University College
- Sustainable Development is a unit within Appalachian’s University College. University College consists of the university’s integrated general education curriculum, academic support services, residential learning communities, interdisciplinary degree programs and co-curricular programming – all designed to support the work of students both inside and outside of the classroom.
SD in the News
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Daniel Brookshire: Bringing home new ideas for the "green-collar economy"
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Renowned farmer and local food activist Joel Salatin to lecture March 26 at Appalachian
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Appalachian to establish Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics
- Program on students’ impacts on international communities presented Sept. 25
- Appalachian commits to “green” energy plan
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Elk Knob Annual Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day held Sept. 13
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New tractor means easier work at Appalachian’s teaching and research farm
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Appalachian State University co-hosts international hydrail conference in Spain
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Elk Knob project combines community and heritage preservation
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Lecture on sustainability and survival presented Feb. 19 at Appalachian
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Programs on sustainable development in Honduras presented in October
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Sustainable development majors study rural sustainable agriculture practices in Honduras
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Appalachian State University Foundation awards grants to enhance faculty teaching and research
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Furr receives Fulbright scholarship to conduct research in Madagascar
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Bountiful Harvest (Link to full issue of Appalachian Today article [.pdf])
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Modern Use of Draft Horses in Logging and Restorative Forestry Demonstrated
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Learn About Edible Flowers and More During Educational Farm Day
Program on students’ impacts on international communities presented Sept. 25
BOONE—The Doorways International Program Series will present “First, Do No Harm: Appalachian’s Students and Study Abroad” Thursday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons Room 421 at Appalachian State University.
The presentation will explore the actual and potential impacts Appalachian students may have on host communities when they engage in short-term study abroad. Reports on focus groups conducted with Appalachian faculty and staff program leaders on this topic will also be presented. By placing the results of this study in the larger context of research on the impacts of tourism, study abroad, and international service-learning, program facilitators hope to open a conversation on campus about ethical relationships with communities hosting Appalachian’s academic programs abroad.
Presenters include Cynthia Wood, associate professor of sustainable development, Kathleen Schroeder, associate professor of geography and planning, and Shari Galiardi, director of service-learning at Appalachian.
The Doorways series is co-sponsored by Belk Library and Information Commons and the Office of International Education and Development. Its goal is to provide a platform for people to share their research and knowledge on international issues and build relationships on campus based on interest in international affairs.
For more information on this program or the Doorways series, call 262-2186 or visit http://www.library.appstate.edu.
Appalachian commits to “green” energy planChancellor Kenneth E. Peacock signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which outlines specific strategies these institutions must meet to achieve climate neutrality.
“I can’t think of a more appropriate day to sign this agreement than on Earth Day,” Peacock said. “It took a while to get to this point, but Appalachian has been careful to make sure we can fulfill the requirements in the document.”
Among Appalachian’s green initiatives is the REI-funded photovoltaic system installed near Raley Hall. It is capable of generating enough electricity annually to power an energy-efficient home.
The sustainable development program’s teaching and research farm has a new tractor thanks to Boone Kubota and the College of Arts and Sciences. Pictured from left are Boone Kubota employees Shannon Tolbert and Denny Norris, sustainable development director Chuck Smith, farm manager Brooke Cuttino, and associate professor Christoff den Biggelaar.
Appalachian already has implemented three of seven actions to reduce campus greenhouse gases outlined in the commitment:
- Adoption of an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy.
- Access to public transportation for faculty, staff, students and visitors through AppalCart, Appalachian’s biodiesel-powered fleet.
- Participation in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition.
Appalachian’s commitment to grow and sustain “green” programs and initiatives extends far beyond this agreement:
- A wind turbine for student and faculty research is being installed near the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center. It will generate enough electricity to power 10-15 homes each year.
- The Sustainability Council, comprised of faculty, staff and student representatives, is writing a plan to reduce the university’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- A new degree program in environmental science joins existing programs such as appropriate technology, building science, sustainable development, the Appalachian Energy Center, and the Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative.
- Student-led organizations such as the Renewable Energy Initiative(REI), Sustainable Energy Society and the Collaborative Biodiesel Project sponsor numerous educational workshops and alternative-energy initiatives.
- Belk Library and Information Commons was recently recognized by two leading library magazines—”American Libraries” and “Library Journal”—for its green architecture.
- The Energy Center’s CommunityTIES “Trash Into Energy Savings” Project received $134,673 this year from the Golden LEAF Foundation and Z. Smith Reynolds to promote using landfill gas as an economic development engine in local communities.
