Project Plan (DRAFT)

Project Name: Project Manager: Drew Guswa, Associate Professor, Engineering

Center for the Environment,
Ecological Design and Sustainability
(CEEDS)

Objective:
“Advance Environmental Literacy”

Project Description
One goal that has emerged from the strategic planning process is to ensure that graduates of Smith are Environmentally Literate, that they understand the
interconnectedness of human activities and natural and ecological processes.

Benefits
A environmentally literate citizenry will be better equipped to address the social, business, and scientific challenges of the future. The environmentally literate
student will be better able to appreciate the beauty of the world around her and to help shape a sustainable future.

Project Implementation Team Members

Name
Andrew Guswa, Associate Prof., Engineering
Joanne Benkley, Program Coordinator, ES&P
Ruth Constantine, Vice President for Finance & Admin.
Amy Rhodes, Associate Prof., Geology
L. David Smith, Associate Prof., Biological Sciences
Dano Weisbord, Sustainability Coordinator
Role
Project Manager; Advisor to the President, CEEDS
Program Coordinator, Environmental Science and Policy
VP for Finance and Admin.
Manager of the Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station
Director of Environmental Science and Policy
Sustainability Coordinator

Metrics Status
(Specific, Measurable Achievable, Relevant, Time Bound) Programs/Projects/Tactics to Achieve
(Idea, Study, Planning, Execution,
Objectives and Metrics Completed, Assessment)

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 Beginning with the Class of 2014, 50% of  Form advisory group to informally designate “environmental  Idea
literacy” courses (see iEarth program at Stanford)
graduating seniors will have taken a class with an
 Develop a sufficient suite of courses with the environmental
environmental literacy designation.
literacy designation
 Query registrar’s database to determine percentage of
students participating in these courses.

 Beginning in fall of 2010, enrollment in an Environmental
Colloquium will exceed 100 students
 Beginning with Class of 2014, graduate 50 students each
year with a Certificate in Environmental Literacy
 Determine feasibility/appropriateness of using LSS 100 as  Study
the Environmental Colloquium
 As needed, develop a CAP proposal for a 1-2 credit
Environmental Colloquium
 Secure endowment funding to bring speakers to campus for
the Colloquium
 Identify and secure administrative support
 Develop guidelines for satisfaction of the Certificate  Idea
 Obtain CAP approval for Certificate

 Establish the MacLeish field station as a site where  Hire 0.25 FTE position for Whately instrumentation  Planning
students can learn techniques and technologies for technician
measuring and monitoring the natural environment, carry  Develop long-term program for the physical buildings and  Execution
out independent field work, and experience the landscape landscape at Archibald and Ada MacLeish Field Station and
and beauty of a New England forest. associated staffing needs
 By fall 2009  Develop list of equipment and instrumentation to be  Planning
o Have meteorological and atmospheric conditions available at the field station
monitored on site and the data made available on the  Develop GIS geodatabase for the property  Planning
web in archival and real-time formats  Student project on land-use history  Execution
o have a GIS geodatabase  Develop program for Mountain Day  Execution
o have documented the land-use history  Secure funding for buildings, equipment, and salaries  Planning
o regularly host Mountain Day events at the site  Summer students to construct trail network and create  Idea
 By fall 2010 interpretive guide
 Execution
o Have a network of trails with an interpretive guide  Connect with Exercise and Sports Study program; develop
o Site will be regularly used by ESS outdoor program program for use of the site
 By fall 2012
o Have upgraded the building to be a high-
performance, low-impact facility (see plans related to
innovative stewardship objective)

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 By January 2010, CEEDS will sponsor or co-sponsor a
number of off-campus J-term courses
 By Fall 2009, CEEDS will sponsor or co-sponsor
approximately six environmental field trips per year open
to the entire student body. These may be combined with
curricular field trips associated with courses or free-
standing.
 CEEDS will sponsor Environmental Scholars-in-
Residence
 Facilitate and encourage co-curricular activities that
promote and advance environmental literacy
 Establish a media/communication presence on campus to
communicate environmental ideas and themes outside of
the classroom
Confidential
 Develop course proposals (such as Coral Reef Ed-ventures,  Study
Ecotourism and the Environment in Monteverde, Costa
Rica, The Florida Everglades)
 Secure financial support
 Secure administrative support
 Survey current environmental faculty to determine  Study
what field trips are currently run (e.g., Harvard Forest,  In Fall of 2008, CEEDS is sponsoring a
Smith Co-gen plant, Conte Anadromous fish lab). field trip to Harvard Forest in Petersham,
MA
 Develop schedule and logistics of field trips for two
years out
 Secure funding
 Develop recruitment guidelines  Idea
 Develop evaluation plan
 Specify responsibilities to the college
 Secure financial support
 Secure administrative support
 Create a competitive proposal program to distribute funds to  Idea
students who wish to pursue an environmental project at
Smith
 Create a process by which individuals, departments, and
programs may apply to CEEDS to obtain funds to sponsor
visiting speakers, events, etc. that have an environmental
focus
 Secure endowment to provide such grants and resources
 Identify and secure administrative support
 As part of the physical space of the Center for the  Idea
Environment, establish a foyer/lobby in which to display
results from student and faculty efforts
 At a set of locations throughout campus, install computer  Idea
monitors that display rolling sets of data: meteorological
data from the MacLeish field station, water use data for the
building, energy performance of the CoGen plant, etc.
 At the MacLeish field station, develop a network of  Planning
recreational trails with interpretive signs that may be used
by students or the community
 As part of the CEEDS web portal, include a set of  Idea
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 educational pages

 Coordinate outreach activities for K-12 students in and  Identify opportunities  Idea
around Northampton  Secure financial resources
 Identify and secure appropriate staff support

 The objectives below this point are directly related to the actions and planning of CEEDS, but are not necessarily within the jurisdiction of CEEDS.

 Beginning with the Class of 2013, an average of 15  Develop a proposal for an ES&P major  Execution
students per year will graduate with a major in  CAP approval of ES&P major 
Environmental Science and Policy  Funding for and authorization to search for faculty to staff
the ES&P major

 Beginning with the Class of 2013, an average of four  CAP approval of Environmental Geology track  Execution
students will graduate from the environmental track within
the geology major

 Beginning with Class of 2013, an average of four students  CAP approval of Environmental Chemistry track  Study
will graduate from the environmental track within the
chemistry major
 By 2010, an average of twelve students will graduate with  None  Execution
a minor in Landscape Studies

Risks/Issues
(Risks are things that MAY happen; Issues are things that are already happening)
RISK: Most, if not all, activities are wholly dependent on funding availability
ISSUE: We are certainly not among the first educational institutions to develop a Center for the Environment; consequently, there must be a unique or
extraordinary character to our Center in order for it to stand out among our peers

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