainability Advisor for Dessau- Soprin Montreal Canada.

Charlene’s educational background includes a three-year CIDA scholarship and a Masters of Environmental Studies at York University with a combined focus on International Development, Local Community Sustainability and Education for a Sustainable Future. She is also a Bachelor of Arts graduate from the University of Guelph and has additional degrees from the University of Toronto.

Charlene lives in White Rock British Columbia with her sixteen year old son, Aaron Kwame Easton.

John Hepburn was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and did his undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo, graduating in 1976 with his BSc. He continued his education at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Prof. John Polanyi (Nobel Prize, 1986), and obtained his PhD in 1980.

Following two years as a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Y.T. Lee (Nobel Prize, 1986) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory he began his academic career back at the University of Waterloo, where he was appointed an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics in 1982, and ultimately Chair of Chemistry in 1998.

In 2001, he moved to the University of British Columbia as a Professor of Chemistry and Physics & Astronomy, and Head of Chemistry. He became Dean of Science in 2003, and Vice President, Research in 2005.

He has been a Fellow of the A.P. Sloan Foundation, a Foreign Research Fellow of the CNRS (France), and a Canada Council Killam Fellow. He has been awarded the Rutherford Medal and the Noranda Prize and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Physical Society, and the Canadian Institute for Chemistry. He is internationally renowned for his research in laser spectroscopy and laser chemistry, and has delivered 200 invited lectures at international conferences and research institutions in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He is currently carrying out research in atmospheric chemistry, surface science, laser spectroscopy, and quantum control of atoms and molecules.

In addition to his work at UBC, John Hepburn is currently serving on the Boards of Discovery Parks, Prionet, Providence Health Research Institute, Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences, and Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, and he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committees for the Council of Canadian Academies and Alberta Ingenuity. He is also co-chairing an advisory committee on the Canada-India S&T agreement for Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the steering committee for the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership.

Steven Mannell, NSAA, MRAIC, is a professor and former Director of the School of Architecture at Dalhousie University and principal of Steven Mannell, Architect in Halifax. Since September 2007 he has been active in the conception and development of Dalhousie's College of Sustainability and its Environment, Sustainability and Society degree program, and is now the inaugural College Director. His research areas include spatial improvisation in lightweight building techniques of the 20th century; regional dimensions of modern architectural heritage; the history of urban water supply; and projects for community development and dissemination of sustainable building techniques.

Julie Newman, Ph.D., has worked in the field of sustainable development and campus sustainability for the past fifteen years. Her research has focused on the role of decision-making processes and organizational behavior in institutionalizing sustainability into higher education. In 2004, Julie was recruited to be the founding Director of the Office of Sustainability for Yale University. At Yale, Julie also holds a lecturer appointment with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where she teaches an undergraduate course entitled – Sustainability: From theory to practice in institutions. In 1997, Julie assisted with the establishment of the longest-standing sustainability office in the country at the University of New Hampshire, Office of Sustainability Programs (OSP). Prior to her work with the OSP she worked for University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF). In 2004 Julie co-founded the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium, to advance education and action for sustainable development on university campuses in the northeast and maritime region. She also co-coordinates a sustainability working group of the International Alliance of Research Universities as well as with a Sustainability Working Group for the Council of Ivy Presidents. In addition, Julie is a co-editor of the new Sustainability: Journal of Record. Julie lectures and consults for universities both nationally and internationally, participates on a variety of boards and advisory committees and has contributed to a series of edited books and peer reviewed journals.

Julie’s introduction to sustainable development was as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan while working on water quality issues in inner-city Detroit and later in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Israel and Australia. She pursued her interest in this field by working as an environmental management volunteer with the Peace Corps in Guatemala. Since her return from Guatemala she has had the opportunity to work with colleagues around the world on issues of sustainability and institutional change.

Julie holds a BS in Natural Resource Policy and Management from the University of Michigan; an MS in Environmental Policy and Biology from Tufts University; and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of New Hampshire.

John Robinson is a professor with the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, and the Department of Geography, at the University of British Columbia. He is currently directing research programs looking at the intersection of climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainability; the use of visualization, modeling and citizen engagement to explore sustainable futures; sustainable buildings and urban design; creating private/public/NGO and research sector partnerships for sustainability; and generally the intersection of sustainability, social and technological change, behaviour change, and community engagement processes.

His major current project is trying to get the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) built and operating. Dr. Robinson is a member of the BC Climate Action Team, the BC Hydro External Advisory Committee on Electricity Conservation and Efficiency, and the Vancouver Climate Leadership Council, on the Board of the Sustainable Cities Foundation and the Pembina Institute, a member of the Steering Group of HELIO International, and on the Editorial Boards of the journals Integrated Assessment, Ecology and Society, Building Research and Information, and the Journal of Industrial Ecology.

In 2008 Dr. Robinson was made a Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation. He is a member of the Program Committee for the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, and was a Lead Author in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) and the last three reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1995, 2001, 2007).

Beth Savan is the inaugural Sustainability Director at the University of Toronto, where she has been responsible for establishing the Sustainability Office and managing its staff, for engaging over one hundred students a year in sustainability activities on campus, and for overseeing energy and resource conservation programs. For seven years, Beth directed the Environmental Studies Programme at Innis College, University of Toronto. She served as Research Director and Undergraduate Coordinator for the Centre for Environment and has a cross-appointment in the Geography Department and in the Masters in Planning Programme.