- Researchers are partnering with Catawba County to test biodiesel crops near the county’s landfill to determine which crops produce the best oils in the local climate.
Read the full American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment at www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/html/commitment.php
Annual Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day held Sept. 13
BOONE—The Annual Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day will be held Sept. 13 beginning at 11:45 a.m. at Elk Knob State Park.
Billed as the region’s largest potluck, the event includes performances by local musicians, cultural demonstrations and activities, including hikes to the Elk Knob summit.
Admission is a covered dish and attendees are encouraged to bring food items at 11:30 a.m.. Beverages will be provided; no glass or alcohol please.
Elk Knob State Park opened in 2003. It is located off Meat Camp Road, 5.5 miles from Hwy. 194 in Watauga County and 9.5 miles north of Boone.
The celebration is sponsored by the Elk Knob Community Heritage Organization (EKCHO), Elk Knob State Park, and the Appalachian State University Sustainable Development Program with generous support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
As in past years, Appalachian’s Center for Appalachian Studies will be record oral histories and scan photographs for future use in heritage exhibits.
Participants this year are asked to bring their favorite family recipe, along with any photos for the first Elk Knob Headwaters Community Day Cookbook.
Activities are: Schedule of Events: (subject to change) Dollar Boys Maggie Idol/ Welcome - Larry Trivette, superintendent of Elk Knob State Park/ Bernie Edwards, board president, EKCHO/Forget-Me-Nots/ Sweet Briar Jam/ Back Porch Bluegrass/ Saunders Family/ Hubbards Family/ The Lost Faculty
Cultural Demonstrations and Activities: (subject to change)Pottery by Jimmy Saverly and Jennifer Gardner/ Horse-drawn Wagon Rides by RJ Main/ Corn Shuck Dolls by Susan Hazlewood and Janie Dotson/Medicinal Herbs by Diana Donovan /Chair Caning by Amy Michels/ Quilting by Evelina Idol and Geneva Roark/Yarn Spinning by Jane Plaugher/ Old Time Games and Environmental Programs by North Carolina Park Rangers
“This is a wonderfully informal gathering where folks, families and kids can come out for a relaxing afternoon of great food, music, socializing, education, and more. The park staff looks forward to hosting this event again this year,” said Larry Trivette, Elk Knob State Park superintendent.
Contact: Meghan B Minton, EKCHO Community Organizer
E-mail: uponthemtn@skybest.com
336-846-8727
New tractor means easier work at Appalachian’s teaching and research farm
BOONE—The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program at Appalachian State University has a new tractor thanks to a generous donation from Boone Kubota and support from the university’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“The new tractor will be a great addition to the teaching and research farm,” said Chuck Smith, director of the sustainable development program. “Our 25-year-old tractor was weary and too small for our growing facility.”
Appalachian State University’s teaching and research farm has a new tractor, thanks in part to a generous gift from Boone Kubota. Pictured from left, are Boone Kubota employees Shannon Tolbert and Denny Norris, Chuck Smith, director of Appalachian’s Sustainable Development Program, farm manager Brooke Cuttino and associate professor Christoff den Biggelaar. (photo by university photographer Marie Freeman)
Farm manager Brooke Cuttino says the new, 25-horse power tractor with front-end loader will be used for mowing, hauling mulch, tilling, planting and other tasks associated with farming.
“The agricultural community in the High Country has a strong tradition of helping each other out and meeting each other half way,” Smith said. “Boone Kubota has kept this tradition by providing the Sustainable Development Program and the Teaching and Research Farm with a very generous in-kind donation. We are pleased to partner with Kubota in an effort to support sustainable agriculture and local food systems in the region.”
Experimental crops of broccoli, garlic, strawberries, lettuce and other vegetables and various fruit trees are grown on the farm. Information about the suitability of various crops for the area is shared with area farmers interested in cash crops, organic farming or alternatives to tobacco.
For more information about Appalachian’s sustainable development program, visit http://www.susdev.appstate.edu/.
New undergraduate degrees approved for Appalachian
Students will be able to earn a bachelor of arts degree in Appalachian studies, global studies, sustainable development, and women’s studies, and a bachelor of science degree in sustainable development - all of which will have an interdisciplinary focus.
These five academic areas were previously offered as concentrations through the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS). When the IDS department was dissolved, the academic areas were moved to the new University College, which also houses the university’s general education, honors and service-learning programs, student research and academic support services.
Dr. Richard Carp, who has been the chair of the IDS department since 1999, will serve as interim chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures beginning in fall 2008.
