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Inside and Out: Universities and Education for Sustainable Development
Edited by Robert Forrant and Linda Silka
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Work, Health and Environment Series, Series Editors, Charles Levenstein and John Wooding
You can read the
Introduction for free right now, just click here.
IN PRAISE OF
"Using the goal of education for sustainability as their reference point, Forrant, Silka, and coauthors challenge the isolation and insulation typically found within the academy and make a compelling, albeit challenging, case for collaborative and interdisciplinary models of pedagogy. The authors are clear that on- and off-campus relationships must be altered to respond more effectively to the demands and realities of the 21st century. Faculty, administrators, and others interested in maximizing the use of the resources of an engaged institution will find this an instructive read.
—Armand W. Carriere, Executive Director, Worcester University Partnership
"Developing economic resources without concern for the environment and the well-being of the civic culture is an approach fraught with risk. History reveals the damage resulting from a single-minded emphasis on economic growth. At the University of Massachusetts Lowell, we are committed to a holistic approach to development. We seek to understand the conditions that allow for sustainable economic and social development-the kind of development that allows a region's economy to flourish over the long term and takes into account the quality of people's health and environment, as well as their schools and community life. And as we gain more knowledge, we apply what we have learned in the communities around us. The authors of this volume explore and demonstrate how a public university can make sustainability integral to the education of its students. This is a critical task. Our young people need the skills, perspectives, and knowledge to understand the link between sustainability and their futures as workers and citizens."
—William T. Hogan, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
"The book is interesting and helpful in focusing my own ideas and concepts on SD (sustainable development). It is well written and thought provoking."
—Michael A. Gealt, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Ecology 87(11), 2006
"Inside and Out provides a thoughtful collection of essays that respond to the complexities of teaching and instilling the values of sustainability across the campus and with the surrounding community. Inside and Out is a valuable study of sustainability as subject matter and practice because it goes beyond a recounting of pedagogical practices to present successful university-community partnerships whose endeavors address sustainable development."
—Ann M. McEntee, Campus-Planning Consultant, The Journal of the Society for College and University, January-March, 2007
ABOUT THE BOOK
Two overarching questions permeate the literature on universities and civic engagement: How does a university restructure its myriad activities, maintain its academic integrity, and have a transformative impact off campus? And, who ought to participate in the conversations that frame and guide both the internal restructuring process and the off-campus interactions? The perspective of this book, based on research and projects in the field, is that long-term, sustainable social and economic development requires strategies geared to the scientific, technical, cultural, and environmental aspects of development. Much of the work in this volume challenges traditional university practices. Universities tend to reproduce a culture that rejects direct interaction across traditional academic department boundaries and beyond the campus. Yet, interdisciplinary work is important because it more aptly mirrors what is taking place in the regional economy as firms collaborate across manufacturing boundaries and community organizations and neighborhood groups work to solve common problems. What is distinctive within the range of scholarship and practice in this volume is the inclination on the part of increasing numbers of professors on more and more campuses to collaborate across disciplinary lines.
Universities must persist in the advancement of cross-community, cross-firm, and cross-institutional learning. The learning dynamics and knowledge diffusion generated by collaborative activities and new approaches to teaching can invigorate all phases of learning at the university. In this way, the university advances its activities beyond an indiscriminate approach to development, maximizes the use of its resources, and performs an integrative and innovative role in the cultivation of equitable and sustainable regions. The chapters in this book illustrate the strikingly different and exciting ways in which universities pursue education for sustainability.
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Robert Forrant is Professor in the Department of Regional Economic and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is coeditor of two volumes on sustainable regional development and is on the editorial boards of the journals New Solutions and Labor History. Dr. Forrant serves as a regional economy analyst for Massachusetts Benchmarks and has consulted on development issues for the United Nations Development Program, the International Labor Organization, the International Metalworkers Federation, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 1998 he received the University of Massachusetts Distinguished Professional Service Award.
Linda Silka is University Professor and a member of the Department of Regional Economic and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She develops programs that create community and university partnerships, including the Southeast Asian Environmental Justice Partnership and the Community Outreach Partnership Center. Dr. Silka teaches graduate courses in community mapping, grant writing, program evaluation, and research ethics with underserved communities and consults widely on capacity-building strategies and program evaluation. In 1999 she received the University of Massachusetts Distinguished Professional Service Award.
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