Beth obtained her Ph.D. in insect ecology from the Imperial College of Science and Technology at the University of London (England), and has received numerous large research grants, most recently to work on energy conservation on campus, on community sustainability locally, on climate change internationally, and on barriers and factors facilitating Community Based Research in Canada.

Beth has been very active as a government advisor, on Environmental Non-Governmental Organization boards and on foundation grants committees. Recently, she chaired the Environmental Assessment Review Panel for the Ontario Minister of the Environment and co-chaired the City of Toronto’s Sustainability Round Table. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Sustainability Network and the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and co-chairs their Grants Committee. She also has broad experience in the popular media, where she has worked in TV, radio and print. In addition to a large number of scholarly publications, Beth has produced several award-winning radio series and has published two popular books, one for adults and one for children. Beth lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.

Len Sereda, Professional Engineer, is a graduate of the University of Alberta with a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering. He spent 14 years in the mechanical Consulting Engineering industry specializing in the design and construction of mechanical, heating, ventilating, air conditioning systems, and energy conservation and gaining a broad general knowledge of architectural, structural, electrical systems, and project management.

Len joined the University of Alberta in 1986 with responsibility for energy management, and building automation systems, with involvement in building operations. He was appointed Director, Facilities Management in 2000 with overall responsibility for maintenance, operations, automation systems, energy management, buildings and grounds services, and vehicle pool operations.

Since June 2007, he has been actively and fully involved in advancing sustainability within the University, and in the planning and development of the University’s major sustainability initiative including the establishment of the Office of Sustainability. In Sept 2008, he was appointed Director, Sustainability, Facilities & Operations to focus and advance sustainability within Facilities & Operations and the University as a whole.

Alastair J. S. Summerlee became the 7th President of the University of Guelph on July 15, 2003.

President Summerlee, whose career as a scholar, professor, researcher and administrator spans nearly 30 years, joined the University of Guelph faculty in 1988 as a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. He was named an associate dean of the Ontario Veterinary College in 1992, dean of graduate studies in 1995, associate vice-president (academic) in 1999, and provost and vice-president (academic) in 2000.

He has continued teaching while holding administrative positions and was awarded a prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship in June, 2003 for outstanding leadership in teaching, education and academic program development. He is the only University of Guelph professor to earn the honour while serving as an administrator and is the first president-elect in Canada to be named a 3M Fellow. He was also recognized with a Distinguished Professorial Teaching Award from the U of G Faculty Association in 1991.

In 2006, Dr. Summerlee was named as the chair of the board of directors of World University Service of Canada (WUSC), one of the country's leading international development agencies. WUSC teams with students, faculty and institutions to internationalize Canada’s universities, increase knowledge of global issues and foster human development through education and training.

His research in biomedical sciences is acclaimed internationally and he has attracted significant money to support his research, published extensively and been an invited lecturer at universities and colleges around the world. He holds a B.Sc., B.V.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. In 2004 Dr. Summerlee received the Doctor of Laws (Honoris causa) from the University of Bristol.

Dr. Vannelli became the Dean of the College of Physical and Engineering Science, University of Guelph in January 2007. He received his B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from Concordia University in 1976, M. Sc. in Applied Mathematics from Concordia University in 1978 and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1983. He was an IBM Postdoctoral Fellow at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. (1983-84). He returned to Canada as a holder of the NSERC University Research Fellowship in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto from 1984-1987. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, in 1987 and became a Full Professor in 1995. Dr. Vannelli was Chair of the department from 1998 to 2004. During this time the deparment grew from 37 faculty members to 70 tenured and tenure-track faculty members. Department research funding increased by 2.5 times during this period during his tenure as Chair. He was the Associate Dean of Research & External Partnerships for the Faculty of Engineering from 2004-2006.

As a senior university administrator, Dr. Vannelli was also responsible for coordinating and mounting new undergraduate programs in Software Engineering, Nanotechnology Engineering and a new online M. Eng program in Power. He also helped establish a new B.Sc. program in Nanoscience at the University of Guelph. He is currently guiding (along with the Director) a major expansion in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph.

Dr. Vannelli is the author of  over 100 refereed journal and conference publications. He is internationally recognized for his research in the areas of large-scale continuous and discreet optimization with applications to chip design involving placement and routing. He has held visiting professorships at McMaster University and Visiting Scientist at the Mathematical Sciences Department, Shell Research, Amsterdam, Holland. Dr. Vannelli serves on the Boards of Material and Manufacturing Ontario (MMO) and Centre for Information Technology of Ontario (CITO).

Alain Webster is Vice-President, Administration and Sustainability, at the Université de Sherbrooke. In addition to his responsibilities of managing the university’s finances and property, he oversees the sustainable development policy and its plan of action and, specifically, the sustainable transportation strategy.

Professor Webster has university training in ecology and economics and among his main research fields is the use of economic instruments to manage climate change. He also teaches environmental economics and climate change at the Université de Sherbrooke’s Centre universitaire de formation en environnement (university training centre in environment) and Faculty of Administration.