According to Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Dave Haney, “The establishment of these areas as full-fledged degree programs is an important recognition of the increasing significance of interdisciplinary teaching and learning at Appalachian.
Although these programs all have a distinguished history in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, they have evolved to the point at which they deserve independent degree status. They will benefit many students, and they are a perfect fit with the interdisciplinary mission of University College.”
Appalachian will continue to offer a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, in which students work closely with faculty mentors to design majors that coherently integrate different areas of study. Dr. Nancy Love has been named director of the program effective fall 2009. Love is a professor of political science at Penn State University. In addition to directing the IDS degree program, she will be a professor in the Department of Government and Justice Studies (formerly the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice).
Dr. Jay Wentworth will serve as interim IDS director for the 2008-09 academic year.
“I am very glad that Dr. Love has agreed to lead this program in its new incarnation. She will bring a strong background in interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship, and she has some exciting ideas about possible new directions for the program,” Haney said. “I am also very pleased that Jay Wentworth has agreed to lead the program in the interim. He has worked with our interdisciplinary degree program and Watauga College, our interdisciplinary residential general education program, for many years. He will take good care of the program and its students in the coming year.”
The sixth new degree program is a bachelor of science degree in environmental science. The degree will be based in the College of Arts and Sciences. It will be directed by Dr. Roy C. Sidle who joins the Department of Geology this fall.
“Under Dr. Sidle’s leadership, we expect graduates of this program to become successful members of the environmental science community,” said Tony Calamai, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The curriculum of the new environmental science degree program at Appalachian is among the strongest in the country and should allow graduates to pursue advanced study or careers ranging from field ecology to environmental engineering.”
Details of each new degree program are as follows:
The Appalachian studies degree will provide an interdisciplinary opportunity to study the Appalachian region through social and biological sciences, humanities, aesthetic culture and applied arts. Students experience local communities, make international connections, and learn theories and methods appropriate to their area of focus. The Center for Appalachian Studies offers a wide range of outreach and research activities. Dr. Edwin “Chip” Arnold will direct the degree program.
The global studies degree will build a foundation for understanding the global aspects of international issues, develop tools for considering such issues from a variety of perspectives, and then focus on one of many possible fields in global studies. Fields can include areas such as Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies and German Studies. The program also includes opportunities for advanced language study and study abroad. Dr. Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand will direct the degree program.
Through interdisciplinary study in the natural, agricultural and social sciences as well as the arts and humanities, the sustainable development degrees prepare students to promote equitable economic and social development, while conserving natural resources and encouraging cultural diversity. The B.A. degree offers students broad exposure in a liberal arts context, while the B.S. degree offers a more concentrated pre-professional focus in three specialized areas. The Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program also offers outreach and research opportunities to students and faculty and operates a teaching and research farm. The degree program will be directed by Chuck Smith.
By means of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural analyses, the women’s studies degree will broaden student knowledge about women’s and gender issues in history, society, literature, the arts, technology, culture, and the academy itself. Women’s studies employs historic and contemporary materials, and a variety of methodologies - both theoretical and practical. Dr. Martha McCaughey will direct the degree program.
Appalachian State University co-hosts international hydrail conference in Spain
BOONE - The Appalachian State University Energy Center will co-host the Fourth International Hydrail Conference June 9 in Valencia, Spain.
The conference, also hosted by NTDA Energia, will showcase projects applying hydrogen and fuel cell technology to railways and examine scenarios for integrating these technologies into existing transport systems. In its fourth year, the conference will help provide a vision for the implementation of hydrogen-powered railways and a medium- to long-term strategic plan for the global deployment of this technology.
This year’s conference will feature speakers from across the globe, including Canada, United States, Korea, Spain,
United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and other locales.
For more information about attending the conference, or to learn more about hydrogen trains, visit http://www.hydrail.org.
The International Hydrail Conference
has brought
together the world’s leading experts in the development of hydrogen-fuel technology for railways since 2005 when Appalachian’s Energy Center hosted the First Hydrail International Conference in Charlotte.
The term “hydrail” was coined by a Charlotte-area native to describe the use of fuel cells and hydrogen to power locomotives. It also is shorthand for hydrogen train.
Fuel cells are considered one of the most promising energy technologies of the future because of their high efficiency and low emissions. Although automobiles are commonly touted as the fuel cell-powered vehicle of the future, hydrogen and fuel cell-powered trains are likely to be adopted as one of the earliest transportation solutions in the hydrogen economy.
