STARS at Hartwick College
Lessons Learned
Brian E. Hagenbuch
Director, Pine Lake Institute for Environmental
and Sustainability Studies
Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
hagenbuchb@hartwick.edu
About Hartwick College
Hartwick College is
a private liberal
arts and sciences
college of 1,531
students, located
in Oneonta, NY, in
the northern
foothills of the
Catskill Mountains.
• Hartwick's expansive
curriculum emphasizes
a uniquely experiential
approach to liberal arts.
• Unique January Term
• Internships and studyabroad opportunities
• Pine Lake
Environmental Campus
Liberal Arts Campus as
Laboratory for Sustainability
Sustainability at Hartwick
President’s
Office
Infrastructure
Administra
tion
Funding
Mechanisms
Students
Facilities/
Dining
Pine Lake
Institute
Sustainability
At Hartwick
Service
Learning
Civic
Engagement
Leadership
Faculty/
Staff
PLEC
Community
Involvement
Programs/
Initiatives
Hartwick
Community
Education
Interdisciplinary Nature of Sustainability
Natural
Sciences
Participatory
Decision-Making
Processes
Political
Science
Art, Poetry,
Music
&
Photography
Economics
& Sociology
Social
Sciences
Sustainability
Studies
Humanities
Anthropology
& History
Cultural
Constructions
Epistemological
Frameworks
Natural
History
Philosophy
& Religion
Engineering
& Technology
Earth
Sciences
Physical
Sciences
Moral/Ethical
Questions
STARS in the Curriculum
•
•
•
•
Honors Mini-Seminar (S11)
Five students
Six weeks
Goal: Complete the STARS
template
• Create a baseline of data
on campus sustainability
• Actively engage students in
changing campus culture
Course Outline
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
What is STARS?
Co-Curricular Criteria
Education and Research
Operations
Planning, Administration,
Engagement
Final Paper and
Presentation:
How can liberal arts
colleges foster
sustainability?
Assignments
• Research and identify “best
practices”
• Review available Hartwick
information
• Reach out to administration,
faculty, staff, students
• Surveys, questionnaires,
interviews, meetings
• Complete STARS criteria,
identify key findings, make
recommendations
• Final presentation
Results
• Education and Research:
• Operations
• Planning, Administration,
Engagement
• Innovation
51.00
29.22
38.36
2.00
41.53
Lessons Learned
Find the Right People!
Heads Up
Prepare campus
experts beforehand
Create a Template
STARS Hartwick College Contact List
Tentative Contact List by Credit (Incomplete)
Name
Position
Email
Phone
ER
OP
Melissa Allen
Financial Aid Director
allenm2@hartwick.edu
4159
Gary Ballard
Environmental Health and
Safety Officer
ballardg@hartwick.edu
4098
4
Peter Blue
Manager PL Operations
bluep@hartwick.edu
4202
Co-Curr T2-2
Zach Brown
Resident Life Director
brownz@hartwick.edu
4504
Co-Curr T2-3
Ron Brzenk
Prof. Math, Chair ATP
brzenkr@hartwick.edu
4740
19
Jennifer
Chambers
Director, Center for
Interdependence
chambersj@hartwick.edu
4422
12
Lori Collins-Hall
Sociology, Assessment Chair
collins_hall@hartwick.edu
4327
9, 13
Davis Conley
Executive Director, IT
davis@hartwick.edu
4173
20, Waste T2-2, 2-3
Cindy Decker
Chemistry Lab Technician
deckerc@hartwick.edu
4778
Waste T2-4
Teresa DiMagno
Director, CE&IL
dimagnot@hartwick.edu
4944
George Elsbeck
VP Finance
elsbeckg@hartwick.edu
4344
PAE
10
12
2, 3, 19, 23
Diversity T2-1
22, 23
22, 23
2, 3, 16, 17, 18 Investment T2-2, T2-3
Connect to Students
Human Resources
19.75
14.50
Possible Points
Earned points
PAE-11: Sustainable Compensation
8.00
PAE-12: Employee Satisfaction Evaluation
Nicole, Nichole
Student
Contact
8.00
Nicole
Suzanne Janitz
2.00
2.00
Nicole
Suzanne Janitz
PAE-13: Staff Professional Development in Sustainability
2.00
2.00
Nichole
Dan Morse
PAE-14: Sustainability in New Employee Orientation
2.00
2.00
Nichole
Dan Morse
PAE-15: Employee Sustainability Educators Program
5.00
0.00
Nichole
Dan Morse
Tier2-1: Childcare
0.25
0.00
Nicole
Suzanne Janitz
Tier2-2: Employee Wellness Program
0.25
0.25
Nicole
Suzanne Janitz
Tier2-3: Socially Responsible Retirement Plan
0.25
0.25
Nichole
Suzanne Janitz
Tier 2 Credits
Present Your Findings to Campus
Follow-Up
• Review, Edit,
Approve
Don’t Take Criteria Too Literally
Begin the Dialogue
Feedback from Participants
• Generally positive
• Concern about time and
resources involved
• Didn’t know what they did
could be considered
“sustainability oriented”
• Faculty didn’t think courses
or research would be
considered under
sustainability umbrella
Student Perspectives
• Being a student, I too can make a difference. I
became part of a bigger organization This
class gave this group independence and unity
all in one.
A lot of us made personal changes in our lives
based of what we learned. Change does not just
happen, but it definitely impacted the life styles
of those involved in the research.
Faculty and staff are not as scary as I thought.
Working together with them on a project gave
us a sense of equality. They are willing to help
and they too share the same interest in
sustainability.
Contact Information
• Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and
Sustainability Studies
• www.hartwick.edu/pinelake
• pinelake@hartwick.edu