Hydrogen trains, or hydrail, are not subject to many of the barriers preventing the mass adoption of fuel cell transportation, and their deployment could provide a transportation infrastructure around which additional hydrogen and fuel cell applications may be built. The first hydrogen-powered train models are currently being demonstrated in Japan and Europe.
Conference sponsors include Air Products, Fuel Cell Markets, Plataforma Tecnologica Ferroviaria Espanola, Energias Renovables, Metro Valencia and FGV.
NTDA Energia, the leading organizer, is an international company committed to the development and deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. NTDA Energia plays a leading role in the European Union Joint Technology Initiative on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, and is one of the six members of the governing board for the industry.
The Appalachian State University Energy Center, located in Boone, N.C., is a multi-disciplinary applied research center working in the area of energy. The Energy Center draws upon resources from across the university, including business, economics, political science, technology, chemistry, physics, and sustainable development faculty. The center also is closely involved with regional and national organizations dedicated to facilitating the advancement of the hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Build green, board of trustees chairman says
Posted December 10, 2007 at 4:54 pm · By ASU News 
BOONE—Jim Deal, chairman of Appalachian State University’s Board of Trustees says the university should strive to build energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings in the future.
“I think it’s important for us as a board of trustees to take the position that in all future construction, we do the most we can to have these buildings meet LEED certification requirements,” Deal said during the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.
“We may not want to actually pay the cost of having (buildings) LEED certified, but we need to build buildings that are green buildings,” he said.
Appalachian State University Board of Trustees Chairman Jim Deal, left, wants the university to pursue environmentally friendly design and construction on future building projects. (Appalachian photo by Jane Nicholson)
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards were developed in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council. The recognized standards for environmentally friendly construction address human and environmental health, sustainable site development, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Appalachian has incorporated green building standards into past residence hall renovation projects. For instance, residence hall lighting now uses energy efficient ballasts and recyclable fluorescent bulbs, according to Tommy Wright, interim director of housing operations. In addition, low-flow shower heads and water-conserving toilets are installed as halls are renovated. Motion sensors turn off lights when a room is unoccupied.
“The university has been doing this in the past. This is just a statement from the board of trustees that says we considered this the appropriate thing to do for the environment and the appropriate thing from an educational perspective,” Deal said. “We have wonderful (faculty) resources on this campus. Graduate students come to Appalachian to learn about sustainable development and green facilities. What better way to have them learn than to have them actually participate in helping us make sure we do that?”
Planned improvements to Frank Residence Hall that will follow LEED guidelines include purchasing building materials locally whenever possible to reduce fuel consumption associated with transportation; using building materials made from recycled items and purchasing materials that can be recycled when renovations occur; and installing water source heat pumps in each room rather than using the campus steam system for heat. “In terms of life cycle costs, it’s less expensive over the long term,” Wright said. The building also will have low-flow toilets and shower fixtures,
In addition, officials will install a computerized monitoring system in the residence hall lobby that will let students see how water and electricity is being used floor by floor.
Land valued at $1.3 million given to Appalachian
BOONE—Watauga County businessman Paul Brown has completed a gift begun in 2005 to the Appalachian State University Foundation of approximately 25 acres of land valued at more than $1.3 million.The gift establishes the Thomas Walsh and Paul Brown Endowment for Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University.
A recent gift of land valued at more than $1.3 million from Paul Brown to the Appalachian State University Foundation will support the ongoing education and outreach of the sustainable development program at Appalachian State University. Celebrating the establishment of the Thomas Walsh and Paul Brown Endowment for Sustainable Development are Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, left, Walsh, Brown and Chuck Smith, director of the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program. (Appalachian photo by University Photographer Mike Rominger)
“This gift will help Appalachian become the premier institution in the region in regards to sustainable development education and outreach,” said Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock. Peacock said Appalachian has the talented faculty, and with Brown’s support, the resources to make that goal a reality.
Brown’s gift will fund student scholarships, faculty support and outreach programs of Appalachian’s Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program. “Those are the kinds of things that make a university strong,” Peacock said.
The sustainable development program, now in its 16th year, is an academic and outreach program with 23 faculty members across 11 departments and three colleges. The program is committed to academic interdisciplinary study, environmental education and awareness, and sustainable community outreach and development.
Walsh is assistant director of outreach in Appalachian’s sustainable development program. He and Brown are longtime friends who have worked together over the years on a variety of economic and sustainable development projects in the region.
“As more people and communities turn to the concepts of sustainable development, Appalachian will be at the forefront in developing ways to balance our current generation’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own economic, energy and environmental needs,” said Robert Lyman, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian.
For more information about the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program, visit http://www.susdev.appstate.edu/.
